Of the various roads de-
scribed in this guide, the Dalton Highway is far and away the most remote and potentially the most rugged trek available. It is also the one road where having a second spare tire makes sense. On the entire 211 miles of this road available for public travel (summer only), there are but two facilities offering limited repairs or services.
Also, travelers should carry extra food and a complete first aid kit. Help can be a long time coming along this road. Being prepared is the key phrase. Breakdowns will cost you money. Towing services along the Dalton Highway commonly cost in the range of $5 per mile.
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| The Dalton Highway
Length: 414 miles (690 km). Road is open to general traffic only to Disaster Creek, 209 miles (348 km) from the start. Travel beyond Disaster Creek must be authorized in advance by the Alaska Department of Transportation. Permits are not granted to visitors unless valid business requirements necessitate vehicle travel.
Gas Available: Yukon River bridge, 56 miles (93 km); Coldfoot Services, 175 miles (292 km)
Lodging: Yukon Ventures Alaska, 56 miles (93 km); Coldfoot Services, 175 miles (292 km)
Campsites (no hookups available): Hess Creek gravel bar, 24 miles (40 km); Yukon River bridge, 56 miles (93 km); The Arctic Circle, 115 miles (192 km); Jim River, 139 miles (232 km); Marion Creek, 180 miles (300 km)
Wildlife: Black bears, moose, Dall sheep, grizzly bears
Fishing: Northern pike, burbot, grayling, Dolly Varden
Map
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From its junction with the Elliott Highway, the Dalton Highway is open year-round to general travel as far as the Yukon River bridge, about 56 miles. From the Yukon River north to Disaster Creek, the road is open to the public from June 1 to September 1. North of Disaster Creek to Prudhoe Bay, the road is closed to all but industrial traffic. All these closures, however, may change in the years ahead. The Dalton Highway is partially maintained by federal funds, and there is pressure to open the entire road to the public on a year-round basis.
Along the Dalton, the speed limit is 45 mph. The road is patrolled by the Alaska State Troopers. If you need police assistance, there is a trooper permanently stationed at Coldfoot, 175 miles from the Elliott Highway junction.
At intervals along the road, you will see one-lane trails leading up to the trans-Alaska pipeline. These trails are generally barricaded and are not open to public travel. The trans-Alaska pipeline and its access roads are private property.
Grades along this road are steep, at times exceeding 10 percent. Again, this road was built for industry by industry, and general vehicle travel was not a factor in its construction.
The Brooks Range
All the cautions aside, this is a spectacular trip, a trip that offers the only road access to the Brooks Range, Alaska's northernmost mountain range (see map of the region of the range encompassed by Gates of the Arctic National Park). Many Alaskans consider the mountains of the Brooks Range to be the most beautiful in the world, and with good reason. Jagged peaks, stunning valleys, and endlessly varying terrain leave no time for boredom. Unfortunately, travelers cannot cross the range; private vehicles are stopped just prior to climbing over Atigun Pass. Fortunately, the south side of the Brooks Range offers the best scenery and the most breathtaking vistas for travelers.
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| Insiders' Tip
Stop only where there are pullouts available off the road. The Dalton Highway is fairly narrow and used mostly by truckers driving 18-wheelers, many with extra trailers. Truckers tend to"make time," which means that they are often unwilling to slow down and that they raise tremendous clouds of dust during dry periods. If you are engulfed in a cloud of dust at roadside, another trucker approaching may not be able to see your vehicle.
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Northbound from the Elliott Highway junction, the terrain is mostly rolling hills with small creeks. The largest of the creeks, Hess Creek, 24 miles from the junction, offers good fishing for whitefish and grayling. You can camp here, if you wish; there is a gravel bar alongside the creek on the north side of the bridge. There are no facilities in terms of tables or outhouses.
From Hess Creek, it's about 32 miles to the Yukon River. The bridge here offers the only vehicle crossing of the Yukon in Alaska. One of North America's mightiest rivers, the Yukon's drainage includes nearly half of Alaska and much of Yukon Territory, Canada. It is here that the Dalton skirts the Yukon Flats National Wildlife Refuge.
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| Insiders' Tip
Carry plenty of water. Drinking water is available only at the Yukon River bridge, Coldfoot and from an artesian well 5 miles north of the bridge. Water from streams, no matter how clear it appears, must be boiled for several minutes before drinking.
Though the water is open in June, good fishing north of the Yukon River usually doesn't occur until July and August. In June, most rivers are high and muddy from melting snows.
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In July and August it may be possible to obtain fresh-caught salmon from commercial fishermen on the Yukon. Much of the catch is carried upriver to the bridge and shipped by vehicle to Fairbanks. These salmon are the most protein-rich fish in the world, many of them heading all the way to Canada to spawn. No other salmon in North America make such a tremendous journey (1,500 or more miles) after leaving salt water, so these fish must be stronger than most others. Even at the Dalton Highway bridge, hundreds and hundreds of miles from salt water in the Bering Sea, these are bright, shiny fish showing little evidence of the decay that usually begins when salmon enter fresh water.
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| Insiders' Tip
Be extremely careful when planning a campfire. Most of the ground along the Dalton Highway is either tundra or muskeg, both of which are mostly vegetation susceptible to catching fire. Riverbank gravel bars, or areas cleared to bare soil/gravel during road construction, are often the only sure places to have a safe campfire. Forest fires are expensive to fight in Alaska, and government agencies have begun presenting bills for fire-fighting services when the cause can be traced to a person or group of people.
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The north side of the Yukon River bridge also offers one of only two places to purchase gas or get your car repaired along the Dalton Highway. Here you'll find a restaurant and other travelers' facilities. Best to fill up here. It's 120 miles to the next gas station at Coldfoot.
North of the Yukon, fishermen should start thinking of limbering up their rods. An assortment of streams offer possibilities for burbot, pike, grayling, and Dolly Varden. Of all the streams at roadside in Alaska, these are the least visited. Good spots to try (and distances from the Yukon River) include: Ray River (15 miles), No Name Creek (24 miles), Kanuti River (50 miles), Fish Creek (59 miles), South Fork Bonanza Creek (69 miles), North Fork Bonanza Creek (70 miles), Prospect Creek (80 miles), Jim River (bridges at 85, 86, and 89 miles) and the South Fork of the Koyukuk River (101 miles).
The Arctic
Campgrounds along the Dalton Highway are sparsely furnished, if furnished at all. Most good camping spots are simply level areas near the fishing streams that have been used by others. As such, no litter barrels or maintenance are provided. An exception is a campground right on the Arctic Circle, 60 miles north of the Yukon River bridge. This campground is about half a mile to the right of the road if you are northbound, and the turnoff is marked. A large, colorful sign denotes the Arctic Circle for travelers. There is a litter barrel in this campground. When you camp in other areas, burn all combustible trash in a safe campfire and carry your noncombustible garbage with you until you reach a suitable disposal site.
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| Insiders' Tip
Also at Coldfoot, the National Park Service has established an information center for Gates of the Arctic National Park, whose eastern boundary is just to the west of the road. One of Alaska's remotest national parks, Gates of the Arctic is accessible only via chartered airplane or on foot from the road. The hiking is strenuous, and there are no maintained trails.
Do not feed the bears. Over the years a number of"road bears," both blacks and grizzlies, have been created along the Dalton Highway by people unthinkingly providing handouts. Some bears, particularly grizzlies, will occasionally lie down in the center of the road and force you to stop, then saunter up to the driver's door looking for a handout. Feeding bears in Alaska is punishable by fines and jail time. It also endangers bears and people. If a bear approaches your vehicle, drive on, then stop and watch from a distance.
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Sixty miles north of the Arctic Circle is Coldfoot, a small community more or less at the base of the Brooks Range, near Gates of the Arctic National Park. Travelers' services here are owned by Dick and Cathy Mackey. Dick, one of the North's more colorful characters, won the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race from Anchorage to Nome in 1977 and still runs the race occasionally. He also organized the Coldfoot Classic sled-dog race, which takes place in April in and around the western edge of the park. The Coldfoot Classic has become one of Alaska's better-known middle-distance races for mushers and their dogs. It's also the last big race of the season for distance mushers.
From Coldfoot north to Disaster Creek, where nonindustry travelers must turn around, the cliffs surrounding the road offer opportunities for viewing Dall sheep. Look among the rocks and open alpine areas for flashes of pure white. Binoculars are usually required for best viewing.
Bears, both black and grizzly, are frequently seen along the Dalton Highway. Highest concentrations of black bears are found at lower elevations and in wooded regions. Grizzlies generally inhabit the more open tundra in alpine areas.
At Disaster Creek, a manned check station ensures compliance with regulations prohibiting general travel farther north on the Dalton Highway.
from Away.com
