We arrived in Alaska with a mission: to visit every national park and to reach Prudhoe Bay, what we originally only knew as the end to the Pan-American Highway. This ultimate drive helped us attain both of these goals. The Dalton Highway is 414 miles of mostly unpaved road that leads to the northernmost drivable point in North America. It was originally built in the 1970s as a haul road to run alongside the Alaska pipeline, ending at the Prudhoe Bay oilfield in Deadhorse. Open to public only in 1994 thanks to the curiosity of overlanders that came before us, the road holds a special mystique in its far and desolate reach past the Arctic Circle and Gates of the Arctic National Park.

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MAPS AND PLANNING

Driving the Dalton Highway takes some planning, not only due to how long it is but because there is so little anywhere past the nearest city in Alaska, Fairbanks. My top piece of advice is something that we didn’t do: purchase a relatively recent edition of “The Milepost: Alaska Travel Planner“. This heavy book is worth its cost in maps plus mile to mile details for not only the Dalton, but every highway and frequently travelled unpaved road in Alaska. However if you’re like us and never got to buying it, I’m attaching some photos of the Milepost’s map, plus the other most helpful map we received. This map was part of “The Dalton Highway” free magazine by the BLM, available at the Arctic Interagency Visitor’s Center in Coldfoot. Between these two maps, we were able to make goals for ourselves on where we wanted to reach that day, plus keep track of where the next gas station. Spoiler alert, there’s not many gas stations on this road. More on gas later.

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Google Maps is actually able to guide you through this whole journey and give you a rough estimate of how many hours it will take you. Because we were driving from Anchorage, our total drive was estimated to be 16.5 hours nonstop. Add on food and potty stops, the need to sleep, and the god forsaken pilot car that we had to follow for 35 miles at the end of the road (this has to be not only the longest, but most useless pilot car in existence). We did this trip in 4 days total. We had actually allotted 5 days total for the trip, but on the last day we arrived back in Fairbanks at 9PM and just decided to push and drive the six hours more back to Anchorage. I would realistically plan for at least five fully available days to drive the Dalton, moving this day to seven if you really want to take your time. I wish we had been able to drive slower and stop for more pictures, but work simply didn’t allow this.

GASOLINE & OTHER SERVICES

Let’s talk some more about gas, our personal number one worry about making this trip. This is one of the two drives we’ve ever taken where it was really important to carry extra gas – the other drive being the Alcan through Canada. We were worried that our two 5-gallon jerry cans wouldn’t be enough, because we had read about people carrying 20 or even 40 extra gallons of gas with them to make this journey. But when you look at the numbers, that’s really not necessary unless your car gets really horrible mileage and you’re worried you’ll for some reason have to turn around and go backwards before reaching the next gas station. Even then, I’m here to tell you that if you do run out of gas, or have mechanical issues, it’s not the end of the world. Of course, it’ll be a huge pain in the ass and probably the most expensive tow of your life if you have issues – but you won’t be stranded. Remember, this is a haul road – several trucks flew by us every hour on their way back or forth to pump stations (which are not gas stations, by the way; I had wondered this beforehand). Even in the dead of winter, the work still continues on the pipeline – not that I’m recommending you try this trip during the winter, but still. There are no official mechanic services between Fox and Deadhorse.

Our 2005 Toyota 4Runner holds 23 gallons, or gets roughly 280-290 miles with a full tank of gas. The longest stretch without a gas station is between Coldfoot (MP 175) and Deadhorse (MP 414) – that’s 239 miles without a single gas station available. Far, daunting, yes. But not impossible or, when you consider our backup tanks, even close to pushing our limit. As a surprise to us, the stretch between the last non-Dalton Highway gas station in Fox and Coldfoot was actually the longest we went without gas – 243 miles. Yes, there is a gas station in Yukon River Camp (MP 56) that should break up this drive – but you shouldn’t rely on it to be in service like we did when we rolled up at about 9PM. The station is neither 24/7 nor pay at pump. This summer 2021, hours are 11AM-8PM; check their website for the most recent updated hours. We didn’t want to camp there and then wait until 11AM just for gas when we were able to reach Coldfoot without it, so we continued on. The gas station at Coldfoot Camp is open year round and should be working 24/7 when their card reader is up. There are two gas stations in Prudhoe Bay, both open 24/7.

In terms of food – just plan on bringing as much food and water as you will need for the entire journey. There is no food available between Coldfoot and Deadhorse, and the food in both of these places largely fall into the category of non-perishable gas station commodities. There are café style restaurants in each location but hours are highly variable/seasonal, and I wouldn’t 100% count on their availability. Marion Creek Campground right past Coldfoot (milepost/MP 180) is the last place you can find a potable water pump for RVs. Drinking water is available for purchase in Deadhorse. We found our two 3.5 gallon water bricks helpful for washing dishes along the way, but didn’t personally needed to use them as backup drinking water this trip. Our trusty Coleman butane stove got plenty of use this trip, even more so than our two-burner because when it’s cold, faster was appreciated.

THE ROAD

No map, including the Milepost’s, is able to accurately tell you what parts of the road are paved and what isn’t. This is because pavement is being laid on the Dalton every single day. On the flip side, their are long stretches of road that once were paved, but now are so broken apart that they’re more trouble than the unpaved sections. When we arrived in Deadhorse, the last hour before the camp had been paved that week – we were told that before then, this was the worst part of the entire Dalton. As a rule, you absolutely must plan on having good tires, the supplies to deflate them as appropriately (only if needed. Overall, this depends on your tires rating and the weight of the vehicle) and at least one full-size spare. We had a new set of BF Goodrich KO2s which we deflated down to 27 psi right at the beginning of the highway. For us, this was the perfect level to get through the rapidly changing terrains of the road: flat paved sections, some brand new and some old enough that it was a fairly bumpy ride, mud/dirt sections, loose gravel, some small sections of washboarding, and then those unfortunate sections of pavement that were so broken or full of potholes that it required the concentration of an obstacle course to drive over. You can’t count on any stretch of road being the same for even more than a couple miles. Any E-rated tires will do great on this road.

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What you can count on is mud. I can confidently say that the car has never been so muddy. Simply by the end of day one, our back window was covered in such a thick, slimy layer of mud that it was impossible to clean off. Because of this, putting the rooftop tent up and down was a bit of a challenge, because every light brush against the car left you soaked with mud that never seemed to dry. In this case, having a pressurized water system might be helpful – we’ve personally been considering this GoSpout water tank because it would provide just enough water to rinse the wheels and sides of the car off. I certainly left the Dalton feeling jealous of people who slept inside of their cars and RVs. Make sure that you pay attention to your car’s shaking, because often that means it time to roll up your sleeves and wipe the inside of the tires out again.

We drove the Dalton on August 15-18 and on our way up, the roads were completely free of snow except for one section called the Antigun Pass, which coincidentally experienced its first snow-out of the year the day that we drove through. This section of the road is probably the most precarious, as you’re driving cliffside at steep angles, meanwhile minding the trucks on the road too. Snow and fog made visibility difficult. Just keep a steady pace at low gear and you should be fine. After this section, there was no snow again until we came back down the highway. Seemingly overnight, the vast, flat orange fields from Antigun Pass onwards had turned white with snow. I consider us lucky, because we got to see the Dalton both ways. Snow or not, the temperature was around 30-35 degrees anywhere North of Coldfoot. At night we used our Mr. Heater BuddyHeater inside the rooftop tent to keep warm. We’re nowhere near sleeping bag experts, but for us our new 20 degree Alps Mountaineering sleeping bags kept us warm enough. When the wind sure was biting though. Dress in layers and try to stay as dry as possible to manage the cold.

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CAMPGROUNDS AND LODGING

There are four “maintained” campgrounds on the Dalton Highway, but many more spots where you can pull off the road and sleep for the night. Here’s a photo of a graph that shows what the four official campsites have to offer from the BLM magazine.

We personally stayed at 5 Mile campground (MP 60) on our first night, which is essentially just a flat, open dirt area with bathrooms (pit toilets) and a dump station. While this campground didn’t have a view, it was shielded from wind by the trees and a perfectly comfortable place to stay the night in the rooftop tent. However, and I’ll say this for all of the campground, if you are tent camping on the ground, make sure you have a very waterproof tent and a sleeping pad, because you won’t be lying on grass. Everything is dirt on the Dalton, or more accurately, mud. Also make sure you have a tent that doesn’t require thin stakes to be stay grounded, as even in mid-August the dirt was already frozen north of Coldfoot and would be near impossible to break into without some strong equipment.

On our second night we stayed the Sag River Overlook (MP 348), an unofficial but commonly used campsite. Several other campers spent the night with us here. This area is at a higher elevation than the actual road so while the view is great, the wind is not. There are no toilets here, but there is supposedly one further up at Last Change Wayside (MP 355). Personally we weren’t able to find said toilet. If you need to camp before or shortly after Coldfoot, we recommend Galbraith Lake (MP 275) instead, where we spent our third night. This campsite is not right off the side of the road like all the others – instead you have to drive 2.5 miles past the industrial buildings to find the site. We felt like we were driving forever and got nervous the longer we drove, but once you’re at the campsite, it’s unmissable and clear what it is. Pit toilets and trash cans are available with individual pull ins for different campers, plus a great view. We were much warmer here than we were on night two because mountains block the wind around you.

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Even if you don’t stay at the official campsites, there are many pullouts where you can camp or even just take a rest. They’re clearly made for people to take a break and some even are farther than a few feet off the road so that you’re not as close to the trucks going by. You’ll never go too long without seeing one of these pull-outs, though they do become more sparse north of Galbraith Lake. There are only a few real rules when it comes to where you can’t camp on the Dalton. #1 is the pullouts that lead directly to the pipeline, which are clearly marked by the same metal fence throughout the entire highway and a sign asking drivers to please not block these entrances. #2 is the nine miles between Galbraith Lake (MP 275) and Toolik Lake (MP 284) – this stretch of roadside is reserved for research purposes. These easily-followed restrictions should be respected so non-pipeline employees can keep enjoying this beautiful road.

Non-camping options for lodging on the Dalton are really only in two places. There are a few lodging options in/between Coldfoot (MP 175) and Wiseman (MP 189), and a few options in Deadhorse. Bellow are maps of each town. Following that are what should be exhaustive lists of lodging options in each area, per the AIVC.

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AIVC AND NATIONAL PARKS

As you can see, the folks at the visitors center in Coldfoot (MP 175) had the most helpful resources for us. It’s called the Arctic Interagency Visitors Center, or AIVC, and functions as part of the NPS (national park service), BLM (bureau of land management), and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife service. Different portions of the Dalton and the surrounding lands are managed by each organization. The AIVC is the best place to get information on driving the Dalton once you’re on it. It can also tell you all about the Arctic Circle, which you’ll have passed back at MP 115. The rangers there are so friendly and eager to tell you about the area. If you can correctly guess what the coldest recorded temperature in Alaska is, they’ll give you a small keepsake to take home too. The AIVC is only open seasonally July 1 through September 16 from 12PM – 8PM (check most recent hours on their website). If you are able to make it, we highly recommend it. Not only for the information it holds, but this is where you can find passport stamps for Gates of the Arctic NP and Kobuk Valley NP!

Kobuk NP is far from the Dalton Highway. However Gates of the Arctic NP is directly on the west side of the highway from the AIVC to Galbraith Lake. The scenery you will drive through is stereotypical of what Gates of the Arctic is known for: vast, rolling fields of orange grass, dyed by the iron-rich soil. You have the potential of seeing bears, caribou and even wolves. From September onwards, you have a realistic chance of spotting the Northern Lights. Year-round, you’ll get the feeling of being totally out in the wild, untouched apart from the often empty road you’re tied to. While technically the only way to go inside of Gates of the Arctic NP is by charter plane, we feel that this drive is close enough to the real border to say you’ve check this national park off your bucket list. (But, if you truly want to get deep inside the park, we’ll be making an upcoming post on that trip too.)

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PRUDHOE BAY / DEADHORSE

At the end of 414 magnificent miles of road, you will find yourself in the industrial town of Deadhorse. I say town, but really it more like an area. Prudhoe Bay is the name of the oil field that is synonymous with that area – there isn’t a single permanent resident of Deadhorse. Everybody there works a 2-3 week on/off schedule on a contract either on or to support the oil field. As such, you won’t find any malls or even a grocery store in Deadhorse. There’s no sidewalks or a place to rest for a vacation in Deadhorse – it’s just oil field work. You can’t even drive to the end of the continent to the Arctic Ocean, as all land is owned by the oil companies. Driving the Dalton is about the journey, not the destination. That being said, there is one way to reach the true end of land. Deadhorse Camp’s Arctic Ocean Shuttle can bring you via van tour to the end, and they’ll even provide you a towel for when you just have to jump into those arctic waters. The shuttle runs twice a day and costs $69 per person. You’ll need a license or passport in hand, and you’ll need to make a reservation at least 24 hours in advance. In our opinion, it’s worth it for the bucket list checkmark. You’ll leave with a certificate of membership to the Arctic Polar Bear Club for touching the Arctic Ocean. Deadhorse Camp has the exclusive rights to guiding tourists through the oil field.

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Before you leave, make sure you stop by Brooks Range Supply. You’ll find an array of souvenirs for purchase to brag about your journey to the end of the road there, as well as snacks and tools for any mechanical issues you might be having. The side of Brooks Range Supply is where the trademark end of the Dalton Highway sign is, framed by hundreds of stickers placed by those who’ve made it before you. It’s the hallmark sign that you’ve made it to the tip top of the Pan-American highway. Certainly the most rewarding building side I’ve ever seen! (Not that there are a ton of contenders.)

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FINAL THOUGHTS

Was driving the Dalton everything we hoped it’d be, and more? Honestly, yeah, it was! This was the one stretch of days in my entire travel nursing contract where I was able to get five days in a row off, and I’m so glad I spent them doing this. There’s really nothing to compare driving the highway with. While well trafficked, driving the Dalton often feels desolate, like you’ve left the real world behind for the first time. At times the landscape is so flat and open that you truly begin to believe there is no end. You feel small, and that’s not a bad thing. And then at the end of the road, there’s that dirty old wall on the side of a general store there to congratulate you, and man does it feel good. You know you’re in the ranks of the truly well-travelled now. If you’ve ever wanted to print off a personalized sticker, now’s the time to do so, so you can stick it alongside those of the peoples’ who’ve made the ultimate trip all the way down from Argentina. This is, after all, the top end to the PanAmerican Highway. And for us, it’s the true end of the road. We feel like we’ve gotten the best of Alaska, including this part that few others include. So if you’re considering making this drive, and you’re thinking there are so many other things to do in Alaska – there are. And for the average tourist, this isn’t what you want to spend five of your few days here doing, probably. But if you do, I can guarantee: there’s nothing else like this.