Driving from California up the ALCAN Highway into Alaska has been a dream of mine and I plan to do it in the coming years. Once in Alaska I want to drive as far north as possible.
I’ve read in articles here and there that one can drive up the Haul Road to Deadhorse, yet in other articles it appears the Haul Road is a controlled pipeline maintenance road only open to limited people (employees, inspectors, etc…). I think I read somewhere you can drive as far north as Barrow.
Haul Road or not, Barrow or not, what’s the farthest north a common civilian can drive on commonly open, uncontrolled roads? Weather permitting, of course. I don’t want this to be a discussion on weather.
I’d love to hear especially from people who’ve actually done the drive. Thanks in advance.
Well, if you believe Wikipedia, Barrow is not connected to the rest of Alaska by road. The “Haul Road” is also known as the Dalton Highway, and terminates at Deadhorse, AK. Google Maps got one of their Street View vans up there, which to me would seem to confirm that it’s a public highway.
On the Canadian side of the line, there’s also the Dempster Highway, which terminates at Inuvik, NT in the summer and Tuktoyuktuk, NT in the winter (via an ice road.) Deadhorse is about two degrees further north than Inuvik. My impression is that you wouldn’t be sharing the road with as many trucks on the Dempster as on the Dalton, but that cuts both ways (less stress when passing trucks vs. less people happening by if you have an accident.)
Here’s the Summer 2012 Visitor’s Guide (PDF) for the Dalton Highway. Sure seems like they allow tourists (and want to make double-sure that they’re well-prepared.)
I also found a City-Data Forum on Alaska. This has some information from locals, now I just have to cull through the “noise” to get to the “signal” there.
In my research, I found you can get pretty much all the way North (on the Dalton), but can’t actually get your feet wet in the Artic Ocean because Homeland Security has the oilfields/coastline fenced off. I was planning on going by motorcycle, so I was going to give it a go (without being arrested/shot). I’m sure someone who actually did it will come along with better info.
I planned and preped, but didn’t end up going. Don’t even want to anymore, with all the Alaska-hype in recent years. Kinda took the shine off it. Especially that “Ice Road Trucker” and “Palin’s Alaska” shit.
I’m signed up for a motorcycle trip this summer that goes as far north as Prudhoe Bay. I think that is as far north as you can go before you hit the security gates.
The last guy I talked to who did the Alaska highway recommended taking several spare tires. Maybe it’s improved in the last 15 or 20 years, but there were quite a few gravel strecths, and large chunks of sharp gravel did a number on his tires pretty quickly. OTOH, my parents claim to have done it in the late 50’s when I was too young to remember, before steel belted radials, so it’s not that bad I assume.
Just, I would not like to be doing extended gravel road travel on a motorbike, either. They hav a bad habit of ploughing those sort of roads to fill the potholes, and soft sand/gravel is not an enjoyable bike ride. And it’s slow.
I’ve driven both roads in an RV. Deadhorse is the farthest north you can drive in Alaska. Inuvik is the farthest north you can drive in Canada (to my knowledge). There is no road to Barrow. I’ve also been to Barter Island, but that’s a plane ride only.
The haul road is open to anybody willing to attempt it, but there are few services along the way. Even tour buses now drive up there.
My mom and I did the Dalton Highway on a Princess Cruises tour bus with about 30 other people. We encountered a couple other brave souls who were motorcycling the Dalton. They seemed to be having a good time, but it looked treacherous to me. It’s a fine-gravel road, with plenty of mud - and they were covered, no, coated in mud from head to toe, along with their bikes. They were a solid-looking mass of bike-person mud, with glove-wiped clearish spots to see through on their helmet visors. I’m clearly not the type to find that fun, but go for it if it’s your thing. One way on that highway was plenty for us, and we flew back to Anchorage from there for the cruise portion of the tour.
To get your toes into the Arctic, simply book a Prudhoe Bay/oil field tour once you get to Deadhorse. (Deadhorse is pretty much the airport and the hotel/general store/only place to sleep and eat/only building besides the airport to go.) Be forewarned, you may be getting on the van with a bunch of Princess Cruise people, too. They do let you out during the tour, and if you’re like me and my mom, you’ll take off your shoes, roll up your pants, and go for a little foot bath in the “WOWEE THAT’S COLD!”
The Alcan is easy. My parents did it in a stock 72 Ford LTD with no problems whatsoever. They pave more of it every year. I did it in a Nissan pickup towing a trailer. Again, no problems.
Very cool, thanks all, the road sounds very doable. When I drove to Cabo San Lucas I brought some spare tires strapped to my roof. Probably a good thing to do on the AK drive too.
I’ll drive it for my first go, and then maybe do it by motorcycle on the second go. I used to have a dual-sport but now I ride a sport tourer. Dual sport is probably better but I’ll assess on the drive.
The side excursion to the Arctic Ocean would be cool, to dip my feet in. Maybe if I’m brave (or beer-tipsy) enough I’ll plunge right in. We’ll see about that.
Urhm, I’m fairly certain Coldfoot is the last place to buy alcohol - and it’s bars only (I think there are just the one or two), no packaged liquor available IIRC. Deadhorse is dry due to the oil workers, I think it’s considered contraband for them. No idea about whether you can bring your own, I think it’s possible, but since the tours that reach the Arctic go out onto oil property, if they think you’re intoxicated they’ll probably refuse passage. Eh, nothing crazier than taking a dip stone cold sober, I say do it!
Don’t even want to anymore, with all the Alaska-hype in recent years. Kinda took the shine off it. Especially that “Ice Road Trucker” and “Palin’s Alaska” shit.