Dalton Highway to the Arctic Circle

There were stars visible in the sky at 5am, so we decided to give it a try. We could always turn back. We didn’t turn back. We made it to the Arctic Circle!

We didn’t know what to expect. With all the permafrost and tundra, we thought it might be a wasteland. We were wrong; it was beautiful and gave us spectacular view of mountains and Fall color.

It was 170 mile drive, mostly on gravel - one way. It took 12 hours. Temperatures were quite reasonable during our drive, probably in the 50’s, but before the sun rose, the temperature was 27.

The Alaska pipeline crosses back and forth and parallels the Dalton Highway all the way to the Prudhoe Bay on the Arctic Ocean. So, we got lots of views of the pipeline snaking its way back and forth and up the hills.

We found the tundra to be quite beautiful. Low growing shrubs that grow in small amounts of dirt above the permafrost. The plants freeze in the winter and grow again when the tundra thaws in the Spring.

There were Tors out near the Arctic Circle. There were also some on the road to Chena Hot Springs. They are created by volcanic action and get heaved to the surface by the permafrost. One Tor is called the finger. It points towards Fairbanks and bush pilots sometimes use it to point the way to Fairbanks.

When we crossed the Yukon River, the fog had settled in low on the river, and we couldn’t see the water, and could barely see the bridge or the road. On the return trip, however, we got some good views of the river.