Trans-Alaska Pipeline Viewing Point
A viewing point where you can get close to and touch the pipeline that crosses Alaska, learning about pipeline engineering and permafrost-protection design.
Located along the Steese Highway, about a 15-minute drive from downtown. Completed in 1977, the pipeline stretches about 1,287 km from Prudhoe Bay on the Arctic Ocean to the port of Valdez in the south. At the viewpoint, the pipeline is elevated on supports, allowing you to see it up close and even touch it. Information boards explain the heat pipe radiators that keep permafrost from thawing, the zigzag layout that absorbs earthquake movement, and the pipeline cleaning device known as the “pig.” Admission is free. Allow about 20 to 30 minutes, and it is often combined with gold dredge tours.
Opening hours
All day
Nearby sights
- Gold Dredge 8
- Fountainhead Antique Auto Museum
- Morris Thompson Cultural and Visitors Center
- Golden Heart Plaza
- Creamer's Field Migratory Waterfowl Refuge
- Pioneer Park
- Ice Alaska World Ice Art Championships
- University of Alaska Museum of the North