Dalton Highway
A polar supply road running from north of Fairbanks to Prudhoe Bay on the Arctic Ocean, crossing the Yukon River and the Arctic Circle and climbing Atigun Pass. It is one of the most remote roads in the United States.
The Dalton Highway was built in 1974 to construct the Trans-Alaska Pipeline, which it runs alongside. It begins at Livengood, about 135 km north of Fairbanks, and heads north through boreal forest, the Brooks Range and the North Slope tundra to Deadhorse, an oil field town on the Arctic Ocean. It is 414 miles (666 km) long and is mostly gravel. Highlights along the way: the Yukon River Bridge; the Arctic Circle marker (66°33′N); Coldfoot, with fuel and lodging; the former gold rush village of Wiseman; Atigun Pass (1,444 m), the highest point on the route; and then the North Slope tundra, where musk oxen and caribou roam. Only the Yukon River crossing, Coldfoot and Deadhorse have fuel. The 386 km between Coldfoot and Deadhorse has no services at all. Most rental car companies prohibit driving this road, so you will need a specialty rental company that provides vehicles with a spare tire and a CB radio. Give way to large trucks, since flying gravel can crack windshields. Cell phone coverage is nearly nonexistent. To enter the oil field area and reach the Arctic Ocean coast from Deadhorse, you must book a security-escorted tour in advance. You can also drive only as far as the Arctic Circle or turn back at Coldfoot.