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All the United States Alaska Fairbanks Haul Road (Dalton Highway)
AO Edited

Haul Road (Dalton Highway)

This gravelly, dangerous highway is the only road in the United States that leads to the Arctic Ocean.

Fairbanks, Alaska

Added By
Bryan Woerner
Email
Been Here
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Official start to the Dalton Highway   bryanwoerner / Atlas Obscura User
Official start to the Dalton Highway   bryanwoerner / Atlas Obscura User
Brooks Range   bryanwoerner / Atlas Obscura User
The North Slope   bryanwoerner / Atlas Obscura User
Mountain near Dietrich River   bryanwoerner / Atlas Obscura User
Information sign near Coldfoot   bryanwoerner / Atlas Obscura User
Yukon River Bridge   bryanwoerner / Atlas Obscura User
Pipeline along the bridge   bryanwoerner / Atlas Obscura User
Atigun Pass 2018   judyinalaska / Atlas Obscura User
Dall Sheep in Atigun Pass 2008   judyinalaska / Atlas Obscura User
Snowshoe Hare, Dalton Highway 2018   judyinalaska / Atlas Obscura User
Snowshoe Hare, Dalton Highway 2018   judyinalaska / Atlas Obscura User
Sukapak Mt with Pingo in front 2018   judyinalaska / Atlas Obscura User
Ground Squirrel, Galbraith Lake 2018   judyinalaska / Atlas Obscura User
pipeline at the Yukon River   devanney5 / Atlas Obscura User
Dalton Highway   devanney5 / Atlas Obscura User
sign along Dalton Hwy   devanney5 / Atlas Obscura User
heading to the Arctic Circle   devanney5 / Atlas Obscura User
The Oil Fields of Prudhoe Bay   bryanwoerner / Atlas Obscura User
This is what driving on compact gravel does to a car.   bryanwoerner / Atlas Obscura User
Brooks Range   bryanwoerner / Atlas Obscura User
Coldfoot Camp   bryanwoerner / Atlas Obscura User
Musk oxen   bryanwoerner / Atlas Obscura User
Porcupine, Dalton Highway 2018   judyinalaska / Atlas Obscura User
Brooks Range 2018   judyinalaska / Atlas Obscura User
Yukon River Bridge 2018   judyinalaska / Atlas Obscura User
Yukon River Bridge, Pipeline 2018   judyinalaska / Atlas Obscura User
Dall Sheep in Atigun Pass 2008   judyinalaska / Atlas Obscura User
Atigun Pass 2018   judyinalaska / Atlas Obscura User
the road the to the Arctic Circle.   devanney5 / Atlas Obscura User
Arctic Circle… (almost) the top of the world.   devanney5 / Atlas Obscura User
The late afternoon sky near the Arctic Circle. This photo was taken in October, 2020.   rbt45769 / Atlas Obscura User
The beautiful Kanuti River crosses the Dalton Highway. Fishing is good at this location.   rbt45769 / Atlas Obscura User
The Alaskan Pipeline runs parallel to the Dalton Highway in many places. I was able to access it with ease!   rbt45769 / Atlas Obscura User
This is part of the Finger Mountain rock formation just South of the Arctic Circle.   rbt45769 / Atlas Obscura User
Arctic Circle Sign   bryanwoerner / Atlas Obscura User
Road goes on and on   Curious Crow / Atlas Obscura User
Road goes on and on   Curious Crow / Atlas Obscura User
Road goes on and on   Curious Crow / Atlas Obscura User
Fellow traveler   Curious Crow / Atlas Obscura User
Proof   Curious Crow / Atlas Obscura User
Yep!   Curious Crow / Atlas Obscura User
Mud everywhere   Curious Crow / Atlas Obscura User
River crossing   Curious Crow / Atlas Obscura User
Yukon River 2018   judyinalaska / Atlas Obscura User
Muddy Mess but we made it   Curious Crow / Atlas Obscura User
Dalton Highway 2018   judyinalaska / Atlas Obscura User
Snow Barrier, Dalton Highway 2018   judyinalaska / Atlas Obscura User
Sukapak Mountain, Dalton Highway 2018   judyinalaska / Atlas Obscura User
Taken in 2002.   queso / Atlas Obscura User
Atigun Pass 2018   judyinalaska / Atlas Obscura User
Dalton Highway 2018   judyinalaska / Atlas Obscura User
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About

In 1968, oil was discovered on Alaska’s North Slope, which is near Prudhoe Bay on the Arctic Ocean. But those who wanted to extract that resource were faced with the challenge of getting the oil from the remote North Slope to the rest of the United States. The answer they found was a pipeline. And, in order to build the pipeline you need a road.

The North Slope Haul was built to aid construction of the Trans-Alaska Pipeline. Over the course of its 414 miles, the highway generally follows the pipeline from Livengood (north of Fairbanks) to the oil fields of Prudhoe Bay. It consists mainly of compact gravel and approximately 120 miles of paved sections. (The paved sections are rough as a result of the constant cycle of freezing and thawing.)

After construction was completed, operation of the road was turned over to the state of Alaska, which named it the James W. Dalton Highway, after the Arctic engineer and lifelong Alaskan. Up until 1994, the public could only use a portion of the road, up until Disaster Creek at mile 221. Beyond that, use of Dalton Highway was limited to supply trucks headed to the oil fields. After 1994, the whole road was open to the public and was made famous by such TV shows as the History Channel’s Ice Road Truckers.

This road is not for the average driver. There is no cell phone service and only three places to get gas – E. L. Patton Yukon River Bridge, Coldfoot Camp (also includes repair services), and Deadhorse (also has repair services). Because of the compact gravel, trucks can and do kick up rocks that have enough force to smash windshields. The trucks (and the weather) can leave ruts in the gravel, making even staying on the road a challenge, especially in areas where it is barely wide enough for two vehicles to pass. While the road is mainly straight and flat, there are sharp turns—one playfully called "Oh Shit Corner"—and steep grades up to 16%. One of those sections is known as Ice Cut, which is cut through the ice shelf.

The road features a stunning view of the different environs of Alaska, from the Arctic forests, the Brooks Range mountains, and the vast tundra north of the Brooks to the oil fields. It is one of the few places where you can stop, and not hear any other sound of humanity.

Related Tags

Roads Highways Oil Trucks Automotive History

Know Before You Go

Most rental car companies in Alaska do not allow their vehicles on the Dalton Highway and private vehicles are strongly encouraged to have more than one full-sized spare tire, tools, and a CB, as there is no cellphone reception. The Dalton Highway is open year-round, though services at the Yukon River are closed mid-September to mid-May. Check local conditions before driving.

Community Contributors

Added By

bryanwoerner

Edited By

ljbrown, rbt45769, queso, devanney5...

  • ljbrown
  • rbt45769
  • queso
  • devanney5
  • judyinalaska
  • Curious Crow

Published

May 24, 2021

Edit this listing

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Sources
  • https://www.blm.gov/visit/dalton-highway
  • https://www.alaska.org/detail/the-last-tree-on-the-dalton
  • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dalton_Highway
  • http://dot.alaska.gov/highways/dalton/
  • https://www.dangerousroads.org/north-america/usa/50-james-dalton-highway-usa.html
Haul Road (Dalton Highway)
Fairbanks, Alaska, 99701
United States
67.844239, -149.816997
Visit Website

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