Hop In Your Car And Take The Dalton Highway For An Incredible 400 Mile Scenic Drive In Alaska
By Megan McDonald|Published July 06, 2021
×
Megan McDonald
Author
Megan McDonald is a writer, photographer, and owner of humu media, an Alaska-based digital media agency. She spends her free time traveling with her husband and daughter around the US and the world.
Alaska is known for beauty that will take your breath away, and this scenic highway in Alaska highlights some of the best this state has to offer. The Dalton Highway will take you through the Brooks Range and up into the Arctic Circle before you end at Prudhoe Bay. Made famous by the television show Ice Road Truckers, this stretch of unpaved highway is among the best road trips in the USA and is certainly a scenic drive that belongs at the very top of your bucket list.
The Dalton Highway is a legendary highway located in northern Alaska.
Made well known by the infamous television series, "Ice Road Truckers," this road was built in 1974 to help build the pipeline all the way to Deadhorse, Alaska. This epic road passes through incredible landscapes that you won’t find anywhere else in the world.
The road starts in the town of Livengood and runs all the way to Prudhoe Bay.
That’s a 414 mile stretch in one direction. And the entire road is gravel and dirt, traveling through some of the state’s most remote wilderness.
Advertisement
The road passes through the Brooks Range, a 126 million year old mountain range that spans from western Alaska all the way to Canada’s Yukon Territory.
The entire range is within the Arctic Circle, and most of your drive along the Dalton will also be within this area, too! The road is a designated Scenic Byway, and it’s not hard to see why.
In fact, there’s a stretch with no services, towns, or even a building for over 240 miles. If something goes wrong with your vehicle, you’ll be on your own without cell service or help until another car or truck passes by.
But there is no comparing the sites you’ll see along your drive.
From Atigan Pass, to the Yukon River, you’ll pass boreal forests, the Gates of Arctic National Park to the west and the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to the east, and more. This achingly beautiful drive will capture your imagination from start to finish.
The road is drivable all year long, but not recommended in the wintertime without plenty of gear and experience.
Temperatures can reach 80 degrees below Fahrenheit, and this is not somewhere you want to be stuck with a breakdown. Many people fly into Coldfoot or Wiseman if they’re visiting within this area during the wintertime.
If you have a chance to explore this unbelievable highway, don’t stop to think. Just get on out there!
And you may even be able to jump in the Arctic Ocean to swim, joining an elite club of people who’ve had the chance to feel those waters in person! But you must make reservations and call ahead. This unique experience is unlike anywhere else in the world. Pack your bags, make sure your car’s in good working order, and head out to enjoy Alaska’s stunning scenery that will be with you for a lifetime.
Have you ever traveled this incredible scenic highway in Alaska? What did you think? Would you recommend it? Let us know in the comments below!
