Activities in Dalton Highway
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Driving the Dalton Highway
Though the Dalton is slowly being tamed - since 2000 around 130 miles have been paved - it's still not a road that suffers fools. In summer the 28ft-wide corridor is a dusty minefield of potholes, its embankments littered with blown tires. Paint scratches and window chips are inevitable, which is why most car-rental companies don't allow their vehicles here. There are few services, such as telephones, tire repair, fuel and restaurants, and none for the final 225 miles from Wiseman to Deadhorse.
The road is open year-round, but you should only tackle it between late May and early September, when there's virtually endless light and little snow and ice. Drive with headlights…
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Arctic Caribou Inn Oilfield Tour
This two-hour ordeal is the only way to gain access to the oil fields and the ocean. Taking place several times daily, it begins with a cloying corporate video and continues with a perfunctory bus ride to the waterfront, where you have the option of taking a quick, frigid dip. You must sign up for this tour a day in advance in order to clear security.
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Northern Alaska Tour Company
This is the granddaddy of the Dalton Hwy tour companies, offering all sorts of packages, including a three-day van trip to Prudhoe Bay that includes lodging at Wiseman and Deadhorse and flights back to Fairbanks. Food is not covered.
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Arctic Outfitters
. Arctic Outfitters offers a self-drive package to Prudhoe Bay for $1,313, which includes a car and three nights' lodging for two people.
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