Driving the Dalton (Wiseman, Coldfoot: oil, horse, car)

[FauteDeMieux]

My girlfriend and I just completed a 10,000 mile road trip up from Seattle to Deadhorse and back (while stopping just about everywhere in-between).

One particular point of apprehension for us was driving up the Dalton. We took a Mercury Sable, and didn't know how well it'd stand up to the infamous haul road. Everything we read made it seem like hell. Aside from some advice I received on here prior to leaving (thanks WildandFreeAK!), most sources made it sound as if we'd surely die, cold and alone, on the Alaskan tundra.

Well! Weren't we surprised to find the drive not only quite easy but also one of the easier gravel roads north of the lower 48! The drive up was muddy and wet, keeping our speed down, but we still made it to Deadhorse in under 10 hours (over two days - we stopped at Wiseman overnight). The drive south was sunny and gorgeous, and we averaged 60 miles an hour all the way down.

As a matter of fact, on the straighter dirt sections (when they were dry!), it was often smoother than pavement. Of course not every section was this great. There were spots where we didn't feel comfortable doing much more than 20 mph. Especially the first 30 miles or so when it was raining heavily and again after Coldfoot.

I'm really, really glad we made the drive, though. The tundra was beautiful. Most every other driver waved at us (we didn't see a single other car on the road save for truckers, oil compnay pickups, and a handful of hunters trying to roadhunt caribou from gigantic SUVs). Probably one of our favorite legs of the trip.

The arctic ocean is cold, by the way!


Atigun Pass




Some of that smooth, smooth dirt! At times I glanced at the speedometer and was startled to see myself approaching 70 mph. On dirt like this you don't even really notice (until you hit a rough spot and your teeth feel like they're going to rattle out of your skull).

[warptman]

Wow, that is the only road in Alaska I haven't driven yet. One of these days!

[Moose Whisperer]

Originally Posted by FauteDeMieux

Aside from some advice I received on here prior to leaving (thanks WildandFreeAK!), most sources made it sound as if we'd surely die, cold and alone, on the Alaskan tundra.

Well! Weren't we surprised to find the drive not only quite easy but also one of the easier gravel roads north of the lower 48! The drive up was muddy and wet, keeping our speed down, but we still made it to Deadhorse in under 10 hours (over two days - we stopped at Wiseman overnight). The drive south was sunny and gorgeous, and we averaged 60 miles an hour all the way down.

Glad to hear you had a great trip! Driving the Haul Road all the way to Deadhorse is one of the more unique experiences in Alaska, if not the whole world.

The advice you received about certain doom and death probably applied to driving up in Winter (or the people giving the advice are watching to much TV). The Dalton is a completely different animal in Winter - sub zero temps, blowing snow, white out conditions, phase 3 road closures, etc. Imagine being stuck in your Sable 100 miles from anyone at -50F and -80 windchill!

As you discovered, the physical attributes of the Dalton (other than the scarcity of services) seem relatively tame during summer. It's the elements that are primarily the hazard. First time I drove over Atigun Pass in summer I had a similar reaction - "that wasn't so bad, what's all the fuss about?" At 4500' elevation, it's not even on the radar as one of the highest mountain passes in the world. You just have to realize that 4500' elevation north of the arctic circle in the Brooks Range in the middle of winter is equivalent to a 12,000' + mountain pass anywhere down in the lower 48! Did you notice how bent up the (double) guard rails are over the pass?

Speed however is the one problem I see in the summer from less experienced travelers on the Dalton. We did have at least one fatality this summer - a motorcyclist went of the road on a curve just south of Pump Station 5. Excessive speed was likely the cause.