Alaska's Dalton Highway in March

[agentsteel53]

what can anyone tell me about attempting this drive?  Is it viable?

I would like to make a Dalton run and see the northern lights.  Fly into Anchorage, drive to Fairbanks, and then Deadhorse and back.  

I am figuring a prudent choice is 4x4 high-clearance vehicle with full-size spare.  (second full-size spare?)  

how fast am I expecting to be going?  averaging about 30mph?  what's the probability that I will run into a major snowstorm and die?

[1995hoo]

I haven't been there, but I've read many times that you should bring at least one gas can with extra fuel in case you run into trouble. From Coldfoot to Deadhorse there are no services for some 240 miles and I presume the fuel is expensive because they have to ship it back up there (no refineries in the North Slope area).

I would presume that in winter you may need chains for some of the steeper grades in the mountains.

[agentsteel53]

I haven't been there, but I've read many times that you should bring at least one gas can with extra fuel in case you run into trouble. From Coldfoot to Deadhorse there are no services for some 240 miles and I presume the fuel is expensive because they have to ship it back up there (no refineries in the North Slope area).

I would presume that in winter you may need chains for some of the steeper grades in the mountains.

expense is not an issue.  chains are a very good idea indeed. 

[oscar]

I would like to make a Dalton run and see the northern lights.  Fly into Anchorage, drive to Fairbanks, and then Deadhorse and back.

I've heard the lights can be pretty good around Fairbanks, with one popular option to view the lights while soaking at Chena Hot Springs east of Fairbanks. 

I am figuring a prudent choice is 4x4 high-clearance vehicle with full-size spare.  (second full-size spare?)

Definitely have a mounted full-size second spare tire.  In the summer, 4x4 isn't needed, but that along with four tire chains could be a lifesaver in the winter.  A toolbox as well in any season, to attempt do-it-yourself repairs and avoid the need for a tow or service call (potentially extremely expensive and time-consuming, given the long distances between services).  Your cellphone will be worthless up there, a CB radio (to get a trucker or trooper to call for help) would be useful, and if you own or can rent a satellite phone that'd be perfect.

One other thing to keep in mind is that most rental car companies prohibit driving on the Dalton.  With windshield damage from flying gravel common on that road, it's not too hard for the companies to finger you for driving an unpaved highway you weren't supposed to be on.  There is at least one company offering fairly pricey rentals of cars rugged-ized for and allowed on the Dalton.  That company is Fairbanks-based, and if they do rentals in the off-season (it might be a summer-only outfit), you might just want to fly directly to Fairbanks and avoid the twelve-hour or so round trip between Anchorage and Fairbanks.

Oh, if you don't have one already, get thee a copy of a recent Milepost travel guide (detailed guide to the main highways in Alaska and the Canadian Arctic, with mile-by-mile route logs of road features, services, etc.).  The current edition is 2011, which should do; 2012 will probably be out around the time of your trip, a little too late to help your trip planning. 

[1995hoo]

I would like to make a Dalton run and see the northern lights.  Fly into Anchorage, drive to Fairbanks, and then Deadhorse and back.

I've heard the lights can be pretty good around Fairbanks, with one popular option to view the lights while soaking at Chena Hot Springs east of Fairbanks.

....

Another possibility, if he likes to ski, would be to go to Alyeska Resort in Girdwood. I've heard that the aurora can be pretty good there and I read that if you stay at the resort, you can request that they give you a wake-up call when the aurora's visible. Nice idea. But that would reduce the roadgeeking aspect of the trip significantly, though the tunnel to Whittier might still be an option. The Seward Highway looks like a pretty nice drive–I haven't driven it, but I've been on the glass-topped train from Anchorage to Seward that runs alongside it for a significant distance, and when my brother made a weekend trip to Anchorage last month as part of a United mileage run he sent me a message from Girdwood apologizing for thinking I'd exaggerated in describing the scenery. That said, it would be far less unique, and far less impressive, than a trip up the Dalton Highway during the winter!

I'd like to make the trip up the Dalton someday (though my wife will never agree to come along), but I doubt I'd want to do it in March. Something to remember is that it will be dark for most of the day, precisely the opposite of the situation during the summer. I'm not sure I'd be enthusiastic about an extended nighttime drive along that isolated a road during the winter, you know? On the other hand, I'm sure the black flies and other bugs ought to be much less of a problem at that time of year. If they're even half as bad as they are in Newfoundland, I'd come home eaten alive if I hit the Dalton during the summer.

Come to think of it, the point about darkness prompts me to suggest bringing extra headlight bulbs if possible, just in case one were to get smashed out by a rock or just plain burns out. During the summer it wouldn't be a problem; during the winter, conversely, having only one headlight could be a big problem.

[agentsteel53]

lamentably, I'm not a skier.

thanks for all the info!  gotta plan this one out ...

[texaskdog]

Watch "Ice Road Truckers" seasons 3-5, at least you'll have an idea what it looks like.  Yes they do have bus trips up there.

[agentsteel53]

Watch "Ice Road Truckers" seasons 3-5, at least you'll have an idea what it looks like.  Yes they do have bus trips up there.

I have never driven an unpaved road for that distance.  I have driven in similar conditions of weather, temperature, and remoteness, but it was paved with only brief gaps.  (rural arctic Norway in early March, etc)

[JREwing78]

That time of year, I doubt you'll notice much difference between paved and unpaved, since it gets snowed on enough.

[Kniwt]

I've only been there in summer, but last year the BBC sent a team up there for a late-winter trip to Deadhorse. Here's the whole episode, appropriately drama-fied for maximum TV entertainment:

http://youtu.be/rPzKgnTDhqA

Also, much (but not most) of the Dalton is paved these days.

[oscar]

Also, much (but not most) of the Dalton is paved these days.

A fact that "Ice Road Truckers" tried hard to conceal, but sometimes viewers could catch glimpses of pavement under the snow. 

According to last year's Milepost, about 25% of the Dalton is paved, but much of the south end and all of the middle segment over Atigun Pass is still unpaved. 

[agentsteel53]

That time of year, I doubt you'll notice much difference between paved and unpaved, since it gets snowed on enough.

I've actually heard that the paved is worse quality because of the potholes.

in any case, it looks like I won't be doing this trip in March.  will be doing an Alaska run, but likely only up to Chena or so.

[empirestate]

For what it's worth, I once had a marvelous show of the Northern Lights from right in Anchorage in September. But this is apparently not typical, as even the locals were heard to remark how they'd never seen them so bright before!

[oscar]

According to last year's Milepost, about 25% of the Dalton is paved, but much of the south end and all of the middle segment over Atigun Pass is still unpaved. 

The 25% figure is misleading.  As I found when I did a round-trip on the Dalton in late July 2012, while about 25% has been paved at some point, the cheap chip seal pavement disintegrates pretty quickly up there (not that regular pavement would last much longer), and many "paved" segments have disintegrated back to gravel.

As agentsteel noted, much of what pavement remains is potholed (and I'd add, also with ruts and/or dips, and faded or worn-off lane markings).  The pavement doesn't smooth the ride much, at most it cuts down on the flying gravel and dust clouds thrown up by other traffic.  Driving in the winter, at least the snow fills in the rough spots. 

Even the newest stretch of pavement (between Coldfoot and Wiseman, paved just last year) is starting to develop dips and potholes.

[realjd]

I just want to say I'm completely jealous and am anxiously looking forward to your blog posts. This is one of my dream drives. "Let's go spend a week driving through the woods" is a hard sell for the wife...

[agentsteel53]

we only made it up to the Arctic Circle.  we turned around because the weather was shitty, and our primary goal was to see the Northern Lights.

next time!

some photos here of the run to the circle:
https://www.aaroads.com/blog/2012/10/03/alaska-and-washington-sept-2012-part-i/

[texaskdog]

How did it compare to IRT?

[agentsteel53]

How did it compare to IRT?

never seen the show - but I'm guessing it was completely different since the part we drove was not at all icy.

[Brandon]

How did it compare to IRT?

never seen the show - but I'm guessing it was completely different since the part we drove was not at all icy.

The difference between September and January.

[NE2]

The difference between shitty TV and real life.