Dalton Highway, Fairbanks to the Arctic Ocean

[chandlerwest]

After all these years that the pipeline has been in......I finally can see what the terrain is like getting to Deadhorse. Thank you so very much. I thought driving my Chevette to Alaska was an adventure, but I had 4 wheels and seat cushions.

 

[TannerT]

@Ben keep these TRs coming. I've been glued!
Salud!

 

[Curt]

WOW!!!! Very cool!! (no pun intended). I'm with Scott Chandler. Reading this got my adventure bug going. I had a room mate once who had spent 2 years working on the pipeline. He had a lot of stories that I didn't always believe. Seeing your pictures is giving him some credibility! Thanks for the great TR.

 

[Blake Merrell]

Wow I enjoyed reading this. what a cool experience. I would love to visit that area some day.

 

[Artemus]

Still can’t get enough of this TR.

@Ben,
What are these structures do you figure? On the north of the Brooks...

 

[Artemus]

What are some of the details of that last few miles to the Arctic Ocean?

 

[Ben]

The structures are all for facilitating the pipeline. Storage, pump houses, what ever.

What kind of details do you want? As I recall, north of the Brooks, it is all a well graded, well gravelled road, about as good as any one could ask for. When I went they were repairing some right on the way into Deadhorse where the Sag River had flooded that year.

 

[Artemus]

The structures are all for facilitating the pipeline. Storage, pump houses, what ever.

What kind of details do you want? As I recall, north of the Brooks, it is all a well graded, well gravelled road, about as good as any one could ask for. When I went they were repairing some right on the way into Deadhorse where the Sag River had flooded that year.

No, I mean is the last two miles to the ocean gated off? Private oilman property? How do you traverse it with the shuttle? I heard someone tell me you can’t get to the ocean there.

 

[Ben]

No, I mean is the last two miles to the ocean gated off? Private oilman property? How do you traverse it with the shuttle? I heard someone tell me you can’t get to the ocean there.

That was the case when I was there. I think it's about ten miles from the ocean. There might have been a gate, but my memory of that is a little fuzzy, I was on a bus in full tourist mode at that point, so I wasn't paying attention to those details. I was looking at all the pipes and other sights. I don't remember who ran the shuttle, but it was one of the hotels up there. It was like $60, or some thing ridiculous like that, a real racket.

 

[NorthwestWanderer]

Unreal scenery and an unreal adventure!

this mountain is freaking gorgeous!!! The trees, local relief and scattered sunlight, bob ross would be proud!

 

[Rockskipper]

Remember, there are no mistakes, only happy accidents. —Bob Ross

 

[Titans]

Epic has a whole new meaning now - so cool!
Good you didn't need that headlight.... and speaking of that, did you sleep much less with it being so light at night?
Regardless of how tired one is, it always seems to mess up the internal clock

 

[Ben]

Epic has a whole new meaning now - so cool!
Good you didn't need that headlight.... and speaking of that, did you sleep much less with it being so light at night?
Regardless of how tired one is, it always seems to mess up the internal clock

I don't recall sleeping any less, but I did sleep a little differently. Sleep became some thing I could do whenever, and I definitely stayed up later than I normally would in the backcountry. Hiking till eleven pm was not abnormal, and there was one night in the Brooks that I stayed on the river into twilight, well past one am. I'd just sleep in later and it wouldn't matter cuz I wouldn't be lose any daylight.

 

[Titans]

I don't recall sleeping any less, but I did sleep a little differently. Sleep became some thing I could do whenever, and I definitely stayed up later than I normally would in the backcountry. Hiking till eleven pm was not abnormal, and there was one night in the Brooks that I stayed on the river into twilight, well past one am. I'd just sleep in later and it wouldn't matter cuz I wouldn't be lose any daylight.

Thanks- great explanation about the change in sleep pattern- hadn't thought of that. I remember people telling me, that they can read late in the evening without a lamp. This is the exact opposite of when we hike in the winter and it gets dark at 5 pm. We really have to take the very short days into account every day and it does often limit us a bit.