Driving to the Arctic circle from Fairbanks, Alaska is one of our most adventurous day trips in our lives till now. Something we wanted to check off our list but did not expect it would happen in winter. Alaska, one of our favorite states in the US, is a complete contrast in each season. Winter being the most exciting yet dangerous given the extreme cold temperatures. If you want to get to the top of the world, by car, you are in the right place.
What is the Arctic Circle?
In the literal sense, it is an imaginary circular line around the world. It marks the northernmost point on the earth where the sun does not set during Summer solstice and does not rise during winter Solstice. The region beyond this line is known as the arctic where you can experience at least 24hours of darkness in winter and 24hours of sunlight in summer. There are 8 countries which share the arctic region and the USA is one of them.
Different ways of getting to the Arctic Circle Sign
Alaska has a sign/board at the point of arctic circle beyond which you enter the Arctic region. This is a famous tourist spot in the summer and less in the winter since getting to this point has its own challenges and in the winter it is even more so.
Dalton Highway is the famous single road that leads to the arctic circle which is 80 miles from Fairbanks, Alaska.
There are 2 ways to get to the arctic circle sign.
Take a Tour bus : There are tour companies which organize day trips to the arctic circle sign and even have trips spanning days to go into the arctic region all the way to the Arctic ocean. For trips beyond the sign and till the arctic ocean, it usually includes a flight since there are no drivable roads beyond a point. You can check out various guided tour options here.
Drive to the Arctic circle independently: If you are the more adventurous type, like us, you can rent a special car to drive yourself to the Arctic circle sign. It takes roughly about 6-7 hours. You have to know that it is NOT like a regular road trip whatsoever. You need to take a lot of precautions before you decide to drive. Read more to find out!
Things to know before driving to the Arctic Circle Sign in Winter
So let’s say you decide to drive on your own all the way to the arctic circle and maybe beyond. There are a couple of things you must know, which we didn’t.
The Road
There is only a single road that leads to the Arctic circle – The Dalton highway. It is a rough gravel road built alongside the trans-Alaska oil pipeline in the 1970s. The road winds 414 miles alongside the Arctic National Park till Prudhoe bay, beyond which there is no road. At mile 115 you reach the Arctic circle. This road is mainly used by heavy/huge trucks for oil transportation from the Arctic. The road is wide enough but has blind curves along the way, something to keep in mind.
Renting a car
No Rental company will allow you to take their car up the Dalton Highway since it is dangerous for the car as well as a liability issue for them. You will need to rent a specially equipped car to drive up the road and for good reason.
We rented our car from Arctic Outfitters
It is expensive, but worth it since the car is well equipped and sturdy. It was October, the beginning of winter when we drove to the arctic circle. It was surreal with no traffic except for huge trucks, not a soul in sight except for a huge expanse of snow covered mountains.
Time to drive
It took us roughly 6-7 hours one way to get to the Arctic circle sign. So make sure you start your journey really early to get back before nightfall. In winter, you might have to start as early as 4 AM. You can drive beyond the arctic circle sign till Coldfoot or even beyond if you plan to stay somewhere along the way. We crossed the arctic circle, made friends with some gray jays (birds) and headed back.
The drive
Important thing to remember, there will be NO signal before you even enter the Dalton highway, so your mobile is no good. There is absolutely nothing on either side of the highway, so make sure you pack a good amount of food with you. In the winter, we did not meet a single soul for hours together until we stopped at a gas station in Yukon river camp. Make sure you fill up the car full tank before you start, in between going and coming back.
The rental company gave us a map which we used to get to Dalton Highway. The car comes equipped with a satellite mobile, camping gear, in case of emergencies. You also get a satellite radio to communicate with the truckers on the road. You MUST use this to warn them when you are taking a blind curve so that they don’t bump into you and you go falling off the cliff. Don’t be shy, just talk to them on the radio. Everytime we climbed uphill or took a blind curve, we were blaring into the radio. They must have been so annoyed lol.
The drive is out of the world in winter. It’s white everywhere. Snow covered mountains on either side and ice up coniferous trees which later opened up into Arctic Tundra. Pictures do no justice to what we saw. It was nature in its purest form, untouched, raw and real.
Arctic Circle Sign
You will see a sign as you near the Arctic circle. To be honest, it was kind of an anti climax once we reached the spot. The spot has a sign/board, few picnic tables and restrooms. Since it was winter, we were the only ones there. The gray jays seemed too friendly, probably the result of people feeding them in the summer. It was freezing out there, so our main goal was to cross into the arctic, take some pictures beside the sign for bragging rights and head back.
Nevertheless, the journey till there made it all up.
Can you go beyond the Arctic Circle sign?
You can drive beyond the Arctic Circle sign, up to Deadhorse in Prudhoe Bay, beyond which there is no road. The nearest city to the arctic circle sign is Coldfoot, about 2.5 hours away. This city is mainly a stop over after a whole day of driving. It also offers some touristy activities. Habitation in the cities around the arctic circle consists mainly of workers/truckers in the industry of oil development at Prudhoe Bay oil field. There are tour buses/flights which take you till the arctic ocean. The tour usually spans over 2-3 days.
Thankful to have driven and got back safely on this once in a lifetime adventure, we definitely recommend this activity via a tour bus or on your own (with lots of precautions). Experiencing nature in its raw form gives you a sense of perspective that you can never get surrounded by all the distractions we have in our life today.
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