As I write this I am still on the road but at the end to a sprint to complete the Dalton Highway in 15 days. My journey has been met with a good share of adventure and mishaps and once I get home after the July 4th weekend, I plan to do a better post with pictures and all. Total travel distance so far is 6,800 miles.
For now, I know there are a few people out there that are looking to do the Dalton in the next few months so I figured I would post some latest intel on the road.
- There is a lot more traffic on the road than I expected. Sure you can get quiet time but if you pull over, there will be a car or truck passing you about every 3-6 minutes.
- A large portion of the road up to Deitrich is paved. watch the potholes, mind the orange cones, and you can make decent time.
- The fuel at the Yukon River camp is the most expensive on the trail. Yukon River Camp ($5.59), Coldfoot ($4.59), Deadhorse ($4.79). Depending on your car, you should be able to skip Yukon River Camp if you fill up in Fairbanks.
- Bring $100 cash. When I got to Deadhorse, their internet was down so no credit card service for the pumps. Unless you bring a full tanks worth of extra fuel with you, you MUST refuel at Deadhorse. It is about 240 mile back to Coldfoot.
- If you have been in the military, Deadhorse is like a FOB. And like every FOB, there is decent espresso if you hunt it down.
- I did not have a CB nor did I feel I really needed one. It would have made arranging passage around truckers easier but it really wasnt an issue. Most truckers would make room and signal you to pass when they wanted you to pass.
- I had more issues with other visitor traffic than the truckers. Observe dirt road etiquette...slow to under 30mph and move to the outer shoulder when crossing another vehicle so you dont sling rocks. Dont tail gate and dont hold people up. If you do that, the truckers are all cool and will not sling rocks at you.
- The last 60miles or so of road to Deadhorse is under construction with passage only behind a pace car. you wont go faster than 25mph for a good distance...if you are an adventure rider, it is passable but the road gravel is soft. Even my 4Runner was sliding around a bit. There were at least two bikes that got dropped that day that I heard about.
- Midnight sun is not joke. There is limited shade up there. I car camped at Galbraith Lake and my car got up to 85deg inside and it was impossible to angle so the sun would not hit me in my face, even at 01:00am. I couldnt roll my windows down because there is an army of flies and mosquitoes waiting for you to do that. I ended up moving to a DOT material laydown yard where I parked behind a pile of road sand that was casting a shadow.
For now, I know there are a few people out there that are looking to do the Dalton in the next few months so I figured I would post some latest intel on the road.
- There is a lot more traffic on the road than I expected. Sure you can get quiet time but if you pull over, there will be a car or truck passing you about every 3-6 minutes.
- A large portion of the road up to Deitrich is paved. watch the potholes, mind the orange cones, and you can make decent time.
- The fuel at the Yukon River camp is the most expensive on the trail. Yukon River Camp ($5.59), Coldfoot ($4.59), Deadhorse ($4.79). Depending on your car, you should be able to skip Yukon River Camp if you fill up in Fairbanks.
- Bring $100 cash. When I got to Deadhorse, their internet was down so no credit card service for the pumps. Unless you bring a full tanks worth of extra fuel with you, you MUST refuel at Deadhorse. It is about 240 mile back to Coldfoot.
- If you have been in the military, Deadhorse is like a FOB. And like every FOB, there is decent espresso if you hunt it down.
- I did not have a CB nor did I feel I really needed one. It would have made arranging passage around truckers easier but it really wasnt an issue. Most truckers would make room and signal you to pass when they wanted you to pass.
- I had more issues with other visitor traffic than the truckers. Observe dirt road etiquette...slow to under 30mph and move to the outer shoulder when crossing another vehicle so you dont sling rocks. Dont tail gate and dont hold people up. If you do that, the truckers are all cool and will not sling rocks at you.
- The last 60miles or so of road to Deadhorse is under construction with passage only behind a pace car. you wont go faster than 25mph for a good distance...if you are an adventure rider, it is passable but the road gravel is soft. Even my 4Runner was sliding around a bit. There were at least two bikes that got dropped that day that I heard about.
- Midnight sun is not joke. There is limited shade up there. I car camped at Galbraith Lake and my car got up to 85deg inside and it was impossible to angle so the sun would not hit me in my face, even at 01:00am. I couldnt roll my windows down because there is an army of flies and mosquitoes waiting for you to do that. I ended up moving to a DOT material laydown yard where I parked behind a pile of road sand that was casting a shadow.
