James Dalton Highway

James Dalton Highway

James Dalton Highway
4.5
About
The only road through North Alaska, often hiked and camped beside.
Duration: More than 3 hours
Suggest edits to improve what we show.
Improve this listing
Tours & experiences
Explore different ways to experience this place.
What is Travellers’ Choice?
Tripadvisor gives a Travellers’ Choice award to accommodations, attractions and restaurants that consistently earn great reviews from travellers and are ranked within the top 10% of properties on Tripadvisor.
Revenue impacts the experiences featured on this page, learn more.
The area
Reach out directly
Best nearby
We rank these restaurants and attractions by balancing reviews from our members with how close they are to this location.
Attractions
1 within 10 kms

Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.

Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as waiting time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.

Popular mentions

We perform checks on reviews.
Tripadvisor’s approach to reviews
Before posting, each Tripadvisor review goes through an automated tracking system, which collects information, answering the following questions: how, what, where and when. If the system detects something that potentially contradicts our community guidelines, the review is not published.
When the system detects a problem, a review may be automatically rejected, sent to the reviewer for validation, or manually reviewed by our team of content specialists, who work 24/7 to maintain the quality of the reviews on our site.
Our team checks each review posted on the site disputed by our community as not meeting our community guidelines.
Learn more about our review moderation.
4.5
4.5 of 5 bubbles202 reviews
Excellent
133
Very good
47
Average
17
Poor
4
Terrible
1

MountainMama
CANTON, United States547 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
June 2020
The Dalton Highway is the original pipeline maintenance road. We took it to get to the Arctic Circle. There are restrooms periodically throughout the drive. You can stop in at the Yukon River Camp Cafe for lunch and dinner, or pack your own food. It's about a 16 hour day there and back (Arctic Circle) so come prepared. This road is not for the faint of heart. It is slightly elevated and still a working road for the truckers so stay out of their way. Finger mountain is a fun place to stop along the Dalton and climb on the rocks, as well as stopping to view the pipeline, and stretch your legs by the Yukon River. If you are lucky, you might get to meet Danny the Red Doberman owned by a local birch bark artist near Yukon River Camp. There are moose along the Dalton, if you are lucky you may just spot one crossing the road! You can take this road all the way to Prudhoe Bay! It is bumpy and long but well worth it! You can also see all the scars on the terrain from recent fires.
Written 23 July 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

vpar4
High Point, NC177 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
June 2021
We drove from Fairbanks to the Arctic Circle. The road itself was in reasonably good shape, although much of it was gravel. Traffic was minimal, and there is no cell service so it is important to either have a sat phone or self sufficient. We did see someone changing their own tire and not needing assistance. We went in summer, but I'm sure the Northern Lights are great in the winter. Remember that you can only take certain rental cars on this road (most companies don't allow it, so be sure to choose one that does). Also, pack extra food as the Yukon River camp did not have any real food (kitchen was closed) - I think it was due to lack of staff rather than Covid related.
Written 21 August 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

DAROHATH
Cairns, Australia1,292 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Jan 2024 • Friends
We had a good window of weather during our stay in Fairbanks, so hired a car and hit the Dalton. You can do a tour, but we wanted a more personalized experience so we drove. It should be noted, you can’t (and shouldn’t) take regular hire cars up in to the Arctic Circle. We rented a fully kitted out Ford Expedition. Rental was $350 for 24h, so by the time you pay for fuel, it’s about the same price as a tour for 2 people.
The highway itself was in pretty good condition and with some experience we felt comfortable in the Ford with its studded tyres. Like anywhere, just be aware of the weather conditions, come prepared and give the trucks space when they need it.
The only place between Fairbanks and the Arctic Circle you can get fuel is Yukon River Camp. Next spot is Coldfoot.
Total bucket list experience
Written 4 February 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Lisa
Pelham, AL29 contributions
3.0 of 5 bubbles
Sept 2022 • Couples
Driving on the Dalton is another one of the once in a lifetime experiences for those who may never make it to Alaska more than once. It’s incredibly bumpy! Lots of potholes and washboards. I do not recommend pregnant women or those with neck or back problems to venture down this road for too long. However. if you’re up for the adventure it’s totally worth it. You’ll have to drive your own vehicle, take a tour, or rent from a company that allows you to drive on the Dalton. Most rental companies forbid driving their cars on the highway because of the damage it can cause.
Written 13 September 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Annette H
Tucson, AZ53 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Feb 2024 • Friends
This is a must do if you are adventurous! Luckily we traveled with a tour group on a large vehicle meant for the snow/ice and the driver was well versed in not only the history and information along the way, but used his CB radio to call in to other truckers where he was located for safety reasons. I'm glad we went in winter because the road was smooth with packed snow so not bumpy at all. We went from Fairbanks to Coldfoot and stayed 4 days there. The enchanted forest is something from out of this world, walking out onto the Yukon River was remarkable and hitting the Arctic Circle sign was a bucket list item! The bus/truck was always warm and temps were tolerable during our drive. It did take us 11 hours but we had lots of fun stops along the way. We flew back from Coldfoot to Fairbanks, so that was a great ending to the trip north! Highly recommend and do book a knowledgeable/experienced tour company.
Written 27 March 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Dave S
Omaha, NE203 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
June 2023 • Couples
If you see the word “highway”, you might think this was a paved two or four lane road. You would be wrong. This is essentially a gravel road for over 400 miles. Luckily we had an excellent tour bus driver who had lots of experience on this road. As she pointed out at the start of our trip, this Highway is one of the three most dangerous roads in the world. Seeing all of the crosses along the road for killed drivers, that was not hard to believe. There are many dangerous curves and the road is barely two lanes wide in many places. Add to that the semis racing down the road to the North Slope, this is not a drive someone unfamiliar with it should do. Do what we did and leave it to the professionals. There is only 1 area to stop for 200 miles at the Yukon River. Do not plan on getting any sleep on this road. It is a constant rough and bumpy ride. It was a unique Alaska experience which we would highly recommend. But do not try to drive it yourself.
Written 24 June 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

AdamNish
Columbus, OH104 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
June 2022
Rode to the top of the Dalton Highway to Deadhorse! It was an amazing experience. Definitely not a fan of the graders and the mud, but otherwise enjoyed it! It wasn't as difficult as some of the stories that we had heard. Not cheap either. Gas in Deadhorse was $8.07 a gallon.
Written 11 July 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Elinor H
Eagle River, AK39 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
July 2020
Alaska is big - we hear that all the time from visitors; however you don't realize how big it really is until you do this trip. Sure you get the lottery and drive the Denali Road; and yes that is pretty; and long; and on the side of a mountain... but then you drive the Dalton Highway in the middle of the summer and then you realize just how big this amazing land is.

This road maintained by the BLM is purely a functional road built for the O&G industry and you take in the difficulties of driving it in the summer; and realize how hard it must be during the winter and during the not so nice times outside the 3 summer months.

You go through distinct areas of Alaska, and spend most of the time driving in the Arctic Circle - where the sun just spins above you without knowing which way is North, South, East or West because the sun never went down.

You see all sorts of animals; no one is there to stop you from walking anywhere - you might die but that's on you.
Written 20 April 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Tammy E
15 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
June 2020
Very adventurous driving up the Dalton. Slow down during curves in the road as this is the main transport of goods from Prudhoe Bay/Dead Horse and trucks are very frequent. The road is gravel and gas station service are few and far between. Expect at least one flat tire. The Arctic Circle sign and area to take photos is about 150 miles north of Fairbanks. Dead end is at Dead Horse unless you have permission to tour the oilfields and Arctic Ocean. Be prepared for any type of emergency. Truckers will usually stop to help stranded drivers. Along the way, you will be following the oil pipeline which will be visible from time to time.
Written 17 April 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

PurpleAnkh
Fort Washington, MD280 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Dec 2022
Traveled the Dalton highway as part of a tour. The scenery including the mountains were absolutely breathtaking. We drove as far as Atigun Pass so I got to see the treeline. There are outhouses along the way. Got to see a flock of the state bird the Willow Ptarmigan but didn't see any other animals. Saw lots of animal tracks but none of the animals. Also got to see long stretches of the pipeline. Enchanted Forest is also very cool.
Written 2 January 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Showing results 1-10 of 181
Revenue impacts the experiences featured on this page, learn more.
Is this your Tripadvisor listing?
Own or manage this property? Claim your listing for free to respond to reviews, update your profile and much more.
Claim your listing

JAMES DALTON HIGHWAY - All You MUST Know Before You Go (2024)

All Fairbanks HotelsFairbanks Hotel DealsLast Minute Hotels in Fairbanks
All things to do in Fairbanks
Day Trips in Fairbanks
RestaurantsFlightsHoliday RentalsTravel StoriesCruisesRental Cars