Arctic Circle tour

In Fairbanks in Sept 2018 for start of cruise. Thinking about a trip to Arctic Circle. Is this even worth the time and money to take a tour there. Maybe my only chance to go this far north. If you have done this who did you use for the tour. We are on Princess Cruise.

This past June I and a friend drove the Dalton Highway north from Fairbanks to Coldfoot. FANTASTIC! We did it ourselves, no tour. We saw a bus load of people who had stopped shortly before we arrived to the Arctic Circle sign - I felt sorry for them because they had most likely whizzed by everything. We left around 8:00 AM and weren't back until a little after midnight - though it was never dark enough to need headlights... You can rent a specially equipped vehicle for the Dalton in Fairbanks - look at Arctic Outfitters. ( http://www.arctic-outfitters.com/ ) Their cars are all wheel drive, truck-like tires, CB radio if you need help from one of the passing trucks, comprehensive first aid kit and a large took box full of about anything you'd need to do a quick repair on the car if needed. Everything I read about driving the Dalton sounded scary. It's not. If you've ever driven gravel roads in a rural area you should be fine. We made more stops than I can count because there are so many things to see. There's sections where there's not much to see and there's areas that's very spectacular. The remoteness is fascinating. About half-way to Coldfoot is a GREAT little place for lunch called The Hot Spot Cafe. Two cool ladies and they make excellent charcoal burgers and other sandwiches - I could stand to have one of their mushroom & Swiss burgers RIGHT NOW! At Coldfoot there's the truck stop and post office plus the Arctic Interagency Visitor Center (a sort-of museum about the area - VERY NICE). Truthfully, it was our favorite day out of a two week interior road trip. You'll need to commit to at least two nights in Fairbanks so you'll have a full day to do the Dalton. The next time, we are going all the way to Prudhoe Bay! I don't think you'll be disappointed and it's well worth the effort. Good luck!

For the day trips, I only recommend the fly/road combo. The round trip road trip is grueling. :)

Not sure if the above poster has been on the entire Dalton, but this section is the dullest of the road. :) By far the scenery is north of Coldfoot. A lot this section is miles and miles of burnt trees.

In Sept, it will be dark so a small chance of aurora.

If you do self drive, get an earlier start.

For the day trips, I only recommend the fly/road combo. The round trip road trip is grueling. :)

 

Not sure if the above poster has been on the entire Dalton, but this section is the dullest of the road. :) By far the scenery is north of Coldfoot. A lot this section is miles and miles of burnt trees.

 

In Sept, it will be dark so a small chance of aurora.

 

If you do self drive, get an earlier start.

We didn't see a single "burnt tree" on our trip. Maybe we weren't looking? I always go with the entire trip as an experience, not some "grueling" thing that must be endured to FINALLY reach a destination. Too bad not everyone feels this way - some are only looking for the negative aspects of life. There's a lot of beauty to be seen. It's true, there's a lot of nice scenery past Coldfoot in the Brooks Range of mountains. It is not until you reach Coldfoot, which is entering the Middle Fork of the Koyukuk River Valley and the foothills of the Brooks Mountain Range, that wildlife sightings become more common. The valley acts somewhat as a funnel for game, and sightings are more frequent the further north you travel in the valley. Black bears are more commonly seen in the lower part of the valley, but grizzlies, wolves, moose, caribou (in winter), sheep (on mountains), wolves, fox, lynx, wolverine and other furbearers, Golden Eagles as well as a variety of other birds & raptors are all possibilities. The most wildlife sightings come from the North Slope - once you cross the Continental Divide there are no more trees, only small shrubs & willows. Rolling tundra hills stretch to the wetland of the flat coastal plain, which reaches to the Arctic Ocean. There is not much to block your view if any animals are within sight! Dall Sheep are common to see in Atigun Pass & in the mountains to the north of there, grizzlies, musk oxen, wolves & caribou are all resident on the slope, as well as moose, although not as many. All 3 species of red fox can be seen on the N. Slope, and nearer the coast, arctic fox. Arctic ground squirrels & Marmots are quite common. This is where you will also see the greatest variety of migratory birds, as they travel to this desert wetland to nest from around the world

September is still a fairly light period of the year, not just dark hours.

Getting an early start is definitely a good idea.

We didn't see a single "burnt tree" on our trip. Maybe we weren't looking? I always go with the entire trip as an experience, not some "grueling" thing that must be endured to FINALLY reach a destination. Too bad not everyone feels this way - some are only looking for the negative aspects of life. There's a lot of beauty to be seen. It's true, there's a lot of nice scenery past Coldfoot in the Brooks Range of mountains. It is not until you reach Coldfoot, which is entering the Middle Fork of the Koyukuk River Valley and the foothills of the Brooks Mountain Range, that wildlife sightings become more common. The valley acts somewhat as a funnel for game, and sightings are more frequent the further north you travel in the valley. Black bears are more commonly seen in the lower part of the valley, but grizzlies, wolves, moose, caribou (in winter), sheep (on mountains), wolves, fox, lynx, wolverine and other furbearers, Golden Eagles as well as a variety of other birds & raptors are all possibilities. The most wildlife sightings come from the North Slope - once you cross the Continental Divide there are no more trees, only small shrubs & willows. Rolling tundra hills stretch to the wetland of the flat coastal plain, which reaches to the Arctic Ocean. There is not much to block your view if any animals are within sight! Dall Sheep are common to see in Atigun Pass & in the mountains to the north of there, grizzlies, musk oxen, wolves & caribou are all resident on the slope, as well as moose, although not as many. All 3 species of red fox can be seen on the N. Slope, and nearer the coast, arctic fox. Arctic ground squirrels & Marmots are quite common. This is where you will also see the greatest variety of migratory birds, as they travel to this desert wetland to nest from around the world

 

September is still a fairly light period of the year, not just dark hours.

 

Getting an early start is definitely a good idea.

It sounds like you have done multiple trips here and have driven up to Deadhorse? How recent were those?

My reference - is about the tours. Far superior for a day trip is the fly road combo. The round trip road trip- sorry, isn't as highly rated. Your trip was 16 hours- that is a lot of time for people to drive themselves, Thousands of acres between Joy and Coldfoot was under fire several years, Of course thiere is the renewal, but looking you can still see a lot of underbrush, dead. I actually rode through some active fires. This lower secection is not that scenic, compared to other areas of Alaska.

You've certainly given some very useful information for cc.

I would suggest that the OP consider options offered by Northern Alaska Tour Company (http://www.northernalaska.com). This highly reputable small company offers tours out of Fairbanks.