“Mysterious Arctic Circle” — so I drove to the top of Alaska

🛣️➡️🌍Finally self-drove the Dalton Highway — the so-called “Death Road” of Alaska 💀🛣️ Destination: Deadhorse 🐎⚰️ — an official town of 25 people inside the Arctic Circle 🌍❄️ Pit-stop: Coldfoot 🥶 — population 10; the name already warns you this place is NO JOKE 🚨 The nickname comes from: manic weather swings 🌦️🌨️ 99 % no-signal void 📵🌑 pothole pavement & 70-ton oil rigs screaming past 🚛💨 Built to haul crude, the 666 km ribbon runs beside the Trans-Alaska Pipeline all the way to the Arctic Ocean 🛢️🌊 Autumn, not winter, is the sweet spot: tundra turns Crayola 🍂🌈, snow-capped Brooks Range glows under low sun 🌅🏔️ After a night-rain the colours left me speechless — these are the frames I shot 📸✨ Alaska’s monsoon year meant our 4×4 wore a full mud wrap 🚙💦 On the return we suffered our first ever blow-out 💥🛞 — knew Alaskans were friendly, still got blown away: two locals pulled over, swapped the tyre in 10 min, refused even a coffee ☕❌ That’s why I LOVE this state 💙🤗 🧭 Self-Drive Survival Cheat-Sheet 4-WD mandatory 🚙 — regular rentals forbid the Dalton. Rent from Fairbanks specialists (studded tyres + full-size spare included) ✅ Fill up whenever you see diesel ⛽ — Coldfoot & Deadhorse only pumps for 500 km 🗺️ Carry TWO full-size spares 🛞🛞 — we saw three other blow-outs in two days 😱 Coldfoot Camp = basic bunks, no hair-dryer, bring slippers 🥿❌🔥 Deadhorse Brooks Camp is cleaner, still no blower 📣 Book early or sleep in van 🚐😴 Scenic pull-outs are rare — if tundra glows, stop safely & shoot 📸🛑 Next bend may be fogged in 🌫️ Add 30 % time buffer ⏳ — photo stops + gravel sections easily turn 8 h into 11 h 🕰️😅 🌍 Fun Fact More than half the road lies north of the Arctic Circle — northernmost leg of the Pan-American Highway 🛣️🌎 Met a German who starts here and plans to drive to Ushuaia 🇩🇪➡️🇦🇷 Proof that sometimes the road itself is the destination 💫🛤️ Ready to swap your tyres for tundra views? 🌄🚙 Dalton’s waiting — and she’s gorgeous. 💙🏔️ #US #Alaska #Dalton