Dalton

The James W. Dalton Highway is a 414-mile road in Alaska beginning just north of Fairbanks and ending at Deadhorse near the Arctic Ocean and the Prudhoe Bay oil fields. Constructed as a supply haul road for the Trans-Alaska Pipeline in 1974, it remains one of the most isolated roads in the United States.

There are only three communities along the 400+ mile road: Coldfoot (pop. 10), Wiseman (pop. 22), and Deadhorse/Prudhoe Bay. The road is mostly gravel — primitive, but well maintained year-round as a critical artery for oil field workers.

Anyone embarking on the Dalton is encouraged to bring survival gear — temperatures can drop to 40 below. Fuel is available at the E.L. Patton Yukon River Bridge, Coldfoot, and Deadhorse.