Travel Notes | The Far North—Alaska (3)—“Highway of Death” Dalton

the famous dalton highway

In 2011, the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) documentary series The World's Most Dangerous Roads listed the Dalton Highway as the first part of its first season. It is known as "the most desolate road", "the northernmost road in America" ​​and "the only road that crosses the Arctic Circle and reaches directly to the Arctic Ocean". Over the past 40 years since it was built, it has been ranked among the "Top Ten Deadliest Roads in the World" many times. head.

The full name of the Dalton Highway is the James Dalton Highway. It is a 666-kilometer-long gravel road. Fairbanks goes all the way north into the Arctic Circle, from Goode to Elliott. The furthest reaches the Arctic OceanPrudhoe Bay.

Prudhoe Bay, located on the coast of the Arctic Ocean, is a truly wild place. In 1968, a large oil field was discovered here, and the Trans-Alaska Pipeline System was built that runs from north to south of Alaska. The oil was transported to ports on the south coast of Alaska, and then put on ships for delivery to the continental United States. This pipeline is 1,300 kilometers long, stretching from the Pacific Ocean in the south to the Arctic Ocean in the north. It is a great and difficult project for mankind. The construction of the oil pipeline has gone through many challenges, spanning three mountain ranges and countless rivers in a harsh and harsh climate environment. As well as permafrost virgin forests, oil pipelines are all built overhead. The long and complex pipeline is the lifeblood of oil field production. For its inspection, maintenance and guarantee, the Dalton Highway was built parallel to it.

The Dalton Highway opened to traffic in 1974. Most of this remote road is gravel and unpaved. Gravel can provide better friction on ice and snow. The harsh climate and frozen soil have made this road full of potholes. , taking the road means facing severe cold, polar night, storms, ice and snow, dangerous polar bears, and most sections of the road without mobile phone signals and gas stations. Even the heavy trucks that come and go are on the Dalton HighwayPotentially fatal threat.

The Alaska Bureau of Land Management reminds tourists: "You won't find any restaurants, gift shops, or gas stations. All you will see is forests, tundra, and mountains."

The Fairbanks Tourism Bureau reminds enthusiastic Chinese tourists:

The more dangerous the road, the more beautiful it is. On this seldom-visited road, you can enjoy the unparalleled Arctic scenery, the barren tundra landscape, the snow-capped mountains, the pine trees bent by thick snow and the oil pipelines that run through Alaska from north to south.

Traveling along the Dalton Highway, You will see wild animals such as North American elk, Arctic red fox, Arctic pigeon, brown bear, etc. During the Aurora Night, gorgeous auroras will appear in the sky above the entire road. Although we set out on the road at three o'clock, it was a pity that it was snowing most of the time and we didn't get to see such a dream world.

The Dalton Highway is in good condition all the way. It is called the "Highway of Death" and seems to be suspected of speculation. The real risk lies in driving on ice for hundreds of kilometers. If an accident occurs, the car rental company will not compensate.