Midnight Sun Arctic Circle Drive Adventure

About This Experience

Northern Alaska Tour Company's summer Arctic Circle drive leaves its base on the East Ramp of Fairbanks airport at 9:45 am after a short map briefing, and uses the long daylight of the midnight sun season to get you across the Arctic Circle and back in one very long day. Depending on numbers the tour runs in a 26-passenger coach with an onboard bathroom or a 15-passenger van, and the longest stretch between stops is about two hours.

The route follows the Elliott Highway to Livengood and then the Dalton Highway, the 414-mile gravel haul road from Livengood to Deadhorse. Stops include a Trans-Alaska Pipeline viewing point, the Arctic Circle Trading Post at the homestead community of Joy, and the Yukon River bridge at milepost 56, where the group spends about an hour and a half at Yukon River Camp. Meals are not included, but Yukon River Camp serves food on both the northbound and southbound stops, and you are welcome to bring your own snacks.

Beyond the Yukon the road climbs onto open tundra around Finger Mountain, with the Brooks Range on the northern horizon when the sky is clear. The turnaround is the Arctic Circle sign at Dalton Highway milepost 115, about 198 road miles north of Fairbanks, where the guide hands out the official Arctic Circle Adventure Certificate. The return reaches Fairbanks between 1:00 and 2:00 am, still in daylight or twilight through midsummer.

This is a no-refund booking, so be sure of your dates: all sales are final, with the exception of a weather cancellation by the operator. There is no hotel pickup, and parking at the check-in point costs extra. Rated 4.6 from 38 reviews, from $269 per person.

Highlights

• Trans-Alaska Pipeline viewing point with interpretive signs on the way north
• Arctic Circle Trading Post in Joy, Alaska, a homestead store about 60 miles out of Fairbanks
• Yukon River bridge at Dalton Highway milepost 56, with a 90-minute stop at Yukon River Camp
• Open arctic tundra around Finger Mountain, milepost 98, with Brooks Range views on a clear day
• Arctic Circle sign at milepost 115, 66 degrees 33 minutes north, where certificates are handed out
• Midnight sun on the drive home, with a return to Fairbanks between 1:00 and 2:00 am
• 26-passenger coach or 15-passenger van depending on numbers

What's Included

• ✓ Driver-guide with live commentary for the whole drive
• ✓ Official Arctic Circle Adventure Certificate
• ✓ Orientation briefing with a regional map before departure
• ✓ Onboard bathroom when the tour runs in the coach
• ✓ Stops at least every two hours, most with a restroom or outhouse

Not Included

• Food and drinks (meals can be bought at Yukon River Camp on the way up and back)
• Gratuities
• Hotel pickup and drop-off

What to Bring

• Layers and a rain or wind jacket, since the tour runs in all weather
• Snacks, or cash and card for meals at Yukon River Camp
• A refillable water bottle
• Camera, phone and chargers for a 16-hour day
• Sturdy shoes for gravel pullouts and the tundra stop

Good to Know & Caveats

• All sales are final: there is no refund if you cancel. If the operator cancels for weather you are offered another date or a full refund
• Check-in opens at 9:00 am and closes at 9:15 am at the East Ramp of Fairbanks airport; latecomers risk missing the tour
• Return to the same spot is between 1:00 and 2:00 am, roughly 16 hours after departure
• No hotel pickup; there is a paid parking lot across the street from the check-in building
• The season runs April 22 to August 20; around the June solstice the sun does not set at the Arctic Circle, and in Fairbanks it is still light when you get back
• Most of the day is on the Dalton Highway, a rough gravel road; guests prone to motion sickness have found it hard
• Expect no cell service once you leave the Elliott Highway
• Children must be accompanied by an adult; infants sit on laps

Meeting Point

Northern Alaska Tour Company, 3820 University Avenue South, East Ramp of Fairbanks International Airport; check in between 9:00 and 9:15 am.