Ice Road Trucking tour

Brooke range

Fans of Channel 5′s Ice Road Truckers will love our tour for 2012. We’re going to be following the Dalton Highway from Fairbanks up to Deadhorse where we spend a full day before heading back. At Deadhorse you will be able to spend the day exploring the town and an excursion with our guide or opt to join one of the commercial tours that will take you into the heart of the Prodhue Bay oil fields.

You’ll get to see the sights shown on the programme and experience the overnight truckers stops as the journey along the Dalton Highway takes two days each way. We stop at a number of locations along the route to take in some of the most stunning scenes on the planet in this true wilderness. Along large parts of the route wildlife abounds and we may get to see polar foxes, grizzly bears, moose and muskox.

Be aware that while adventure tourism in Alaska is currently seeing a boom and tourism along this route is increasing, it is still predominately a commercial route for the ice road truckers. This means that the accommodation we stay in are aimed at the trucking market and commercial travellers rather than tourists. It can be basic. While our vehicle will be in comfortable minivans the roads are mainly gravel covered and have lots of potholes. Don’t expect a life of luxury on this trip – but do expect an amazing experience as we head for the towns of Coldfoot, Wiseman and Deadhorse.

Our journey starts in Anchorage in the early morning so please arrange to arrive in Anchorage the previous day and stay at a local hotel. Our vehicles will pick you up early morning from your hotel. While our trip is not going to be during the winter months – our early August start will be during the summer months – the weather can be very changeable and can be very cold.

grizzly bear

Please ensure you have adequate travel insurance for this trip. We will be going in the summer months so the chances of being delayed by being snowed in are unlikely – but we will be above the Arctic Circle and it has been known to snow during the summer. It’s unlikely that you will miss your return flight as we have 2 ‘spare’ days at the end of the Dalton Highway section of the tour that can be dropped to make up time.

code: B= breakfast, L=lunch, D=dinner.

Itinerary:

Day 1. Transfer Anchorage to Fairbanks.

Our driver will meet you at your hotel with pick up starting from 07.00am. This is a full day road transfer from Anchorage to the start of the Dalton Highway tour at Fairbanks. But it’s more than just a long drive along the George Parks Highway. The Denali National Park which the road cuts through offers spectacular scenic views and wildlife viewing opportunities. It is a long drive but we will take plenty of breaks along the route for you to enjoy the trip. We should get into Fairbanks and our hotel in the early evening. ( L D).

Day 2. Fairbanks.

A day to recover from your long drive and make any last minute purchases before we hit the road with gusto. You have the morning free to shop and explore. In the afternoon we take a three and a half hour riverboat tour along the Chena River. The cruise will call in on a traditional arctic Indian village and you will get to learn about the traditional way of life and culture of the area. (B L D).

Day 3. Fairbanks to Coldfoot.

Our first leg of the Dalton Highway will take us just past Coldfoot. We will be calling in on a number of locations along the way including the Yukon River Crossing, Grayling Lake and Coldfoot itself. Lunch will be a BBQ at the entrance to the Arctic Circle. There will be an overnight CAMP at a very basic campsite. Again I must stress do not expect luxury on this trip. (B L D).

moose

Day 4. Coldfoot to Deadhorse.

We call in at the gold-panning village of Wiseman for a short visit before we continue along the spectacular road that will take us over the Brookes Range at Atigun Pass and on through the North Slope. We’ll also take a break at Galbraith Lake to take in the views of Atigun Gorge. We aim to get into Deadhorse early evening for our overnight accommodation in the town. (B L D).

Day 5. Deadhorse.

Spend the morning exploring the town and then the afternoon is spent on an afternoon arctic safari. Alternatively you can take an optional commercial tour into the oil fields of Prodhue Bay and the Arctic Ocean (at extra cost). For security reasons you can only access the oil fields and Arctic Ocean with official tour operators but it is worth the extra cost. (B L D).

Day 6. Deadhorse to Coldfoot.

A mid-morning start back down the Dalton Highway with a number of stops along the way to take in the wildlife and views of the route. Overnight CAMP. (B L D).

Day 7. Coldfoot to Fairbanks.

Our final stretch along the highway brings us back to our hotel accommodation in Fairbanks. (B L D).

Day 8. Chena Hotsprings.

(This day may not take place if we are delayed on our return to Fairbanks). Today is a trip to the famous Chena Hotsprings. We’ll take a 3-4 hour raft journey down the Little Chena where we may spot beavers, moose, eagles and even bears. Once back at the resort you can relax with some time swimming (pass included) in the outdoor hot springs. Overnight at the resort in a yurt or room (room at additional supplement). (B L D).

Day 9. Chena to Denali National Park transfer.

(This day may not take place if we are delayed on our return to Fairbanks) We take the long but scenic drive to Denali National Park and our lodge. We aim to arrive at the lodge mid afternoon which will allow you time to relax or explore the local surroundings. (B L D).

Day 10. Denali to Anchorage transfer.

We take a leisurely site seeing journey back to Anchorage where we overnight at a local hotel for the airport. (B L D) Breakfast is also provided the following morning.

Tour Date: Tuesday August 7th 2012.
Tour Price: £1950.00 per person (fully inclusive except airfares) based on 2 sharing.
Maximum party size: 12.