A Guide to Bicycle Touring the Dalton Highway: North America's Northernmost Road

This is a video guide of how to prepare and what to expect for Bike Touring the Dalton Highway in Alaska. This is North America's Northernmost road and leads from just outside of Fairbanks to the Prudhoe Bay, located on the shores of the Arctic Ocean. In this video, the road's terrain, semi-trucks, weather, and wildlife are touched on, and viewers will gain insight into what traveling the Dalton Highway is really like.
Here are coordinates for various shelters along the Dalton Highway:
North Slope Restroom: 69.422065, -148.689550
Happy Valley Camp: 69.150512, -148.829050
Pump Station 4 Shed: 68.422493, -149.376243
Abandoned Firehouse on North side of Atigun Pass: 68.175872, -149.428945
Chandler Shelf Restroom: 68.175872, -149.428945
Finger Mountain Restroom: 66.357626, -150.460068

[@grahamambridge2856]

This is awesome. Thanks for taking the time to make this vid. 🇬🇧🍺Sheffield England

[@julianmadridadventures]

Glad I could relay the information. Thanks for watching!!

[@sailingaeolus]

You are an animal...! I've done a bit of bike packing and it is the hardest thing I've ever done, at least in the desert having to carry my own water. Travel and pedaling up that way looks tough as nails. Many thanks for sharing.

[@julianmadridadventures]

Having to carry water across the desert is really hard!! Always nice to get in touch with a fellow adventurer, thank you for your support :)

[@ShawnDienhart]

Wow Julian, this is completely awesome on so many levels. Bravo !

[@julianmadridadventures]

Thank you Shawn, I appreciate it!!

[@verderandy9161]

Well phrased. Totally agree! Randy/Ga(USA)

[@doughouck178]

You nailed it! I rode the Dalton in July 2019. The road salt (calcium chloride) is a gummy mess, so fenders need a lot of clearance. There are no switchbacks (due to the need to haul long sections of pipe), so grades are steep. I found Beaver Slide hill mentally harder than Atigun pass, because you can see the whole straight shot on approach.

[@julianmadridadventures]

Hello Doug, it seems that we have some similar experiences on the Dalton! Beaver slide is a very unique climb as far as highways go. Thanks for sharing and happy adventures!!

[@rocpile]

Great video, thank you

[@julianmadridadventures]

Thank you!

[@nationalparksprincess3216]

It is incredible that you biked this! What an exciting experience! The footage you captured was just mind blowing beautiful 😊

[@julianmadridadventures]

It was definitely an amazing place, thank you for watching :)

[@edilbertolopez233]

Very informative video Julian! It was a pleasure hanging out with you a couple of hours 👍😃

[@julianmadridadventures]

Beto! Thank you, It’s great to hear from you, hope all your adventures are going well!!

[@gerthinatorgaming5952]

New sub 👍 I saw ya short for this vid and hit the sub button HUGE respect for what you've done. From Nottingham England 🇬🇧

[@julianmadridadventures]

Nottingham, like where Robin Hood lived? 🤣 Thank you so much for the support!!

[@stephanieherd3564]

Just getting to know you a little better nephew!! Wow! What you do is very impressive! Good to see you out there experiencing life. ❤

[@julianmadridadventures]

Thank you Auntie! It’s good to hear from you!!

[@michaelkurz9067]

Well,you can travel in the summer along with the mosquitoes or you can travel in the winter with 40 below conditions.i will take the winter anytime:)

[@Randy_a.k.a._atom]

Remarkably instructive. You're nailing it.😂

[@julianmadridadventures]

I appreciate the feedback!!

[@ChristianPrody]

Just found your channel in my recommended and it’s amazing been watching all videos

[@julianmadridadventures]

Thank you for your support!! I’m glad you’ve enjoyed them, more is coming soon :)

[@HurlgoatHiker]

Great Video, Looks like a badass trip! Thanks for sharing

[@julianmadridadventures]

Thank you!!

[@framie6127]

Never heard of this road before but really enjoyed the video, cheers!

[@julianmadridadventures]

Thank you!!

[@ytubechannel997]

Learned lots. Thanks.

[@julianmadridadventures]

Thanks you!

[@davidlane8811]

Highly epic!!

[@julianmadridadventures]

Thank you!

[@gbear1005]

Not saying you are wrong about roads , but calcium sulfate (gypsum) is used waaaayy down south. We have more calcium carbonate (limestone) up here😊

[@julianmadridadventures]

Thank you for the terminology correction! I did not know that. Thanks for watching :)

[@VeloObscura]

#6 Bring a front mudguard! 😅 Great video! Really informative. First video of its ilk that I've seen about the Dalton. 👍

[@julianmadridadventures]

Haha I contemplated it but I think it would have gotten completely clogged!! Thank you, you have a great channel as well. Just subscribed :)

[@VeloObscura]

@@julianmadridadventures - Oh, thank you my man! Those small zip-tie-on MTB mudguards are great! They look like they wouldn't do much, but they really stop the mud flicking up in your face! Plenty of clearance too. 😁 I've been enjoying your adventure, man! I'm hoping to get out there one day myself. 🤞

[@julianmadridadventures]

That’s good advice, I’ll have to look into that for my next big trip! Alaska is such an amazing place, I’d highly recommend it. I’ll have to get into the Outback at some point too!

[@jfouellette5174]

Hum, mudguards maybe…it would make the adventure even better

[@julianmadridadventures]

Haha I think so! They may have clogged up my wheel, but still less dirty for me!

[@davidcambon5115]

I have done the Dempster Highway with mudguards. Pick your poison as far as going with or without mudguards on the Dalton Highway. The calcium chloride and mud on the Dalton Highway will conspire to clog up your mudguards and you'll have to frequently remove your wheels to extricate the mud but that may be more appealing than getting a Dalton dirt bath, depending on your priorities. Julian, I saw your dad zipping along the Alaska Highway. That headlight he was using made him stand out from all the other cycletourists. From a distance I thought he was riding a motorcycle! Great video by the way, especially the advice about not relying on the truck drivers. Many of them are maniacs going way too fast and a lot of them don't have room in the cab for a passenger (I am a Yukon truck driver). Cyclists venturing onto the Dalton Highway should be self-sufficient and prepared for the weather and road conditions.

[@jfouellette5174]

Thanks for the info. Clogged wheels is an issue indeed.

[@davidcambon5115]

@@jfouellette5174 From my casual observations, Europeans on the Dalton Highway generally have mudguards and bike frames that are made for mudguards. Quite a few Americans use mountain bikes that are difficult or impossible to attach mudguards to, probably because that's the type of bike generally available in the USA. Despite the popularity of drop-bar gravel bikes for bikepacking there's lots of people using flat-bars on the Dalton Highway, even though it's a highway and not a mountain bike trail. I would use something like a drop-bar Surly Long Haul Trucker or drop-bar Surly Bridge Club with room for big tires (like 650B x 48) and mudguards with lots of clearance. I actually have both of those bikes set up for dirt roads in the north. Mid-summer on the Dalton Highway it is possible, with luck, to make it back and forth with no mud. However, mid-summer is peak season for bugs to dine on cycletourists. The shoulder seasons have no bugs but a guaranteed frolic in mud.

[@charleykanieski7242]

How about bugs? Is mid July past the major bug time? So a good time to start north to south? Thanks.

[@julianmadridadventures]

While I was there there were no bugs at all, mid July to early August is the worst time for bugs though. June is a bit colder as is late August so they aren’t bad that time generally.

[@georget.9496]

He's got to love the taste of Alaska not having mudguards😆

[@julianmadridadventures]

You know it!

[@aleja5706]

hi! I'm thinking of riding my trek dual sport bike, would you recommend it?

[@julianmadridadventures]

Hello! In looking at the bike I think that it would make it just fine. Any gravel bike should work on the Dalton, and I’d recommend having tires with some decent tread and thickness on them, that’ll go a long way in the mud!

[@tegucigalpa2]

Well done, informative and cool. You lived in Northern Canada? Are you a biologist?

[@julianmadridadventures]

Thank you! I’m not I biologist, I lived in Canada for a while right after high school and have been back a few times since

[@stevemullin1195]

What bike did you do your ride on?

[@julianmadridadventures]

A Mount Fuji Pro! It’s a gravel bike

[@ahotdog6]

Looks like you went hog wild at the mud buffet

[@julianmadridadventures]

Haha it kinda does 🤣