Cycling the northernmost road in the Americas - Bikepacking Alaska 4

The Dalton Highway is the northernmost connected road in the Americas, and in this video, we cycle the entire 800-kilometre (500-mile) route from Fairbanks to Deadhorse, deep inside the Arctic Circle. This is Bikepacking Alaska Episode 4: The Haul Road to the Arctic.
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[@AlaskaMatt]

I live on the Dalton Highway outside of Coldfoot. I remember seeing you both riding. Its cool I know saw your video. The reason for the firehouse was for when they were building the pipeline as a support area incase of an emergency. It is left open for travelers such as yourself to have a warm and wind free place. The other reason is it is more work to remove it than leave it there.

[@tristanrid]

The firehouse was a much-appreciated rest stop, and I'm sure many other travellers have also taken advantage so I'm glad it was left behind! Very cool that you live on the Dalton, I remember thinking that living around there must make for such a different way of life to what most people are used to!

[@AlaskaMatt]

@@tristanrid I have traveled alot of places and I feel there is something really special about the Dalton and brooks range. Life there is simple and complicated for different reasons but 99% of the time worth the head aches.

[@mattdelcomyn8012]

Great attitude amidst all those bugs. Tnanks for the excellent vid!!

[@benfairall7017]

Noooo, after getting so far. Great video as always

[@tristanrid]

Thanks mate, yeah it was such bad luck!

[@whatthetrip8769]

I liked a lot the comedy side of living with the mosquitos... Epic adventure, thx for the video

[@tristanrid]

It was pretty much laugh or cry with the bugs, so I'm happy we were able to see the funny side 😃 Thanks for watching!

[@jamesherd9132]

Thanks Guys loved your video the drone filming was firstclass

[@tristanrid]

Thank you!

[@lidarman2]

This right is an amazing accomplishment. I love the video. When I was in Barrow, AK, my co-worker and I went on a ride with the wind about the same speed as we rode and the mosquitos hounded us. Finally we stopped and viola, they kept going with the wind. The one thing about the mosquitos in AK is that they are so large, they have a large mass and you can swat them in the air. Unfortunately when they hatch they are overwhelming. Once you get so far north that the temps drop to freezing they are a non-issue but above about 35 F they all come out and the carnage begins.

[@tristanrid]

Thank you! The mosquitoes in Alaska sure are a different breed to anything else I've seen, so much bigger and more aggressive, they're probably second only to African tsetste flies as the worst I've ever encountered. I'd love to go back to Alaska in the winter when the bugs and bears aren't a factor!

[@rudolphferdinand3634]

The Haul Road trip is another name for the road. I made six trips up and down towing an Airboat hunting and fishing trip. In all my time on the Dalton Highway, I had one problem a leaf spring brokeage, I was carrying extra parts for such things repaired, and on I went. It was a wonderful trip.

[@tristanrid]

Nice one, six trips is good going! It would definitely have been more relaxing in a car!

[@raunakbhandari8962]

This is incredible! Making me really consider getting a bike and start bikepacking! Thank you for such great content!

[@tristanrid]

Thanks for watching!

[@zerofugz1621]

Absolutely beautiful. Extremely well done video.

[@tristanrid]

Thank you!

[@olnutz]

Huge amount of effort gone into these videos, Bravo 🙌 thanks entertainment mate, keep em coming!

[@tristanrid]

Thanks, will do!

[@travmanmeyers]

Thank you for sharing your epic journey.

[@tristanrid]

Thanks for watching!

[@topcat8891]

Tip for getting patches to stick - use old skool patches with glue( not self sticking ones) set the glue on fire for a second or two blow it out and stick patch immediately, it will stick fast to the tacky sticky glue 😁 great ride good film 👍

[@tristanrid]

Thank you! Yeah the problem was more with his tube itself, which was falling apart - he patched those holes but it kept developing new ones. But I agree that the old school patches are much better long term solutions, the stick-on ones definitely don't last as well!

[@Mike-vd2qt]

@@tristanrid Yep, agree, the moral to his tube issue is be prepared. (Look your wearable parts over and replace). Cycle tourists don't have to carry too much gear and over load, but the gear we take should be in good condition at the start. As an old touring cyclist, from the 1980's, I wouldn't have headed out on the Dalton with Schwalbe G-One tires.

[@tristanrid]

Have you had any experience with G-Ones? I've never tried them myself but a few people I know have had fairly good experiences with them, they seem to be tougher than expected. I'd be curious to hear your experience if you've tried them!

[@paulverweij6348]

nice vid, brings back memorys of my trip in 2022 from deadhorse to Antilope wells :) beginning of June the Pass was covert in snow and the road was realy muddy but after the pass weather was lot beter but the bugs ..... HF

[@tristanrid]

Heh I guess in that part of the world you have to pick your poison; you either deal with snow, mud, mosquitoes, or some combination of the three. I think if I ever do that road again on a bike, it'll definitely be a winter crossing!

[@RonSuchanek]

I'm loving this series! Great story telling and editing.

[@tristanrid]

Thank you!

[@obikedog]

You do a great job working so hard and filming in such trying conditions.

[@tristanrid]

Thank you!

[@X_TUDO]

Greetings from Brazil!!!

[@tristanrid]

Olá da Inglaterra! :)

[@HancockVideo]

This video sums up backpacking so well! Thanks for putting in the work to make it happen. Me and my family are looking at riding Anchorage to Fairbanks and have been using your videos as "beta" for the trip.

[@tristanrid]

Thanks for watching! Good luck with the ride if you do it, I hope you have better luck with the mosquitoes than we did!

[@TristWallace]

What a great adventure! I hate mosquitos too.

[@tristanrid]

Thank you! Ha yeah I've never met anyone who likes them, but in the Arctic they were really on another level!

[@Phoebe907]

Fairbanks native here. Ben’s is good, but you need to go for 100 deet in those conditions. Absolutely brutal. Cool video!

[@tristanrid]

Alaskan mosquitoes are the worst I've ever seen, thank God for deet!

[@HeadPack]

Wonderful video. Great chemistry between the two of you.

[@tristanrid]

Thank you!

[@beckywareing3956]

Great video, thank you for sharing your adventure, well done guys.

[@tristanrid]

Thank you!

[@user-ku4yk4ut4z]

I rode the DALTON in 2010 from Prudhoe to to Fairbanks and it is in my opinion the easier way just because you get days of flat to small rolling hills before the big climbs easing into it...Fabulous road and amazing place to be...well done!

[@tristanrid]

Thank you! Yeah it would have been easier going north to south - the hardest section was the first few hundred kilometres north of Fairbanks, and we had to do that bit weighed down by 10 days of food. We mainly cycled north because we intended to hitchhike one leg of the road, out or back, and we figured it would be much easier to get a lift south from Deadhorse than it would be to hitchhike from Fairbanks north. People seeing you in Deadhorse know that if they don't take you, you could be stuck there for a LONG time, so I think pity works in your favour!

[@user-ku4yk4ut4z]

@@tristanrid there are regular flights to Deadhorse as well that's how i started my RTW trip....I plan on going back in 2026 this time on my BMW 1250GSA !!! Keep up the good work!!

[@tristanrid]

Thanks, yeah most people fly to Deadhorse, we just decided to hitchhike to save the money, as the flights are pretty expensive!

[@MrQuestful]

22:43 Future reference, you can make a bigger tube fit (I’m presuming yours was a “29 and his was a “27.5 or maybe a 26”) but it’s a little tricky to explain. You basically make a crease rolling perpendicular to the tube and “tuck it in” on itself to the right size. I’ll share a link of someone doing it.

[@MrQuestful]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/o6S7qomJq5KhpNksi=u0Bg2rDo3tvRaDcK

[@tristanrid]

I'd be interested to see that, sounds like a useful trick!

[@MrQuestful]

YT isn’t letting me post the link, but if you search for “inner tube size fix” there’s a 2 min video of a guy patapsco bicycles doing it.

[@tristanrid]

Very cool, that's super useful to know - thanks! I'm not totally sure if it would have worked for Clo with the tube I have since I just carry an ultra thin 'tubolito' tube for emergencies, rather than a normal tube, since I've found my tubeless to be so reliable, which might have been a stretch with Clo's 27.5+ wheels, but good to know for next time!

[@MrQuestful]

@@tristanrid I’ve never tried it on a Tubolito, but my suspicions are with you, it may not be possible because of the material properties of them being different than the rubber tubes. I don’t have one to test, but it could be an interesting experiment to film! One thing you can do you encourage it is lay a strip of electrical tape around a section of the tube to create a little extra thickness where you want to crease it from, and partially inflate it to help it take shape.

[@ShawNshawN]

Great trip man. Those mosquitoes are brutal, makes you really think is the trip worth it. What a ride to make.

[@tristanrid]

Thanks mate! Heh yeah the mosquitos definitely made it an ordeal, but even so the ride was 100% worth it. Pain is temporary, but a good story, a good experience, can last a lifetime 🤙

[@Jose-x1w7n]

Great to see you back on the road with another superb video. Best Wishes from down under.👍🦘

[@tristanrid]

Cheers!

[@regbillings4955]

Awesome video of your bicycle/camping adventure, you guys had me scratching a lot lol. I wonder how many Mosquitos LIKE and FOLLOW you guys comments and video lol :P

[@tristanrid]

Haha if every mosquito in Alaska liked and subscribed, I'd be the biggest channel on KZbin overnight 😬

[@regbillings4955]

@@tristanridindeed you would lol. i had fun watching :)

[@yagogarcia1841]

Beautiful lands! Olé! Aupa ahí!

[@Mike-vd2qt]

Most excellent! Thanks. Headwinds, it took me all day on a bike tour to go from Glasgow, MT to Wolf Point, MT (approx 50 miles). Mosquitos, no way, I would have turned back. ☮

[@tristanrid]

Haha at least if you have headwind you won't have mosquitoes, I'm really glad those two can't hit you both at once!

[@joseadavila7445]

that is why you carry spare tubes . bummer for cloude . good he was abble to finnish at the end . viva le cloude .ale .

[@tristanrid]

Thanks, yeah it was bad luck that his tube ended up being too old to use but glad he managed to figure it out in the end!

[@mickilkr]

Excellent video!

[@tristanrid]

Thank you!

[@philippevincent4656]

All the Alaskan mosquitoes were around you, Mate, but none discouraged you and none stopped you from making a beautiful video.

[@tristanrid]

Thanks mate, glad you enjoyed it!

[@farruhazimov2690]

Thanks for your videos I'm very inspired 🔥🔥🔥🔥

[@tristanrid]

Thanks for watching!

[@B3553nc3]

Great videography. You do really well with minimal gear.

[@tristanrid]

Thank you! I'm definitely still learning, but I'm getting there!

[@pdzh]

when you look at pipe line, there are coolers on the posts. there is an interesting reason for them. they are passive coolers that cool down gasses and those gasses drop down as frozen liquid to keep permafrost underground. otherwise the pipeline will sink.

[@tristanrid]

So interesting, and amazing how much technology went into making that pipeline. Thanks for sharing!

[@comic96]

Thanks to share to beautifull experience... 😊

[@tristanrid]

Thanks for watching!

[@Fncontroloptioncommand]

Oh my those mozzies look brutal, worst I’ve seen. We get the mozzies/blackfly/horsefly pretty bad in Ontario and agree they can be great motivators to keep pedalling! I always found 20km/h was the avoidance speed. Great video :)

[@tristanrid]

Thank you! Yeah on the flat it's no problem to keep them behind you, it's mainly the hills when they can make your life miserable!

[@TeokwoonJung]

Someday, I'll be in dead horse We're going to depart. toward Argentina I enjoyed the beautiful scenery

[@tristanrid]

Thanks, and good luck!

[@ericdanielson4177]

I know that breakfast and dinner walk well. I had to do it Lapland one summer. Only relief was higher elevation.

[@tristanrid]

Or wind, I've never actually been HAPPY to have a headwind before 😅

[@ujjallayek785]

Ohhhh.... what a great adventure.! Excellent video .But i surprise how the mosquitoes exist in this cold !

[@tristanrid]

Thank you! It actually wasn't very cold at all up there in the summer, I think it was an unusually warm summer but we had several days with temperatures in the high 20s C (almost 80f) - the Arctic isn't as cold as people think, at least in summer!

[@HUSS_BOSS]

Underratted

[@tristanrid]

🙏

[@arbiaelmrabet8614]

great vidéo😃🤩😍🥰🤗

[@tristanrid]

Thank you!

[@barrywu5709]

Inspiring. Great job!

[@tristanrid]

Thank you!

[@jarredmahoney719]

It would be awesome to see you do the cross Washington trail

[@tristanrid]

That's one I'd love to get to at some point! I'll be in the US this summer but probably not Washington this time around as I'll be following the GDMBR until Utah and then turning west. One day though!

[@mohdsaadrosbandiroslan8372]

Nice cycling sir...

[@tristanrid]

Thank you!

[@randalbladel2817]

I flatted on a fast downhill during one of our Alaskan gravel races, and forgot to use DEET before the start. I think I may have lost a unit of blood fixing the flat. It was good incentive to go tubeless.

[@tristanrid]

Ouch, yeah those little swines will make life pretty miserable very quickly, that can't have been a fun puncture to fix!

[@offtheclock302]

as we say in nz. bloody legend

[@tristanrid]

Thank you!

[@cenomestlibre]

The Pedalistan 😮 !

[@tristanrid]

He was so unlucky with his tyre! 😬

[@thickymcghee7681]

Awesome vid. I am just getting into bikepacking and I have been cheating by following what you do.

[@tristanrid]

Thanks! Taking advice is never cheating though 😀

[@omare_biketonature]

Nice video! It’s easy to romanticize bikepacking thinking that everything is just freedom and glamorous camping places but there are a lot of challenges which make it difficult, but at the same time all of the struggles adds up to when achieving and the feeling of accomplishment. Which time of the year did you ride? I wonder if riding on late spring will help to avoid mosquitoes even though it’s a little bit cold, I’m planning on riding from Deadhorse to my hometown in Honduras. Cheers!

[@tristanrid]

We were there in July which was pretty much peak mosquito season, I'd say that going late spring is definitely a good call - I'd much rather deal with a bit of snow and some cold nights than with the level of mosquito activity we had to manage! Still bring DEET, though 😃

[@Bertpauw84]

I initially clicked on the video because I was thinking "would a person called Tristan Ridley be riding a Ridley bike?" Unfortunately not. But, nice video!

[@tristanrid]

Ha yeah getting a Ridley bike would be cool if for nothing else than the gimmick, maybe one day, but unfortunately they don't really make any bikes suitable for the kind of riding I do, at least for now!

[@123moof]

Fun fact, you can use a 29' tube in a 27.5 tire by stuffing inside itself.

[@tristanrid]

Yeah another commenter mentioned this too, it's a great trick! In my case I don't think it would have worked as the only tube I had was a 'Tubolito' lightweight tube, which is quite different to a normal inner and so I don't think it would have worked in the same way, but it might have been worth a try if I'd have known it was possible. Next time!

[@crculver2068]

Curious why you didn’t cycle in a shirt and trousers made from polycotton that mosquitoes can't bite through? Expedition clothing like Fjällräven was designed for Lapland where the mosquitoes are similarly abundant and noisome. And in the cooler temps of the north, with a microweight merino shirt underneath, it isn’t at all uncomfortable to cycle in. With that and the headnet, the only place you need repellent is your hands. (This is coming too late for you, since you may never again cycle in such clouds of the buggers, but may be useful to others reading this comment section).

[@tristanrid]

Yeah this is a thought I had on the Dalton myself, but unfortunately by then it was too late! I normally prefer merino wool, but if I ever had to cycle Alaska again in summer I'd definitely go for some mosquito-proof clothing instead, and if anyone is reading this with plans to go to Alaska in summer, that's exactly what I'd suggest!

[@onelove8062]

Polycotton? Tell me more

[@crculver2068]

@@onelove8062 Polycotton = polyester and cotton blend. A fabric that has been around and used for outdoor apparel for over half a century.

[@terrybriggs3289]

They still bite through it.

[@crculver2068]

@@terrybriggs3289 Not if it is the original G-1000 fabric from Fjällräven or identical formulations from other brands. Mosquitoes simply can't get their proboscis through it. But the version called G-1000 Lite is not mosquito-proof.

[@rwarpig6687]

Great video! What is the brand of those sunglasses?

[@tristanrid]

Thanks! Mine are from SunGod - the Zephyrs :)

[@e30life_91]

i'm planing trip and camping around jun I wonder if these mosques will be still this bad lol and does location change the fact of less mosquitos or this is whole alaska lol ?

[@tristanrid]

In peak summer the mosquitoes can be pretty bad throughout much of Alaska, but the Dalton Highway was by far the worst we experienced, and bear in mind it was a particularly bad bug year. June/July are usually the worst months, so if you can I'd say try to go a little earlier or a little later!

[@e30life_91]

@@tristanrid oh yeah i will try to go early jun ...I really Appreciate your reply ..... great video thanks

[@terrynelson2385]

Very interesting, great scenery. Thanks for feeding the mosquitos; the wild-life need to be kept healthy!

[@tristanrid]

Haha you're welcome, just doing our bit!

[@gbxd]

I live in a tropical country and mosquitoes are common. I thought mosquitoes don't like cold weather countries but they are so many.

[@tristanrid]

Ha yeah I used to think the same! I've travelled in the tropics quite a bit and had to deal with plenty of mosquitos, but Alaska is still by FAR the worst I've ever had to manage!

[@cdg-hzg]

Certainly you didn't leave your food bag tied to the base of a tree. That's what it looked like on the video. If there were any bears around, I bet they'd really appreciate not having to struggle to get food hanging up high somewhere.

[@tristanrid]

It's not just a normal bag, it's called an Ursack, which is a specially designed bear-proof food bag. The material is too thick for bears to get through, and the draw chord is strong enough to stop the bear from dragging it away. It's all been tested and seems to check out, I've been using mine since last year and haven't had any issues: www.google.com/search?client=firefox-b-d&q=ursack

[@Hambxne]

Thank God for Samuel Gertler.

[@tristanrid]

Bless that man 🙏

[@wordpress4373]

Is there a better period to ride this, sometime when its colder and less bugs?

[@tristanrid]

Yeah shoulder seasons are the way to go for this one I'd say, best bet will probably be around mid-late September, although you never know what the weather is going to do!

[@thehairs1970]

What happened to Mathilda?

[@tristanrid]

After what happened in Denali she decided not to join us up to the Arctic and instead went ahead to Canada by herself. She's fine though, we caught up with her a month later in Dawson City :)

[@Trueace21005]

Has there ever been any incidents where you got a flat etc then were running low on food / water cause had to walk to the bike etc? And had no people coming by etc? I'm talking on any of your trips.. sounds like could be one of the biggest dangers if your bike goes down and you're far away from any services / water..

[@tristanrid]

No I've never had a dangerous situation like that, thankfully, at least so far!

[@Trueace21005]

@nrid That is good to hear.. so no one hassling you either? I read the story of the 17 year old kid going from Alaska to Argentina.. and he was robbed 5 times.. but nothing worse than that luckily.. Then there is the story of Emily Kelty on the Amazon.. and some bike tourers.. Suppose good judgement makes sense of course.. but a certain amount of exposure you can't control just being on a bike.. and obviously people troublemakers know that heh..

[@tristanrid]

Oh I've definitely been hassled. I was robbed at gunpoint in Egypt, chased by men with machetes in Papua New Guinea, and had plenty of other close calls which could have escalated. But for how long I've been on the road those situations have been pretty rare, and I've never lost anything essential or been badly injured, at least so far!

[@Trueace21005]

@@tristanrid Yeah I hear you.. some rough times but glad have come out ok... ever thought about carrying or not worth the trouble? Too many legal issues depending on where you go? I have thought about it for animal safety as well.. along with bear spray of course..

[@tristanrid]

Nah it's illegal in most of the world, you'd never be able to cross borders, and most situations it's only going to make things worse. Against animals bear spray is much better - a pistol against a grizzly is just going to make it angry unless you hit it in just the right spot, which isn't easy if it's charging you. And with people, pulling a weapon just makes it much more likely that someone gets hurt, talking your way out is usually the way to go!

[@jimchester9984]

What bigass front bags are you using?

[@tristanrid]

Mine is a custom bag based on the Jumbo Jammer from Roadrunner Bags. Clo's is a Carradice.

[@ProsperInHealth]

What happened to the woman that was riding with you in the first three episodes?

[@tristanrid]

After what happened in Denali, Mathilde decided not to join us up to the Arctic, and instead cycled over to Canada by herself via an easier route. She's fine, though - we caught up with her in Dawson City :)

[@28174]

Did i miss something? Where did the girl go ?

[@tristanrid]

After what happened in Denali National Park, Mathilde decided not to join us for the Arctic and instead cycled straight for Canada via an easier route. She's fine, we caught up with her in Dawson City :)

[@rottieshepcalibre9156]

Your resilience is inspiring. Fantastic adventure and thanks for sharing it with us 👊

[@tristanrid]

Thank you, and thanks for watching!

[@Dampflanze]

What happened to the lady that got lost in DNP ? Did she lost trust in you guys ?

[@tristanrid]

After what happened in Denali, Mathilde decided that the Dalton might be a bit much for her so she decided to go south towards Canada instead, we caught up with her later in Dawson City :)

[@jacekglagla8797]

Ale piękna przygoda pojechałbym z Wami 👍🚴🙋‍♂️

[@tristanrid]

🙏

[@alisonguida4304]

Where's Mathilde?

[@tristanrid]

She decided not to join us for the Arctic and instead went ahead to Canada, we caught up with her in Dawson City

[@onelove8062]

Homie was eating food in a commode, setting the dish on the bathroom floor smh

[@tristanrid]

Haha bikepacking is a glamorous business!

[@dutzik]

fuck that!!! those mosquitoes are so annoying!!!

[@tristanrid]

Ha yeah they weren't fun! Still worth it in the end though!

[@Matthieu260582]

i would never understand why humans just refuse to socialise with bugs and flies. Im sure they have a huge networking and i am sure that one thing can lead to the other and very soon you know them all.

[@tristanrid]

I think for us it was the constant attempts to steal our blood without consent, that kind of thing is a definite faux pas and made it hard to really engage on a social level 💁‍♂️

[@Shaamin2]

that’s so funny you dedicated the video to the man who invented DEET. DEET is the greatest substance on earth

[@tristanrid]

Bless that man 🙏😃

[@jacksrandomadventures2769]

: )

[@willowwillow7112]

If you re deliberately mispronouncing towns why should I watch.

[@tristanrid]

I'm not sure what you mean, if I mispronounced anything it certainly wasn't deliberate - what towns are you talking about?

[@tilleylepew5944]

Cause you might learn sumptin !