Back in 2000 we did the Artic Circle tour to Barrow, Kotzbue, Nome and really enjoyed it. We also did the fly ride to Dead Horse from Fairbanks. The trip to Deadhorse was a company that uses college students as drivers and it was great. Two years ago, not having time to drive up with the DGKs we flew up and rented a MoHo from Great Alaskan Holidays and drove to the Arctic Circle, spent the Summer Soltice and drove back the next day. Met lots of nice folks but the biggest surprise was on the way back at the Yukon River Crossing we met two couples in Model a Fords that were driving up for the day from Fairbanks. They were from Kentucky and had pulled teardrop trailers all the way from Kentucky. So now when folks ask if they can drive their rig to AK and around up there I kinda laugh and say we've seen people drive Model As up there but you know not everybody can afford one of those.
"I travel not to go anywhere, but to go. I travel for travel's sake. The great affair is to go". R. L. Stevenson
Trixie47 wrote: We also are going to take the Arctic Circle tour this summer. We are going to do the drive one as I DO NOT like flying, much less in small planes. We have reservations at Rivers Edge campground and will use the company that picks us up from there. When will you be going ?
We plan to leave eastern TN in late May. Our Arctic Circle tour would be by land based vehicle also. Looks like it is going to be early in our trip as we plan to be at Fairbanks soon after we get to Alaska. I am not making campground reservations for that part of the trip unless I must. When will you be there? Do you think campground reservations are needed? I don't want to make reservations unless I absolutly must. I already made them at Denali. I hope we see you along the way.
We will be taking the tour at around the 9th or 10th of August. We will not be leaving Florida until late June. Have family flying in to Anchorage the beginning of August and will all go to Fairbanks after a few days in Anchorage. I have made reservations at the Rivers Edge RV park.
We did Barrow overnight in 2000 or 02 and loved Fran (author of Tacos on the Tundra). We did two trips out of Fairbanks (one fly/drive to Coldfood and the other fly/drive to Prudhoe Bay). We have driven our Avalanche up as far as the Yukon River.
While all the trips were interesting we enjoyed the Prudhoe Bay best of all. I think it was because of the people and the guide (excellent). We had to land on the way up at Coldfoot (supposedly Deadhorse was socked in - it wasn't). Continued flight and overnighted at Deadhorse. Got to dip toes in the Arctic Ocean/Beaufort Sea. Weather was awful most of the way driving back but we still had hilarious time stopping at every puddle so Steffanie (the driver) could dip her window washer and try to scrape mud off windows. Overnighted at Coldfood. We went on optional fly to Gates of the Arctic NP and Anaktuvuk Pass (which literally means lots of caribou sh_t - no joke and this is a good thing as the natives, Eskimos who went inland, live off the caribou). We went with Arctic Air Tours (?) and it cost just under $1800 for 2 nts/3days 2 people.
I think we drove to the airport ourselves each time. We actually parked the DP at the airport when we went to Prudhoe Bay in a secure area for a couple of $ a night.
Diann
P.S. sbishop, our friends drove Model T's all the way from Texas to Deadhorse! Five vehicles began the trip but only 3 completed it.
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