Description: Aurora Arctic Circle Drive Tour
Alaskan Arctic Turtle Tours
Jim Winslow, Owner/Operator
Tollfree: 888-456-1978
Local: 907-456-1798
Having done a drive tour to the Arctic Circle in March 2007, this was on my suggested "must do" activity on this year’s trip. I opted for another tour company operator in order to sample what else is available to visitors to the Alaskan Interior. We were not disappointed!
Alaskan Arctic Turtle Tours is owned and operated by Jim Winslow, a native Oregonian who has called Alaska home for the past 30+ years. A down home and friendly sort of guy, he takes pride in making sure his guests enjoy their day with him on this day-long drive tour. One of the focuses I found most enjoyable was the general casualness of the day. Unlike other guided tours, with continual narration, Winslow allows the discussion and interaction to be reflective of the interests of the tour group members. On this day, there were ten of us, including a young family of three from Southern California. It was nice to have our day’s activities loosely enough structured to allow everyone, including this family, the opportunity to spend just a little extra time out playing in the tundra’s snow. They certainly seemed to have the time of their lives, including making snow angels at 3,000 on the snowy summit at a parking pullout viewing area.
On this particular tour, we had a later than usual start as our return home was timed to allow for viewing of the aurora borealis. We were picked up at our B&B promptly at 11:00am, with a couple of additional stops for the other guests. By 11:30am we were off for the Arctic Circle. Along the way, there were comfort and viewing stops planned so as to assure everyone could stretch their legs and use the facilities. Several of the stops were specifically for taking advantage of the spectacular views and the photo ops of what was an ever changing landscape. It is really hard to adequately describe how this area of Alaska changes as the miles go by over the span of the 200 mile drive.
Some of the noted stops along the way include the wayside at the Yukon River (rest rooms but no other facilities available), Finger Mountain (rest rooms which are not suitable for use in the winter due to the high arctic winds and driven snow that was a good three feet deep INSIDE the outhouse structure, and the destination of the day . . . the Arctic Circle visitors area (again rest rooms but no other facilities).
At the Yukon River stop, you have an up close opportunity to see the Alaskan Pipeline. During the winter, the river is frozen providing local residents recreational and commuting options via dog sleds and snow machines (aka snow mobiles in the lower 48). Summer months offer a rest area with restaurant services across the street.
Finger Mountain is perhaps what I most readily visualize as the arctic tundra taiga. It is here that the winds were whipping around at easily 25 to 30 MPH. Snow was blowing and drifting, creating small areas of single lane road access due to deep snow on the roadway. It was here that we had our first wildlife sighting . . . a caribou cow and her yearling calf. The two were easily camouflaged with their white and beige markings. Fortunately a group member saw "something moving" out on the flat land, so we stopped for several minutes of viewing and photographing from the warmth and comfort of our van.
From there, we were about 15 miles from the Arctic Circle. It was curious to see a small forest area out in the middle of the baron land. It was there, probably five or ten miles from Finger Mountain that we had another sighting . . . a red arctic fox. It was beautiful, with very thick fur. It seemed a bit skiddish about being watched as it moved swiftly from the right side of the road to head up into the forest. Thankfully there is little traffic on the Dalton Highway so we were able to simply stop in the middle of the road to take photos from inside our vehicle.
At the Arctic Circle, it is easy to have a bit of a let down in that the area looks largely like any rest area you might find as you travel through the United States passing from one state to the next. But this isn’t like any other stop along the road. This *is* the Arctic Circle in Alaska. The landscape and views are spectacular. The reality of the desolation and harshness of the land evident all around makes it difficult to not appreciate what the animals must endure to survive.
There is the tourist spot where visitors can take photos of family and friends, proving you have been to the Arctic Circle. There were also two outhouse type rest room buildings, but beyond that little else. And with the "we came, we saw" experience, it was time to load up the van and head back to town. While it took us roughly five hours to traverse the 200 miles, it was easy to get comfy and plan for an extended nap heading back to town. One of the benefits of taking the later departing "aurora" version of the Arctic Drive Tour is that we would be treated to an especially unique sunset beginning at the Yukon River and subsequently further on down the road. The beautiful orange and red colors over the arctic did not disappoint.
If there was a disappointment on our tour, it would be that sometimes weather just doesn’t cooperate with the best made plans. Two weather situations must be in alignment in order to have viewing and photo opportunities. First the sun must provide the solar wind impact into earth’s atmosphere at a significant level to spark the aurora. Secondly, there must be crisp, clear skies. Perhaps a third should be added; dark skies. On the night of our tour, we had a decent aurora forecast based on the space weather coming from the sun. Unfortunately earth’s weather wasn’t so cooperative, as the skies were very cloudy. The only celestial viewing to be had was the nearly three-quarter moon, which was very bright shining through the broken clouds.
Of course, no tour company or service provider can assure that the weather will cooperate. After sitting up in a very nice aurora viewing area for about an hour, everyone was in agreement that it had been a long day and that it was unlikely that we would be seeing the aurora on this night. We headed the rest of the way back into Fairbanks, returning folks to their hotels shortly after midnight.
If you are planning to take an arctic drive tour you will want to be prepared in how you dress, what you bring with you and for nourishment along the way. In the winter, dressing in layers is essential. We left our lodging in Fairbanks late morning and it was around 20 degrees F. Within a few short hours, it was well below zero with strong whipping winds, easily -30 degrees F windchill. You cannot safely go out in that type of cold without good insulated footwear, gloves, head protection and a coat.
Because of the length of the day, you will want to bring along some personal refreshments. A snack (or two) along with a bottle of water will help you to get through the day. Arctic Turtle Tours provided sandwiches around dinner time, along with soft drinks and cookies as part of the tour package price. (The other major tour operator doing the arctic drive tours does not provide a meal during the trip.) While a picnic at the Arctic Circle would have been nice, we opted for the warmth and comfort of our van at a pullout along the ride back towards Fairbanks.
As for the price, the Arctic Drive Tour is $169. Add another $31 if you are interested in doing the tour with the later start and aurora viewing option. The value for this experience is well worth the $200 if for no other reason than the beautiful sunset and being able to sleep in an extra few hours! (The normal arctic drive tours typically start around 6:30 or 7:00am.) Additionally, I thoroughly enjoyed the door to door service to our B&B. You cannot underestimate the hassle of getting up early, driving to the pick-up spot in a very cold car . . . only to return late and have to drive home after a 400 mile, 12+ hour adventure by van.
Winslow offers other Alaskan tours. Additional information can be found at: http://www.wildalaska.info/ .
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