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Alaska 25 May to 12 June 2025

2008 memory

In August-September 2008, Bee Choo, Mark (turning 6) and I visited Alaska together. On the 'Alaska 2008' page, you can read all about that trip. And you will find this image there: Bee Choo and me on the western bank of the Koyukuk Middlefork River 31 Aug 2008; the 'new' bridge across was put in during my first visit there, the summer of 1974. My friend Bill took this photo of us; Bill sadly passed away some years later, in 2016.

Fast forward to 2025

This year (2025) I took Bee Choo to Alaska again; it was about time, 17 years fly by! Bee Choo had a current ESTA visa waiver permit for the US already, I had to apply for a new one, valid for the next two years.

Next: A ticket

Bee Choo found this connection to Fairbanks via Taipei and Seattle, WA. The times worked well and the price was just short of S$2K each, less than I paid in 2023.

The Great Plan

The only little drawback with the ticket was our arrival time in Fairbanks 26 May: Around 2 am. But it went alright as it tuned out. Our original itinerary pretty much panned out as planned. The day-to-day details will be explained below.

The room ...

Because we arrived so late (or early??), I had booked a room at Sven's nearby the airport, where I stayed in 2023. This booking is for the first three nights; we ended up spending all our night in Fairbanks at Sven's: A total of six.

... and the wheels

For a road-trip you need wheels. It used to be difficult (and very expensive!) to find a rental company that allowed their vehicles up on the Dalton Highway. That is no longer so! Alaska 4x4 Rentals gave us a very good deal on a 'MID SUV' for 15 days. It is allowed on all maintained roads, including the Dalton and other public gravel roads. When we picked it up, it turned out to be a tomato-red Chevy Blazer 2.5L AWD SUV. It performed SUPERBLY!! We ended up putting 1,980 miles (= 3,188 km) on the clock.

First the south

We planned to make Valdez at the Gulf of Alaska our first stop. So we found this nice-looking lodge near Robe Lake and booked two nights. It is a 350 miles (560 km) scenic drive from Fairbanks. More about that below.

Prince William Sound

While at Valdez, we want to check out the coast for sea birds and marine mammals and booked a 6 hr cruise with Stan Stephens to the Columbia Glacier and back. Because it was May (=early season) we even got a 30% discount on the price! More about the cruise below.

Apart from these booking, we made no more bookings or reservations prior to departure: We took the rest of the trip as it came after that ... personally I prefer it that way!?

And most importantly: The money

Always try to spend as little as you possibly can! Within reason, of course, considering you want a decent quality of life. Consume less and save more: It is better for you and for the planet as well! Before leaving, I had this simple budget prepared and it turned out to be not half wrong. We saved a bit on the tickets and most astonishingly on the car rental which was excellent value. The rest was pretty much on target: Some below, others a bit above budget.

the (usual) executive summary

Section 1: Fairbanks

This trip report is structured in five chapters, GoDaddy calls them 'sections'. The first section is about the city of Fairbanks (70K people) and nearby environs, the jump-off point to northern Alaska. The photo shows me pointing to the place on a map in the airport terminal on our arrival 26 May.

I usually start each section with the scenic and people shots, then finish with the biodiversity (almost all of the animal images from Bee Choo's magic zoom camera) ... for the benefit of those readers who have the patience and interest!

2: Valdez

We first headed south, to the fishing village, tourist hub and oil loading terminal of Valdez in the Prince William Sound. This is Bee Choo during our 6-hr fjord wildlife cruise 29 May.

3: Anaktuvuk Pass

I love this place. Three times I walked out from here, deep into the Brooks Range to the east and the south. The Continental Divide, the Gateway of the Arctic. This is a stunning place you simply MUST see, or you cannot claim to have really lived. I wanted to show this to Bee Choo and 1 June I did, this is an auto-release shot of the pass looking north. The snow was a bit deeper than I had anticipated!

4: Dalton Highway and the Koyukuk

We drove up the Dalton Highway and visited our friends in Coldfoot and along the Middlefork River in the Koyukuk gold mining district. 5 June, here I am with tough-guy Josh in Bill's (now Karl's) old mining camp.

5: The North Slope

Wildlife-wise, the drive across Atigun Pass onto the tundra north of the Brooks Range was the pinnacle. Here a beautiful Muskox and baby along the Sagavanirktok River 7 June.

The Pipeline ...

As it turned out, our road trip took us along the Trans-Alaska Pipeline System in its entirety; here near the Richardson Highway north of Valdez. This famous infrastructure project (the longest oil pipeline in the World) was constructed 1975-77 and has brought much wealth to the state, although it is currently just running at some 20% capacity, as the wells around Prudhoe Bay gradually dry out.

... from start ...

This is the closest the public is allowed to the start of the pipeline at Pump Station 1, here seen from the security gate in Deadhorse near the Arctic Ocean. Bee Choo and I more or less drove along the pipeline to the end, some 800 miles (1,287 km) south of here.

... to finish

Another 11 pump stations later, and the oil is loaded onto tankers here, at the Valdez Marine Terminal, where the ocean never freezes over, so the ships can run all year. Off limits to us mortals of course, but here seen from our tour boat. No matter what you might think about the oil business, if you have ever sat in a car or a bus or an airplane or turned on a heater (or an air conditioner) or collected a plastic bag ... you have benefited from it!

Let's all be friends

But before I move on, please allow me to make one more important point: As you might know, Alaska used to be Russian America (until 1867), and it is nice to see that the friendship between the two great nations is still celebrated in the state, such as here along the Richardson Highway 28 May 2025. Have you noticed, both flags are red-white-and-blue? Currently under an unprovoked attack from NATO and the EU, Russia needs all the understanding, help and support we can provide. Since the land sale, no Russian president has ever visited the state, but 15 August the current one did. So my photo was prophetic. As I understand it, the presidential meeting went well; may we all forever live in peace and harmony and prosperity!

1: fairbanks

In the heart of the Interior of Alaska, Fairbanks is an old gold-mining area built just north of the Tanana River which will eventually merge with the Yukon River a bit further to the west (left in the photo).

During 2025, Bee Choo and I stayed 3+1+2 nights in Fairbanks and all six days we checked into Sven's Basecamp Hostel at Davis Road, just off University Avenue and very near the airport.

The reception, nicely set back into the woods.

And one of the cabins, 'dry' as they say in Alaska, that means no water supply or private toilet, but super quiet and clean and comfortable room, with an electric heater!

The last two nights, 8 and 9 June, the Tree House was available, and Bee Choo and I enjoyed the off-the-ground living experience!

Each morning in Fairbanks, we would start the day at 7 AM with coffee and a home-made muffin at Sven's. The staff was super and the other travelers we met there were often interesting back-packer types. We even met Sven himself, a Swiss-born wilderness entrepreneur.

2: valdez

After a couple of days in Fairbanks, 28 May, we drove down south to Valdez along the Gulf of Alaska, it is 363 miles/584 km so an all-day trip. This is the boreal forest interior south of Fairbanks, dominated by spruce and birch trees.

The leg from Delta down to the coast is regarded as one of the most scenic routes in Alaska, if not anywhere. Thomson Pass is 800 meters above sea level, the annual snowfall here is enormous and only recently was this stretch opened up for all-year driving.

In the high country, we stopped at a large still-frozen lake and Bee Choo took this 180 degree landscape shot with her phone.

She is photographing me, and I am photographing her! With my old-fashioned 5x zoom compact that no one in the house wants any longer. But it is good enough for me. Look how Bee Choo twists to get her 180 degree pararama shot above working!

Shortly before coming to Valdez, you drive through Keystone Canyon. They call it 'Land of the Waterfalls' and they are not kidding!

We stopped to check out this road-kill, it turned out to be an American Porcupine that didn't make it across the Richardson Highway. You probably can't see it, but there is a mature Bald Eagle perched within the red circle, it was scavenging on the porcupine when we drove by.

3: anaktuvuk pass

Back from Valdez, and after a day of rest in Fairbanks buying supplies and visiting friends, 1 June we boarded a Wright Air Cessna 208 Caravan bound for Anaktuvuk Pass. The small planes fly out of East Ramp opposite the main Fairbanks Airport terminal.

Apart from a native lady from the village, we were the only passengers on this flight, but the plane was loaded with cargo making the trip worthwhile for the small airline I suppose. Here Bee Choo gets her phone ready for some videos that are unfortunately too large for inclusion in my site.

So here is a still instead. After crossing the Yukon River, we passed over this plateau of high country; no, it is not the Brooks Range yet.

HERE we approach the Brooks Range foothills. It is the Dalton Highway and the pipeline cutting thru the Interior below, up on top to the north you can make out the Coldfoot landing strip.

Then we swing west a bit and the John River valley appears on the left.

Our young driver follows the John River north into the pass and lands on the airstrip between the mountains coming up just ahead.

4: the dalton highway and koyukuk country

We started on the Dalton Highway road trip that same day, 3 June, getting as far as Hess Creek north of Livengood before evening. There we found a side road no longer in use and simply pulled over for the night, we didn't even bother to pitch the tent. This is the next morning, me cooking (coffee) on the ground. All evening, night and morning NOT A SINGLE vehicle ever passed by here!

4 June, we crossed the mighty Yukon River and this is Bee Choo's snapshot from the car. You can see mine on the 'Alaska 2011' page!

At the Yukon Crossing we had a bite to eat and gassed up the car, which is here starting to look like a real Haul Road cruiser. Back in Fairbanks later, we DID run the car through a car wash before we handed it in, in all fairness to Alaska 4x4 Rentals, they gave us a good deal!

I showed the Cliff Swallow in the '1: Fairbanks' section above, but here it is again. A group collecting mud for their nests near the car park area, as seen by Bee Choo.

I even tried to capture this vibrant scene myself on my humble 5x zoom. Which image is better? We accept votes on the 'Contact Me' link!

But no, that was my only animal shot here, the rest are all by Bee Choo. Such as this beautiful Sharp-tailed Grouse female coming out nicely near one of our rest stops.

5: North slope

The Caribou cross the Brooks Range in early spring to feed on the North Slope where the females also soon give birth. Notice that Caribou is the only deer where the females have antlers as well as the males. In the fall, they cross the mountains again to winter in the Boreal Forest.

There is no accommodation in this area, so in the evening we pulled off the Dalton Highway to sleep. We found a side road near Galbraith Lake with no traffic on it.

But is was COLD! At 3 AM it started to snow and I ran the engine for about 20 minutes to drive the cold out of the car. Even then it was 19 F (= -7 C) in the car when we woke up the next morning to an inch of snow, 6 June.

At the Coldfoot Camp truck stop, we saw this poster. Usually Toolik Field Station is off-limits to visitors, but for the first time in 50 years, they had organised their first open house event ever ... on the day we drove by! What are the odds? Bee Choo and I wouldn't miss this opportunity for the World.

Toolik is just 10 miles or so north of Galbraith Lake, here Bee Choo is birdwatching on the way in. Everyone we spoke to was in shock over how cold it was for this time of year and how late the spring and the break-up was, the thawing and break-up of ice in rivers and lakes.

So at Toolik, we registered for the tour of the field station, specializing in all aspects of Arctic biological and environmental research, run mainly by the University of Alaska Fairbanks. Here Bee Choo is paying close attention to the tour guide.