March 22, 2026, 1:44 pm | Read time: 4 minutes
It stretches a few hundred miles–and they pack a punch: The Dalton Highway is considered the most dangerous road in the U.S. Anyone wanting to drive this route, which is rarely paved but often covered in ice, should be well-prepared.
There’s hardly anything that isn’t warned about on the Dalton Highway: rockslides, potholes, wildlife crossings, sudden winds, ice, dangerous animals, tight curves, and more. What confidently calls itself a highway is largely an unpaved road, far from any human habitation and mostly traveled by daring truckers. The Dalton Highway in northern Alaska is one of the most dangerous roads in the world–and has become a legend because of it.
Three-quarters of the 666 kilometers–a number that might raise eyebrows–lie beyond the Arctic Circle. The highway was built in the 1970s as a maintenance road for the massive Trans-Alaska Pipeline and named after an engineer. Along the way, there are only two places: Coldfoot–the name “Coldfoot” is no coincidence–and Wiseman. They are inhabited by 10 and 14 residents, respectively. After that, there’s almost 400 kilometers of nothing until Deadhorse at the Arctic Ocean. Deadhorse, with its roughly 20 residents–not counting hundreds of oil workers–is a “dry” place, without alcohol. Among Dalton knights, there’s a saying: “All that far and still no bar,” which loosely translates to “Finally here and then no beer.”
The Dalton Highway is mostly unpaved and unfortified
Anyone who makes it to Deadhorse has already been through a lot. The majority of the road, which proudly calls itself a highway, is neither paved nor fortified in any way. The northern part is often covered in ice, while the southern part is muddy, dirty, rocky, and gravel sprays from under the tires for a few weeks each year. No wonder the road has become a TV star. It has been featured in the reality TV series “America’s Toughest Jobs,” as well as in the BBC’s “World’s Most Dangerous Roads,” and in the popular U.S. series “Ice Road Truckers,” where the Dalton Highway has appeared four times.
“The road is so dangerous because it’s made for professional drivers who drive the route constantly,” says Kamau Leigh. He is a state trooper from Alaska, responsible for the highways. “Tourists who come to us are used to asphalt roads. But on the Dalton, there’s hardly any asphalt, just clay–and pretty much all other elements of nature. Driving here is an adventure. But one that can end badly.” Anyone who insists on driving the road should do so. “But be prepared. And that includes several spare tires.”
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The southern part of the Dalton Highway is more dangerous than the northern part
Dustin Reyna has been driving the route for a long time and rates it as “pretty dangerous.” “You keep seeing car wrecks lying around. The south is more dangerous than the north. The north is relatively flat. The south is steep and curvy. When rain or ice is added, it’s hell.” So why does he do it anyway? “Simple: good money and a lot of fun.”
Reyna’s cement truck is called an “18-wheeler” in driver radio jargon. When a “4-wheeler,” a regular car, appears in front of him, he is considerate–but he doesn’t slow down. He speeds along the sandy track at nearly 70 miles, 110 kilometers, per hour, which has no guardrail or shoulder. Drivers earn good money for the nerve-wracking, dangerous job.
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So why do tourists, for example on motorcycles, keep venturing onto the Dalton? “Because it’s there,” says Tom Snyder. He just rode the 414 miles on his BMW, with “Chief,” his dog, in the sidecar. “It’s a fascinating route. On one hand, the nature is breathtaking. But the road is, of course, also a challenge. It’s really a lousy track where it can even snow in June,” he says. “But it’s fascinating.”