I assume you will be on a dual sport type of bike...some of the dirt roads will be impassable in the wet on a sport bike. And assume it will be wet.
You can of course ride from Anchorage to Fairbanks and down to Valdez and back to Anchorage on paved roads.
YEP - KLR650 from MotoQuest.
There is nothing to really see at Deadhorse/Prudhoe... it is a working oil drilling/pumping camp owned jointly by a number of Oil companies.
No real tours. But to stay there you have to attend an orientation meeting... more a song and dance on why they are so environmentally friendly etc. (PR).
The last +100 miles to Deadhorse is flat (use to be an ocean bed)... not so interesting.
Of course there's value in saying you have been to the Arctic Ocean and maybe jumped in etc.
Yeah, the complication of booking the Prudhoe Bay tour months in advance and being vetted by Homeland Security and the 'Industrial' quality of Deadhorse...along with the fact that it will be 4 of us, no support truck, limited experience changing tires, and minimal dirt experience makes the last leg from Coldfoot less desirable. I'm past the point where I do stuff just so I can say 'I did it...' (Having said that, the Arctic Circle is a definate...so, at least I can say "I did that..."!)
If you go as far as the Arctic Circle I would press on to Coldfoot (245 miles short of Deadhorse) and maybe go up an over Antigen pass and back.
Off the dirt Haul road, another 75 mile dirt road leads to Manly Springs which is also worth an overnight stop - great accommodations and area
Great suggestion...will definately keep this high on the list!
One of the best passes in just 80 miles from Anchorage, Hatchers pass (again all dirt) is amazing as long as it's not clouded in. If socked in on the way North try it on the way back down.
Forget Denali
a tourist trap on the main Anchorage/Fairbanks road. No private vehicles are allowed into the park. The dirt road from Denali down to the Fairbanks-Valdez road is a pretty amazing area
I did Denali 2 years ago. Took the 9 hour bus tour into the park and gotta say, we saw a lot of great wildlife. You name it, we probably saw it. And most of it was close enough that you didn't need binoculars to appreaciate it. But no need to do that again!
Lets see if this link works to the slideshow of my trip in Alaska.
https://plus.google.com/u/0/photos/1...69456216479200