The Vastness of Alaska!

Most Road Atlases Don't Do It Justice


The Dalton Highway is the only road in the United States that crosses the Arctic Circle.

Your first impression on seeing Alaska for yourself is the size of the landscape! Mountains that would in singular presence give bragging rights to any community in the lower 48 exist in Alaska in seemingly endless panoramas. You forget this fact sometimes because most US maps scale down Alaska to fit.

The state's Eastern border is with Canada and to the West, Russia is right across the Bering Strait! The Arctic Ocean is the Northern boundary and the Aluetian Islands stretch well toward Asia.

Transportation is a unique challenge here. The Inside Passage is mainly served by ferries. Cities such as Juneau cannot be reached by road. High school sports teams must travel to away games by ferry. Tour guides joke that auto theft is nonexistant in their communities.

They may spurn projects like the 'bridge to nowhere' but come up with projects like the Anderson Tunnel and the Dalton Highway out of their own creative necessity.

Here is another look at the Dalton Highway.


The Dalton Highway approaching the Brooks Range.
Photo by Bob Zemanek, used with permission.