Driving - Faribanks to Arctic Circle

My sister and I are talking about renting a car in Fairbanks and driving up to the Arctic Circle -- just to ';be'; at the Arctic Circle. I know there is one, at least, purchased excursion that does, essentially, that -- and I think even with an extra day hotel we%26#39;d save in renting a car.

Fools errand? Or a neat scenic drive worth the time and investment?

I%26#39;d love to hear opinions from people who may have done it!

Driving - Faribanks to Arctic Circle

Never done it but heard enough about it that I would never do it just to say I drove to the arctic circle. I would either go on an organized day tour that drives there or honestly, I would do a combination fly/drive tour that goes further north.

The ';haul road'; as it is called is gravel and you need to be able to be quite self-sufficient in car repair and changing tires. AAA doesn%26#39;t go out that way :-)

Here are two operators I have in my files:

www.northernalaska.com/arctic-ocean.htm

http://www.arctictreks.com

John

Driving - Faribanks to Arctic Circle

Pretty much all of the car rental companies require you to sign an agreement that will not drive their vehicle on certain roads in Alaska. All of the unpaved highways are on the list, including the haul road. The reason is to protect the rental cars from damage like broken windshields and premature wear on the suspension. Also if the car breaks down on the Haul Road it%26#39;s a long tow back to get it repaired. I%26#39;ve driven the haul road and I don%26#39;t think I%26#39;d do it just so that I could cross the arctic circle. You might consider taking a day trip by air to one of the villages north of the arctic circle. I you take a tour many of the operators will have some kind of activity in the village that will expose you to the culture of the Native people of the region. If you do decide to drive be aware that if the rental car is damaged or breaks down your going to be responsible for it.

Actually, there are a couple of rental companies that allow you to drive that road. Here%26#39;s one:

www.arctic-outfitters.com/auto-rentals.htm

However, whether you%26#39;d WANT to drive that road is another question. Like the others, I%26#39;d recommend you do a flight or fly/drive, and let someone else worry about damage to the car or tires.

Do a search under Arctic Cirle and read the trip reports. Some people have driven all the way up to Prudhoe in their own camper and thought it was great experience;others have driven a rentalcar or taken a tour to the ArcticCircle and thought their time could have been better spent elsewhere.

Driving a rental car from Alaska Outfitters is certainly the cheapest way to go, but if you%26#39;ve got the budget an overnight trip to Barrow sounds like a wonderful experience.

We attempted it years ago but it was rather frightening to be out there in the middle of nowhere,with the occasional truck thundering by at an alarming speed. My cousin feels that she was %26#39;beaten%26#39; by the road and wants to try again this summer. As much as I think it would be fun to have our picture taken by the sign, I don%26#39;t want to give up anything else on our trip, and we only have 2 weeks, and it is not a trip to take lightly.

Thank you for the great information and tip about another area to examine.

I appreciate your time!