Arctic Base Camp
Spend your summer at the edge of the wilderness!
Fairbanks is the gateway to Alaska's spectacular and remote arctic.
In 1968, massive quantities of oil were discovered at the edge of the Arctic Ocean at Prudhoe Bay. To get this oil to market, an 800 mile pipeline was built from Prudhoe Bay through Fairbanks and south to the ice-free port of Valdez.
This necessitated construction of 416 miles of road - the Dalton Highway - through the untouched wilderness of the central Brooks Range, Arctic foothills and Arctic Coastal plains.
With unusual foresight, and with input from Native and environmental groups, planners decided to make the Dalton a wilderness highway. Commercial development is restricted to just two small areas, called nodes, and Deadhorse at the northern terminus.
Yukon River Camp and Coldfoot Camp for which Arctic Base Camp coworkers provide support, are located at the two nodes.
Fairbanks is the jump-off point for visitors and residents who wish to experience and enjoy the spectacular scenery along this route.
The awe invoking Yukon River, the tundra covered highlands of Finger Mountain, the Arctic Circle, the Koyukuk Country and the southern Brooks Range, the majestic Atigun Pass where the road contorts is way up and over the continental divide, Atigun Valley with its text book glacial geology and spectacular peaks, the northern foothills and finally the fascinating Arctic coastal plains are all accessed from Alaska's "Golden Heart City".
In addition, visitors can access a number of remote arctic villages from Fairbanks. Arctic Base Camp coworkers are the first contact for many visitors to the Dalton Highway and these villages and their role is to facilitate travel to the various destinations.
Fairbanks coworkers are uniquely situated to explore the wide open spaces of the Arctic as well as the wilderness of Denali National Park to the south. In addition, the myriad cultural activities of the town itself as well as world famous opportunities for outdoor adventures such as hiking, camping, and fishing, are available to those who wish to enjoy them.
Fairbanks is the major economic, cultural and transportation hub for interior Alaska. With Eielson AFB and Fort Wainwright to the east, the largest hardrock gold mine in the United States to the north, the University of Alaska to the west and Denali National Park and the Usibelli coal mines to the south, Fairbanks has an economic diversity that has ensured its status as the main population center in interior Alaska.
Fairbanks is proud of a thriving Athabaskan community which hosts several annual cultural festivals, a plethora of artistic organizations, and several local sport teams. It is bisected by two major rivers (the Tanana and the Chena) and three major highways, is the terminus of the Alaska Railroad, and is the home of a major international airport.
Arctic Base Camp is the ideal location for coworkers looking for a chance to explore the wilderness of arctic Alaska while keeping close to the amenities of a rural lifestyle. If you want to get a taste of the arctic, but are not yet ready to commit yourself to months of remote living, this is the place for you!