Alaska haul road hunting trip

Wireman07

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Apr 1, 2017
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Watertown,SD
Looking for a hunting buddy to go up to the haul road with and hunt caribou. I have never been up there before but looking to go in the next couple years. I'm from South Dakota, and my friends are not that ambitious for such a hunt. Hoping there will be somebody out there that wants to tag along! Thanks for your time!
 

Geewhiz

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Aug 6, 2020
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2,597
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SW MT
Been trying to figure out how to get up there for a few years now. I was going to go in '20 and drive up with an enclosed trailer but the vid put the kabosh on that plan. I also have intentions of getting up there in the next couple of year. Not going to happen in 23 but 24 is a real possibility. I'd be afraid to commit at this point being as i've got a couple other endeavors in progress but i will make it happen sooner than later.
 
OP
Wireman07

Wireman07

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Apr 1, 2017
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Watertown,SD
I've just recently started looking into this hunt. I've always wanted to go caribou hunting but can't really afford any other type of hunt. I want to do it while I'm still fairly young and still have ambition. Not sure if I'd want to drive up that far or not. I just got a alaskan airlines credit card in hopes of going someday, and then I'd have enough air miles for a free flight there and back. Just sounds like a trip you don't really want to go by yourself on.
 

jdmaxwell

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Mar 8, 2014
Messages
797
PM me sometime...
Maybe headed your statein spring of 2024..
And may head up Dalton again Fall of 2024..
 

OXN939

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Jun 28, 2018
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VA
I'd plan on flying to Fairbanks and renting a vehicle

Just thought I'd provide some input here. Two big logistical considerations for a trip like this.

1- The vehicle. Most rental companies in FAI won't allow you to take their vics on the Dalton, for good reason. It really is as bad as you hear. Make sure to call around and see how much it will be if any do allow it. As a sticker shock warning, the last quote I got on that was for over 3 grand in 2018.

2- The "five mile death march vs. archery hunt" decision. Not to be dramatic, but it's very easy to underestimate how wild the environment is up there. One from last year. If your group doesn't have a lot of experience in that environment, I really would lean heavily towards archery from a safety perspective.

Feel free to PM if you have any other questions. Good luck!
 
OP
Wireman07

Wireman07

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Apr 1, 2017
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Watertown,SD
Just thought I'd provide some input here. Two big logistical considerations for a trip like this.

1- The vehicle. Most rental companies in FAI won't allow you to take their vics on the Dalton, for good reason. It really is as bad as you hear. Make sure to call around and see how much it will be if any do allow it. As a sticker shock warning, the last quote I got on that was for over 3 grand in 2018.

2- The "five mile death march vs. archery hunt" decision. Not to be dramatic, but it's very easy to underestimate how wild the environment is up there. One from last year. If your group doesn't have a lot of experience in that environment, I really would lean heavily towards archery from a safety perspective.

Feel free to PM if you have any other questions. Good luck!
Thank you for the reply! Is it still possible to rent a uhaul van or pickup do you know? If this hunt happens I do plan on taking my bow and rifle. I've heard how crappy the terrain is and sounds like walking on those tussoks is brutal. I'm sure it's going to suck, but I'd like to do it once in my life!
 

OXN939

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Jun 28, 2018
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VA
Thank you for the reply! Is it still possible to rent a uhaul van or pickup do you know? If this hunt happens I do plan on taking my bow and rifle. I've heard how crappy the terrain is and sounds like walking on those tussoks is brutal. I'm sure it's going to suck, but I'd like to do it once in my life!

Uhaul is usually a no go for the Dalton. Doesn't hurt to call and ask, policies change all the time up there. I heard one guy mention that in many cases, it'd actually be cheaper to buy a beater truck off craigslist for the trip and then resell it.

If you have access to it, soft sand runs are the only really effective tool for training for that environment I know of.
 

YellCoAR

Lil-Rokslider
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Mar 31, 2022
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Yell County Arkansas
I keep hearing how bad the road is. I found it to be no worse than a lot of rural roads in the lower 48. When you hunt the road system you have to stay on the main road. It can get sloppy with a lot of moisture. Some of the paved sections are the worst. Just realize you can't expect to drive 60 to 70 mph. If the road is rough just slow down. I think the fact you are hundreds of miles from any help is a little scary. Slow down, have items to make minor repairs, extra spare tire, plugs, and a small air compressor and you will be fine. Heck most of our county chip and seal roads in Arkansas are just as bad.
 

Southeast

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Dec 1, 2019
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Uhaul is usually a no go for the Dalton. Doesn't hurt to call and ask, policies change all the time up there. I heard one guy mention that in many cases, it'd actually be cheaper to buy a beater truck off craigslist for the trip and then resell it.

If you have access to it, soft sand runs are the only really effective tool for training for that environment I know of.
I used Uhaul vehicles (rented in Fairbanks) in both 2020 and 2022 on the Haul Road. Saw lots of them.
 
Joined
Oct 29, 2021
Messages
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Location
Willow, Alaska
Would concur that we saw several Uhaul vehicles on the Dalton last year. Would also agree that conditions were not as Old Testament as they're sometimes described.

We ended up with a low tire when we returned to our truck that was parked at the boat landing (we used a jet boat). According to the outfitters we talked to there were some guys who had a bonfire of pallets up there which left a bunch of nails in the parking lot at the boat landing. We were able to keep enough pressure in the tire to get it to Coldfoot for a proper repair. When the guy pulled the tire off the rim there were like 5 or 6 different screws and nails in the tire.
 
Joined
Jul 17, 2023
Messages
2
Looking for a hunting buddy to go up to the haul road with and hunt caribou. I have never been up there before but looking to go in the next couple years. I'm from South Dakota, and my friends are not that ambitious for such a hunt. Hoping there will be somebody out there that wants to tag along! Thanks for your time!
 

Ts1

FNG
Joined
Nov 18, 2022
Messages
7
Uhaul is usually a no go for the Dalton. Doesn't hurt to call and ask, policies change all the time up there. I heard one guy mention that in many cases, it'd actually be cheaper to buy a beater truck off craigslist for the trip and then resell it.

If you have access to it, soft sand runs are the only really effective tool for training for that environment I know of.
There were quite a few uhaul trucks up there this year. The thing the guys I met that were driving a Uhaul were complaining about was the $xx/mile charge that seems to add up really fast. And that it was only a standard cab and they had three guys squished in it. And it was unseasonably warm (88 degrees!) so I don’t think it smelled good in their squished little sardine can. I think there are a couple places out of Fairbanks that do vehicle rentals specifically for the haul road. I had friends that did it in the winter thru a company based in Fairbanks (for a scenic tour) but their rental came with a cab radio and other safety things.
 

Ts1

FNG
Joined
Nov 18, 2022
Messages
7
“I keep hearing how bad the road is….. I think the fact you are hundreds of miles from any help is a little scary. “
Agreed! From what I’ve heard, I think that the road can change quickly and can be quite terrifying if the weather switches. That being said, having done the Alcan twice in the last 18 months (and once in February through a blizzard), I was expecting much worse from the haul road from the sheer volume of complaints about it and the warnings I got when I told people I was going to drive up there. I mean I wouldn’t drive a ford fiesta up there as the potholes could definitely get that stuck and I doubt the tires on those things would even make it to coldfoot, let alone deadhorse. You do see a fair number of blown tires strewn along the highway, so a second spare, tire plug kit, and mini compressor will still be on my pickup the next time I head up there.
 

Marbles

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Good luck finding a partner.

The hunt is not the hardest (even walking out 5 miles), nor is it the wildest. However, the ground is harder to walk on than it looks, but it is far from the worst country I have walked over. However, it is country that is easy to get turned around in, even more so if pea soup settles in (and that can happen fast). Compasses do not always point true (from personal experience) and a GPS track is a good double check on navigation. Careful on wet ground, particularly without vegetation, it might swallow you.

Road conditions varry, but it is a road tractor trailers use heavily, meaning there are much worse roads, but probably not worse highways in the US.
 

Alaska 4x4 Rentals

Lil-Rokslider
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Dec 7, 2019
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243
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Alaska
Alaska 4x4 Rentals is the only company in the state who allow their vehicles up there. They have a really, really nice fleet. I’m driving one of their Yukons up next week from Anchorage. Right now, they’re doing a promotion for one way drives from Anchorage-Prudhoe. They also have a location in Fairbanks which also has a nice fleet. They have pickups with canopies on the beds, Yukons, etc. I know a lot of hunters that use their rigs to drive up there. They also have a location up in Deadhorse.


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