Well written and good photography. Thanks for posting!
Trip Report: Dalton Highway in an 80, Plus Introduction (2 Viewers)
- Thread starter dtchevy42
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This is awesome. This is a dream trip for me, definitely on my to do list in the next few years.
excellent story about your travels. thanks for sharing 
Rad trip.
- Thread starter
- #45
I crossed over Logan Pass on Saturday, June 25th around 8:30am. When were you there? It was snowing that morning and very foggy. As we say in our local club, Copper State Cruisers, the white 80 is standard equipment so it wouldn't be a stretch if it was somebody else.
I knew that going in. The questions was whether I wanted to trash new tires, or take my chances on my old tires. I decided to gamble. The nice thing about the Dalton is that there are a couple of fleet service shops at Prudhoe Bay. With the 285/75/R16 being a relatively-common size, I felt confident that I could get a replacement tire, so long as I could just make it all the way there on my spare. I also had a good tire plug kit and a TJM-branded electric compressor. I did successfully use the tire plug kit later in the trip, while in Canada.
That is correct, I filled up both places. As you leave Coldfoot, you pass this sign. Although I have not verified, I have heard this is the longest stretch without gasoline in the United States:
From Coldfoot to Prudhoe, I travelled 256 miles and used 17.6 gallons, for a comfy 14.5 mpg. On the return trip, I achieved 15.5 mpg. I did carry a 5-gallon gas can with me, but did not have to use it.
In Prudhoe Bay, I paid $4.90 per gallon. It is kinda cool to realize that this is the farthest oil ever has to travel to get to your tank! Here I am sitting in Prudhoe Bay, likely with oil beneath my feet. And it travels thousands of miles through pipeline and tanker to a refinery, just to get trucked back again so that it can feed the Land Cruiser! Mind boggling.
In the pic below, I am filling up in Prudhoe. The pump is self serve. The credit card machine is inside the metal building, presumably to keep it out of the intense cold. The oil fields are very industrial, but very clean and orderly.
But the most I paid was at the Yukon River Camp, about an hour south of the Arctic Circle. Here, I paid around $5.90 per gallon. Fairbanks was much more reasonable, and I believe gas there was around $2.40 per gallon. My notes fall apart in Canada, since gas was in Liters and Canadian dollars, but I was looking at around $4.00 USD per gallon for much of Canada.
As former Car and Driver editor Brock Yates would have said, I earned the "Friends of OPEC" award on this trip!
That's interesting! I did see two bicyclists on the trip. Well, I saw them twice...once on the way north, and once on the way south. In 24 hours it didn't seem that they made much progress.
BUT, it is all relative. Along the Dalton, on my way back south, I was climbing up Antigun Pass. This is where the Dalton Highway crosses the Continental Divide. I came across this fellow, with his dog Pablo. He is a photographer, and he and Pablo were WALKING the Dalton! Well, his plan was actually to walk all the way to Austin, Texas. I stopped to see if he needed help, and I topped off his water supply. Also gave him a couple of cold beers out of my cooler. He certainly earned it.
Yes, the ferry likely does not save any time, and for that cost I certainly could have paid for the fuel to go the same distance. But it was an experience in itself! The NICE thing was that the cost was based only on overall vehicle length. And I think I was at the lowest tier. So, even if I had a Jeep Wrangler, for instance, I don't think I would have paid less. I got my money's worth.
- Thread starter
- #46
As a Mechanical HVAC Engineer, one thing that struck me on the trip was how little air conditioning the various pump stations and industrial facilities have, compared to what I am used to. And at 84 deg ambient, I'm sure some of the substation and switchgear rooms were getting quite marginal. Where in Alaska are you, 89GASHOG?
I don't think they have ever really needed AC up there, depending on how much higher the rooms get. The previous record high for that day was 69. 80 degrees along that coast is unfamiliar territory.
I'm in the cloudy, wet Panhandle-Juneau to be precise. I've thought of taking my 62 up the Haul road, or the Dempster, but would need to carry gas to be safe. It has been up to Dawson and Top of the World highway.
Now I've got a 3rd generation 4Runner with double the range of the Cruiser, so it may make more sense to use it.
However, I still trust the Cruiser more to take the beating and keep on truckin'.
- Thread starter
- #48
I'll tackle these questions together.
TrickyT, you are right. I may have been a bit dramatic. Although I feel like I abused the truck, I know this is exactly what they are designed for. It was a very problem-free trip.
My radiator cracked a year ago, so I replaced it with an OEM unit. I did starter contacts and PHH a few years ago. I also had my birfs done, so I know those and the front wheel bearings were good to go. Since I was not doing any rockcrawling, right or wrong my biggest worry was the cardiac failure of the 80 Series - the headgasket! Mine has never been replaced, and shows no signs, but it's one thing I do worry about (as you really should on any 90s vehicle, I don't believe this is really inherent to our Land Cruisers more than any other car/truck of the era).
I brought some basic tools and carried the following items:
Belts (old)
Radiator hoses (used ones, I saved them when I replaced the hoses)
Fusible Links
Power steering pump spare hoses.
1 qt. ATF (more for if my power steering ruptured, or if the trans cooler took a hit and I caught it in time)
1 qt. 10W-30 motor oil
Electrical wire and bailing wire
Lots of duct tape
Multimeter
Head Gasket sealer from Autozone
Fuel tank patch
ARB Tire Plug Kit
Fix-a-flat
TJM Electric Compressor
Tire chains for all four wheels
7-gallon water container
5-gallon gas can
Permatex The Right Stuff Sealant
Winch kit, snatch block, controller
Straps
Canteens.
For reasons of space, cost, and weight, I went pretty minimal. If I had a catastrophic failure, getting parts would have been impossible to obtain anyway. So even if I had the tools to fix, the problem of finding the part would have been insurmountable and I would have been looking at probably thousands of dollars to tow, which I accepted when budgeting for the trip.
My thoughts about mechanical difficulties were this: I had enough food, water, and fuel for cooking for 4 days, maybe more. And I had 7 gallons of water to help me limp if the head gasket blew. If I broke down on the Dalton, my plan was to limp into Prudhoe Bay, where hopefully I could get one of the fleet services to help me. On the Alcan, I would have faced a similar challenge of limping to the nearest big city.
I also went the camp fuel route and carried an MSR backpacking stove for cooking, along with a bunch of Mountain House MREs. Those are surprisingly good! Actually, I got fast enough with the MSR stove I could cook lunch while waiting for the pilot car. Sometimes, I waited 30 minutes for the pilot car.
I also carried a camp lantern that ran on camp fuel. The reason I went with camp fuel over propane is that I could use it to start a fire if needed in the wilderness.
Here is how I set up the truck: I took out the left-hand, center row seat. I left my third row seats folded up against the side windows. On the left size of the truck, I had a Thermarest, pillows, and blankets laid out. I am just shy of 5'9" and I could lie flat in this arrangement. I left my right center seat upright, since for the latter part of the trip through Canada, I was joined by two friends. While driving, my duffel bags full of clothes sat here, but at night I just moved these to the driver and front passenger seats so i could sleep.
One the right side of the rear cargo area, I had a milk crate full of food, camping gear like my pots and pans, and other miscellaneous stuff. Behind the crate, against the tailgate sat the extra water and fuel.
One thing I really wish I brought was brake pads. My front wear indicators started to whine south of Calgary, Alberta. In 8000 miles, I I should have known that it was a possibility that the pads would go. Well, parts supply in Canada is not what it is in the states, and it was a chore to get this squared away. I will now travel with at least a spare front pad or two just in case.
I also wish I had fixed the floppy visor before I left.
At one point, I lost my white seat caps. We had to improvise...At Ace Hardware, I picked up a bushing and a bolt that I was able to manually hold in place of the seat caps while on the first portion of the trip.
I have since ordered replacements from seat parts
I was happy I brought a few things:
1. My tripod, since I was traveling alone for some of the trip. Hey, I had the space!
2. Camp chairs and cooler. These took up space, but being able to sit down with a cold drink was soooo nice at the end of a long day.
3. Center console lockbox. I've sung his praises before, but NXTLACY's Wit's End Console Scout box is perhaps my favorite mod on this truck. On the way up, I spent nights in Portland and Seattle, where my truck was parked 2-3 blocks away from the hotel/hostel. Other times on the trip, I had to leave the vehicle totally unattended, like on the ferry. It was nice to know that I had one way to secure important documents and cash.
TrickyT, you are right. I may have been a bit dramatic. Although I feel like I abused the truck, I know this is exactly what they are designed for. It was a very problem-free trip.
My radiator cracked a year ago, so I replaced it with an OEM unit. I did starter contacts and PHH a few years ago. I also had my birfs done, so I know those and the front wheel bearings were good to go. Since I was not doing any rockcrawling, right or wrong my biggest worry was the cardiac failure of the 80 Series - the headgasket! Mine has never been replaced, and shows no signs, but it's one thing I do worry about (as you really should on any 90s vehicle, I don't believe this is really inherent to our Land Cruisers more than any other car/truck of the era).
I brought some basic tools and carried the following items:
Belts (old)
Radiator hoses (used ones, I saved them when I replaced the hoses)
Fusible Links
Power steering pump spare hoses.
1 qt. ATF (more for if my power steering ruptured, or if the trans cooler took a hit and I caught it in time)
1 qt. 10W-30 motor oil
Electrical wire and bailing wire
Lots of duct tape
Multimeter
Head Gasket sealer from Autozone
Fuel tank patch
ARB Tire Plug Kit
Fix-a-flat
TJM Electric Compressor
Tire chains for all four wheels
7-gallon water container
5-gallon gas can
Permatex The Right Stuff Sealant
Winch kit, snatch block, controller
Straps
Canteens.
For reasons of space, cost, and weight, I went pretty minimal. If I had a catastrophic failure, getting parts would have been impossible to obtain anyway. So even if I had the tools to fix, the problem of finding the part would have been insurmountable and I would have been looking at probably thousands of dollars to tow, which I accepted when budgeting for the trip.
My thoughts about mechanical difficulties were this: I had enough food, water, and fuel for cooking for 4 days, maybe more. And I had 7 gallons of water to help me limp if the head gasket blew. If I broke down on the Dalton, my plan was to limp into Prudhoe Bay, where hopefully I could get one of the fleet services to help me. On the Alcan, I would have faced a similar challenge of limping to the nearest big city.
I also went the camp fuel route and carried an MSR backpacking stove for cooking, along with a bunch of Mountain House MREs. Those are surprisingly good! Actually, I got fast enough with the MSR stove I could cook lunch while waiting for the pilot car. Sometimes, I waited 30 minutes for the pilot car.
I also carried a camp lantern that ran on camp fuel. The reason I went with camp fuel over propane is that I could use it to start a fire if needed in the wilderness.
Here is how I set up the truck: I took out the left-hand, center row seat. I left my third row seats folded up against the side windows. On the left size of the truck, I had a Thermarest, pillows, and blankets laid out. I am just shy of 5'9" and I could lie flat in this arrangement. I left my right center seat upright, since for the latter part of the trip through Canada, I was joined by two friends. While driving, my duffel bags full of clothes sat here, but at night I just moved these to the driver and front passenger seats so i could sleep.
One the right side of the rear cargo area, I had a milk crate full of food, camping gear like my pots and pans, and other miscellaneous stuff. Behind the crate, against the tailgate sat the extra water and fuel.
One thing I really wish I brought was brake pads. My front wear indicators started to whine south of Calgary, Alberta. In 8000 miles, I I should have known that it was a possibility that the pads would go. Well, parts supply in Canada is not what it is in the states, and it was a chore to get this squared away. I will now travel with at least a spare front pad or two just in case.
I also wish I had fixed the floppy visor before I left.
At one point, I lost my white seat caps. We had to improvise...At Ace Hardware, I picked up a bushing and a bolt that I was able to manually hold in place of the seat caps while on the first portion of the trip.
I have since ordered replacements from seat parts
I was happy I brought a few things:
1. My tripod, since I was traveling alone for some of the trip. Hey, I had the space!
2. Camp chairs and cooler. These took up space, but being able to sit down with a cold drink was soooo nice at the end of a long day.
3. Center console lockbox. I've sung his praises before, but NXTLACY's Wit's End Console Scout box is perhaps my favorite mod on this truck. On the way up, I spent nights in Portland and Seattle, where my truck was parked 2-3 blocks away from the hotel/hostel. Other times on the trip, I had to leave the vehicle totally unattended, like on the ferry. It was nice to know that I had one way to secure important documents and cash.
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We could do a convoy from LA.......
It twas not you then, I live in Kalispell so I am in and out of the park at all kinds of random times.... It just your pics look similar to those the day the road opened up (about the only day this time of year I will go to logan) is all.
Ahh this is where I spend most of my summer... You gotta get a recliner if you really want to be cool. LOL
And yes my UNlocked 80 goes everywhere no one else can go, or almost no one. I cant tell you how many Jeeps I've pulled out of the sand. No winching (don't have one) just pulling. Yanking out nearly every type of 4x4 under the sun.
But I've never seen a 2 wheel drive CAR on the beach before. Except one that took a wrong turn thinking it was a dirt road and then found that it turned to sand.
It looks like a great trip you had there!
I was in GNP, white winched 80 FL tags
Were you rolling around Cfalls or kalispell about a week ago, there are a ton of 80's running around up here and I have only seen 2 with FL tags recently (both were white) but never saw the front side to see if they were running winches...
This is my favorite man with 80 documentary yet. This trip is on my bucket list and the info you have provided was very informative as well as entertaining. The bicycler with the rifle is classic Alaska!
Agree about relative costs of driving vs. ferry. You would have paid less with a Wrangler, but not a whole lot less. You were probably billed for 16 or 17 ft of length, while the Wrangler is considered 13.
Nice write up. Just curious, is it hard to find ethanol free gas on this route?
awesome write up
Haven't seen ethanol advertised in any gas stations around here. I've heard Alaska is entirely ethanol free, but don't know about this.
Also believe that premium gas in Canada is ethanol free, so this route should be ideal for finding this fuel.
Or woman but not and woman. The OP could publish this story and motivate a lot of young men to get off there ass and finds themselves.
Driving to Barrow is still on my bucket list. I got to check off driving to the Arctic Circle, but started with a flight to Oslo. (I saw a different section of the Arctic.)
