Deadhorse printable guide

Deadhorse

Go only if you are driving the Dalton Highway or flying to the Arctic coast: 1 night, no more. There is no town life, no alcohol and no ocean access.

Deadhorse is an oil-field service camp at Mile 414 of the Dalton Highway, 16 km from the Arctic Ocean, with a permanent population of about 25 and 2,000–3,000 rotating workers. Everything is prefabricated, everything is barged or trucked in, and prices reflect that. You come for the end-of-the-road feeling, the pipeline and the tundra, not for a town. One night is enough; two only if weather traps you.

Sketch, not to navigate by: shapes follow this guide’s areas and places, not official boundaries. North is up.

Country

United States

Best months

Jun–Aug (midnight sun, road open)

Avoid

Nov–Mar (extreme cold, lethal exposure risk)

Stay

1 night

Checked 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change; anything marked (check) is not confirmed.

Essentials

Currency: USD
Money: Currency is the US dollar (USD, $). Cards and phone payments work almost everywhere; carry a little cash for tips and small vendors.
Daily spend: Budget $120–180 excl. bed · Mid $180–260 excl. bed · High $260+ excl. bed (estimate; check)
SIM and data: AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile cover the country; prepaid SIMs at their stores and Walmart/Target (passport required), or an eSIM before you fly.
Emergency: Police, fire, ambulance 911 · Alaska State Troopers (non-emergency) 907-269-5511
Plugs: Types A, B · 120 V · 60 Hz · Chargers are dual-voltage; hair dryers and straighteners from 230 V countries need a converter.
Tipping: Sit-down restaurant: 18–22% of the pre-tax bill.; Bar: US$1–2 per drink or 20% of the tab.; Taxi / ride-hailing: 15–20%, in the app.; Hotel housekeeping: US$3–5 a night.; Porter / valet: US$2–5 per bag or car.; Tour guide: US$10–20 per person for a day tour.; Counter service / tablet prompts: Optional; 0–15%.
Water: Tap water is drinkable nearly everywhere; boil or treat water from streams in parks.
Toilets: Free public toilets are scarce in big cities; use cafés, department stores, libraries, stations. Rest areas on highways are free.

What things cost

Item	Price
Coffee	$4–7
Hot meal at a hotel restaurant	$20–35
Gallon of fuel	$6–9
General-store snack or drink	$3–8
eSIM or data SIM, about a week	$20–40

Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.

Get in

By air

SCC · Deadhorse Airport: Year-round Alaska Airlines flights from Anchorage, Fairbanks and Utqiaġvik; some seats are cargo-configured. Book early — check schedules.

Typical fares

Alaska Airlines Anchorage → Deadhorse: about $400–700 one way, 3.5 h (check)
Alaska Airlines Fairbanks → Deadhorse: about $300–500 one way, 2 h (check)
Airport → hotel in Deadhorse: $15–30 by taxi or shuttle (check)

Get around

The camp is small but has no sidewalks and heavy oil-field trucks move constantly. Walking works in summer with high-visibility clothing and constant attention; in winter drive. A rental or company vehicle is the practical option most of the year.

See and do

Known for

End of the Dalton Highway
Prudhoe Bay oil field
Arctic Ocean 16 km away
Midnight sun and polar night

Day trips

Where	How	Time
Arctic Ocean viewpoint / Prudhoe Bay tours	Guided tour or oil-field escort by vehicle from Deadhorse	2–4 h
Coldfoot	Drive south on the Dalton Highway	About 6–8 h
Wiseman	Drive the Dalton south past Coldfoot	About 7–9 h
Utqiaġvik	Alaska Airlines from Deadhorse Airport	About 1 h flight

Sleep

Airport and Spine Road cluster: Arctic Oilfield Hotel and the general store; walkable to the terminal, no sidewalks.
Lake Colleen Road: The Aurora Hotel and Prudhoe Bay Motel; quieter, still a short drive from everything.

Phrase card

English	Say or show
Where is the general store?	Where is the general store?
Is the road open?	Is the road open?
I need help	I need help

Etiquette, safety and scams

Etiquette

Greeting: Handshake and 'hi, how are you?' — reply 'good, thanks'; avoid: Treating the question as a real health enquiry
Restaurants: Tip 18–22% and wait for the check; avoid: Leaving without tipping
Personal space: Keep an arm's length in queues; avoid: Standing close to strangers
Politics and religion: Listen more than you speak; avoid: Opening with hot-button topics
Smoking: Smoke only in marked areas; avoid: Smoking near doors or in parks where banned

Scams and watch-outs

Alcohol is banned: the North Slope Borough is dry and oil-field areas forbid it.
No services for 386 km south until Coldfoot — fuel up before leaving.
Polar bears appear on the coast mainly Aug–Sep and can show up any time; scan before leaving any building.
Grizzly bears inland: never leave food or food containers outside.
Winter wind chill has reached about −74 °C; exposure is lethal within minutes.
Prudhoe Bay itself needs oil-field permission, photo ID and can be refused — most tours never reach the water.

Polar climate, no alcohol, bears and trucks. The real risks are cold, exposure and wildlife — not crime.

One and two days

No timed day plan for Deadhorse yet. Suggested stay: 1 night. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.

End of the Dalton Highway
Prudhoe Bay oil field
Arctic Ocean 16 km away
Midnight sun and polar night

Sources

Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.

Alaska Airlines — Deadhorse (SCC) airport information: www.alaskaair.com/content/airports/alaska/prudhoe-bay/deadhorse
Brooks Range Supply — Prudhoe Bay General Store: www.brooksrangesupply.com/prudhoe-bay-general-store/
Wikivoyage: Deadhorse, revision 5306676 (CC BY-SA 4.0): en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?oldid=5306676

Pocket card

Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.

Deadhorse

To this address, please

My hotel (write the name and address in the local script)

Police, fire, ambulance911
Alaska State Troopers (non-emergency)907-269-5511

No embassies or consulates in Deadhorse; nearest consular services are in Anchorage.

Alcohol is not sold anywhere in Deadhorse.

Voykit · checked 2026-09