Atigun Pass

Atigun Pass, elevation 4,739 feet (1,444 m), is a high mountain pass across the Brooks Range in Alaska, located at the head of the Dietrich River. It is where the Dalton Highway crosses the Continental Divide (at mile marker 244), and is the highest pass in Alaska that is maintained throughout the year. Atigun is the only pass in the Brooks Range that is crossed by a road. The pass has been responsible for taking many drivers off the road and is also home to avalanches during the winter. Atigun is known among bush pilots for the difficulty of crossing the pass with small planes; Anaktuvuk Pass is favored as the safer flying route. The pass is often shown on the third and fourth seasons of the History Channel reality series Ice Road Truckers, which focuses on the challenges of driving on the Dalton Highway. The climate of the regions this highway traverses range from subarctic to polar. During the summer months (Jun-Aug), the average maximum temperatures range from 70°F (21°C) to 50°F (10°C) with average minimum temperatures ranging from 50°F (10°C) to 35°F (2°C). Travel on the highway during the months of May and September is a bit colder, although travel along the highway is not considerably more dangerous during these months. Average maximums during these two months are approximately 35-60°F (2-16°C) and average minimums 40-15°F (4 to -9°C). The temperatures given are average, be prepared for temperatures as much as 20°F (11°C) outside of said ranges. While the highway is open all year(more trucks traverse it in winter than summer!), travel from late September through early May is frigid and lethally cold during the heart of winter. Temperatures below -40°F (-40°C) are very common and temperatures as low as -60°F (-57°C) are certainly possible--before factoring in windchill. The record low windchill in Deadhorse was -102°F(-74°C) on 28 Feb 1989! A chart record of windchill at ARCO's facility in Prudhoe Bay on 13 Jan 1975 shows -128 F (-89°C). Such temperatures are lethal in less than one minute if not prepared for such temperature.