Driving the Steese Highway north from Fairbanks is like following a river upstream as it diminishes into its headwaters. First it's a four-lane freeway, then a two-lane highway, then the pavement gives out, then the gravel gives out. The road climbs over round tundra mountains, leaves behind the last tiny town, then drifts through uninhabited woods before ending on the banks of the Yukon River at a tiny Athabaskan village, Circle (named for the Arctic Circle, which it isn't on). It's a rough 162-mile drive to nowhere. But if nowhere is where you want to go, the Steese Highway may be the right adventure for you. Just don't forget the mosquito repellent.
Most of the land along the Steese is controlled by the federal Bureau of Land Management (BLM), 1150 University Ave., Fairbanks, AK 99709 (tel. 800/437-7021 or 907/474-2200; http://aurora.ak.blm.gov). Small- and large-scale gold mining takes place in the area, but most of the land is managed for recreation, with several campgrounds, some popular river floats, and a couple of beautiful hikes. The BLM website above contains detailed information: navigate to the Steese area and the White Mountains National Recreation Area. In addition, State Parks manages the Upper Chatanika River Campground, at Mile 39, with 25 sites, pit toilets, a hand pump for water, and a $10 fee. This is the starting point for the most popular river float on the highway.
At this writing, the road was paved to mile 54. State crews planned to extend the blacktop to mile 100, but that depended on what else they had to do. Without driving to the bitter end at Circle (where the only attraction is the Yukon River itself), you can make a goal of Eagle Summit, at mile 107, the highest place on the highway (3,624 ft.), and a good place to be on June 21 each year, the summer solstice. Although it's still a degree of latitude below the Arctic Circle, the sun never sets here on the longest day because of the elevation and atmospheric refraction. People come out from Fairbanks and make a celebration of it. The midnight sun is visible for about 3 days before and after the solstice, too, assuming the sky is clear. The BLM has installed a toilet and a viewing deck on a 750-foot loop trail at the trail head to the 27-mile Pinnell Mountain National Recreation Trail. This is a challenging 3-day hike over amazing terrain of rounded, windblown, tundra-clothed mountaintops. To hike it downhill, start at Eagle Summit and end at Twelvemile Summit, mile 86. Two emergency shelters along the trail provide protection from the ferocious weather that can sweep the mountains. Get the free BLM trail brochure before going.
The next sensible destination is the tiny town of Central, 128 miles along the highway. It's a real, old-fashioned gold mining community where the current price of gold is posted in the bar and you can use your gold dust to pay for your drinks. There are a couple of simple diners, lodgings, and a campground, and the Circle District Historical Museum (tel. 907/520-1893), which concentrates on the gold mining that has sustained the area since 1893. Admission $1 adults, 50¢ 12 and under, free over age 70. It is open during summer daily noon to 5pm.
