Slower you drive the easier it is on the tires. Take some birdseed and just hold your hand out, and you'll have instant friends. I did this trip solo, with a roof top tent. It's just under 10000 miles round trip from Southern California, took me 26 days but I didn't take the most direct route, made a few side trips, and stayed a couple of places a couple of days. Depending on the time of year be ready for hoards of mosquitos.

This was the last whole group stop on my journey into the Alaskan wilderness as part of a tour to Coldfoot, " The farthest north truck stop". The scenery driving up was beautiful and reaching this marker was an adventure in itself. There are information signs but we arrived after 4 so it was a bit too dark to be able to read them.

We took a bus tour up to the Arctic Circle which was a day long adventure. The Arctic Circle is in some ways anti-climatic as it is a wood sign at a roadside pull off. We all got our obligatory pictures and our tour guide brought a carpet with a line on it that everyone could cross. There is nothing else at the site. Be ready for the mosquitoes.

We made this day trip as a family in August 2023. We left the North Pole area around 7 am and arrived at the Arctic Circle by noon, in spite of making two stops at the Yukon River and Finger Rock (for a quick hike) along the way. There was also a good bit of construction, and we had to stop to wait for pilot cars a couple times. We had packed a picnic, and at the suggestion of a previous reviewer we brought birdseed. The birds were more interested in our lunch than the birdseed, but we very much enjoyed their company while we ate! We stayed for about an hour before heading back to North Pole. We did not stop on the way back (except for construction), and we back within 4 1/2 hours. Just a tip: if you want souvenirs, there is a small store just north of the Yukon River. They sell a good assortment of postcards, shirts, hoodies, magnets, and mugs to commemorate your visit to the circumpolar north. They also have a gas pump if you prefer to top off your tank. Gas was $7.50 a gallon. They also have a restaurant and lodging available. Second tip: there are metal grills set up by the picnic areas at the Arctic Circle picnic sites, so you could bring charcoal and matches and make yourself quite a feast! Or pack sandwiches like we did.

A sign, a viewpoint, and a bathroom. There is no context as to where the Arctic Circle actually is--at the sign? if you don't go beyond the sign did you really get there? After 6 hours of driving I was hoping for a little more than just a sign. Realize it is BLM and not National Park Service so maybe that explains it.