Activities and Events

The Visitor Center always offers a variety of exhibits, options for audiovisual programs, and nearby walking trails. Staff are on hand to answer questions about road conditions, weather, trip planning and the natural and cultural history of the Arctic. 

All events are open to the public and free. 

NIGHTLY INTERPRETIVE TALKS

Visitor Center staff offer interpretive programs every evening at 8 p.m. in the auditorium. Topics range from geology to bear safety to the history of the “Haul Road.” To find out the night's topic, look for posters at the Visitor Center or Coldfoot Camp, or call the Visitor Center.

TRAILS

There are several options for walking trails at and around the Visitor Center. 

Dettmers Nature Trail (About ½ mile, 15-20 minutes at a leisurely pace.) Enjoy the sights, sounds and scents of the boreal forest along this trail, named in honor of Ron Dettmers, a retired math professor from Wisconsin who volunteered at the visitor center in 2006. Also see the historic Coldfoot cemetery and read about the inhabitants of the original town of Slate Creek. 

Mining Exhibit (A few hundred yards’ extension to the Dettmers Nature Trail.) Learn about life as an early 20th century gold miner by seeing historic equipment and a replica of a miner’s cabin. 

Pipeline Trail (About 1/3 mile, 15 minutes.) A short walk to a viewing deck with interpretive panels that explain some of the unusual engineering features of the Trans-Alaska Pipeline. 

Coldfoot Camp Connector (About 1/3 mile one way, 15 minutes.) Rather than walking dusty, busy roads, enjoy a stroll through the boreal forest to reach Coldfoot Camp on the other side of the highway. Coldfoot Camp is a major rest stop for long-haul truckers, with a café/restaurant and hotel. 

AGENTS OF DISCOVERY / JUNIOR RANGER 

Learn more about the Alaskan Arctic via our Agents of Discovery digital Junior Ranger Missions:

• Arctic Interagency Visitor Center Nature Trail : Site-specific. As you walk the Ron Dettmers Nature Trail in Coldfoot, AK, challenges will appear on your Mission Map. You need to complete all 8 challenges.
• Welcome to the Arctic! : Play from home! A more advanced mission, with concepts and vocabulary more suitable to ages 12 and up.
• Life in the Arctic : Play from home! For agents ages 8-12.

To play, you need to download the "Agents of Discovery" app onto a phone or other mobile device beforehand, using any app store. Once you have missions loaded into the "Agents of Discovery" app on your device, you do not need to be in range of wi-fi to complete the missions. If you are in Coldfoot, log in and search for missions nearby. The Nature Trail should be at the top of the list. To play the other missions, search for "Arctic".

Visitors can participate in these additional educational activities:

• Dalton Highway Quest
• Agents of Discovery “Discover Dinosaurs – BLM Junior Ranger Mission”
• Junior Ranger program for Gates of the Arctic National Park and Preserve 

COMMUNITIES

Coldfoot is not a town in the conventional sense, but has a modest hotel, gas pumps, cafe/restaurant/bar, air-taxi service, public airstrip, and post office. It is a major rest stop for the long-haul truckers who ply the road year-round, delivering equipment and supplies to the Prudhoe Bay oilfields. The cafe is open 24 hours a day all year, providing warmth, coffee and restrooms. 

Wiseman, a small, historic village 15 road miles to the north, has a small store/gift shop, a lodge, bed-and-breakfast and a privately-owned museum. 

Upcoming Events

Throughout the summer, the Visitor Center welcomes guest speakers such as regional scientists and artists-in-residence. It also hosts opportunities for citizen science. 

June 21 Summer Solstice and 20th Anniversary Celebration

The Arctic Interagency Visitor Center is partnering with Friends of Alaska National Wildlife Refuges to celebrate the summer solstice and the 20th anniversary of the Visitor Center. The visitor center opens at noon and will have special activities throughout the day. 

Try your hand at gold panning.

Join us for a short walk. From 2 - 6 p.m. at the top of every hour we are leading 15-20 minute trail walks about the mining history of the area, the ecology of the Boreal Forest, and the Trans-Alaska Pipeline.

Test your knowledge at Trivia night. At 8 p.m. we will be hosting a trivia night with prizes. Snacks and beverages will be served courtesy of Friends of Alaska National Wildlife Refuges!