Finger Mountain Wayside
During the Winter months…
Finger Mountain is a unique granite tor located at mile 97.5 of the Dalton Highway. It is not so much a mountain as a wide hill with an altitude of 1312 feet. A granite tor shaped like a finger protrudes from the center of the hill. These granite formations are common in the Arctic and were formed by the erosion of the surrounding landscape. Vehicles can park at the Finger Hill Wayside which is partially maintained by the Department of Transportation and Bureau of Land Management.
For guests with hiking shoes or boots, walking off of the gravel travel and onto bumpy tundra landscape can be quite a shock. It is much more difficult to walk over tundra than dirt or pavement. Even a professional athlete would quickly tire walking half a mile over undisturbed tundra.
Finger Hill is easily scaled and proved a nice viewpoint to take a panoramic of the Arctic Circle landscape. Finger Hill itself is so close to the Arctic Circle that on a clear day you can see the Arctic landscape to the north and the Northern Temperature Zone (Boreal Forest) to the south. The Arctic Circle Signpost is just 17 miles North on the Dalton Highway. See both the Arctic Circle Signpost and Finger Mountain on Airlink’s Arctic Circle Tour.