2007 GMC Yukon Denali

Mention Alaska in the course of any conversation, and most likely you'll hear something about the northern lights. But for those who live in Alaska, the word that strikes fear into even the most rugged wilderness man is mosquito. During June and July the backwoods swarm with clouds of these greedy bloodsuckers. That's why, when we went for a test drive on one of the most famous roads in the United States, we opted to go before the first larval hatching of what is often referred to as "the Alaskan state bird."

After flying into Fairbanks, Motor Trend photographer John Kiewicz and I got into a 2007 GMC Yukon Denali and headed north in search of the Dalton Highway. We were en route to the northernmost town in the United States (accessible by road), a place called Deadhorse.

The roads out of Fairbanks are spectacular. Gentle winding two-lanes traverse up and over rolling hills, covered with a wide variety of leafy spruce and evergreen pines. About an hour north, we reached the beginning of Alaska Highway 11 and first touched pipeline road. Surprisingly, this section is well-paved, and we could open the biggest engine GM offers in any of its full-size SUVs: an all-aluminum 6.2 liter V-8 with 380 horsepower and 417 pound-feet of torque. As impressive as all this power sounds, the real beauty is the six-speed automatic. Shifts are smooth and designed to get you through the gears for cruising. However, when it senses you need more power, it'll drop to fourth in an instant for better control. Likewise, a thumb switch on the beefy column shifter allows the driver complete gear-shifting control. The towing crowd will appreciate this detail.

Much of the Dalton Highway is flat gravel road, but a project is underway to pave the entire stretch. As a consequence, the Yukon's all-wheel-drive system got a workout from broken pavement to choppy dirt roads to polished gravel, all along dealing with our enthusiastic cornering techniques. After some time, our first major landmark came in the form of the Yukon River, where we stopped to fill the tank at a quarter-mile-long expansion bridge. Our trip calculator said we had 128 miles to empty, but the next gas station was 131 miles away.

Back on our way, we stopped at the Arctic Circle (there are restrooms and picnic benches), then we were off to Coldfoot, population 17, and exactly halfway to the Arctic Ocean. Here we found the only hotel and diner for 250 miles in any direction. When we say "hotel," what we really mean is a small closet in a series of trailers all connected by a one long hallway: two beds, particle board, a window, one light, community bathrooms. Regardless, the Coldfoot Restaurant/General Store/Banquet Room/Buffet makes a good Reuben sandwich.