Prudhoe Bay

Prudhoe Bay /ˈpruːdoʊ/, also known as Deadhorse, is a town located in North Slope Borough in the U.S. state of Alaska. As of the 2020 census, the population of the CDP was 1,310 people, down from 2,174 residents in the 2010 census, and up from 5 residents in 2000; however, at any given time, several thousand transient workers support the Prudhoe Bay Oil Field. Rigs and processing facilities are located on scattered gravel pads laid atop the tundra. It is only during winter that the surface is hard enough to support heavy equipment, and new construction happens at that time.

Overland access to Prudhoe Bay/Deadhorse is by the Dalton Highway from Fairbanks, 495 miles (797 km) south, or Deadhorse Airport. As the bay itself is still 10 miles (16 km) further north through a security checkpoint, open water is not visible from the highway. A few tourists, arriving by bus or their own vehicles after a two-day ride up the Dalton Highway from Fairbanks, come to see the tundra, the Arctic Ocean and the midnight sun, staying in lodgings assembled from modular buildings. Tours must be arranged in advance to see the Arctic Ocean and the bay itself.