Point Barrow itself, the northernmost point of the United States, sits about twelve miles up the spit of land north of town. Reaching it almost always means joining one of the local tundra tours that run from spring into autumn — the road is rough, the polar bears are real, and self-drive is strongly discouraged. The point itself is unmarked: a low spit of gravel where the Chukchi and Beaufort seas meet.
The drive crosses tundra, gas wells, and an Air Force radar installation. Polar bears are routine sightings here in late summer when they come close to shore to scavenge whale carcasses from the spring hunt. A licensed guide is the only sensible way to make the trip.