Atigun Pass is one of those heart-stopping wonders you come across a couple of times in your life. I’ve passed through it four times; one each way on my two trips to the Arctic. It’s been rainy all but one time: and that one time just lit up the world around it. I felt like I was truly in the middle of a Viking myth or Celtic fairy tale. This place is a place of wonder. Taking my daughter here felt like I had fulfilled a dream I didn’t know I had. This pass has an elevation gain of 4,738′, and you can feel it. It feels like you’re in the clouds! We actually spent the night here, as there was a great, wide-open area in the middle of the pass with more than enough room for a few cars (or tractor-trailers, if some had felt the need to stop.) It was absolutely the best place we’ve car camped in Alaska (can you image a cup of coffee in your hand, and waking up to that view?) and the midnight sun kept us company the whole night through.