Thule to Camp Century Abandoned Ice Road
Cold War ghost road to nuclear secrets under ice
This ghostly ice road was carved across northwest Greenland’s ice sheet in 1959 to supply Camp Century, the U.S. Army’s secret nuclear-powered city under the ice. The route starts at Pituffik Space Base (formerly Thule Air Base) and tracks northeast across crevassed glacier fields to reach the abandoned station’s surface markers, now nearly buried by decades of snow accumulation. Navigation relies on GPS coordinates and occasional bamboo markers left by research expeditions, while massive crevasse fields demand constant vigilance.
Extreme difficulty requiring specialized Arctic vehicles, crevasse rescue gear, and polar survival training. Only attempt with military escort or research expedition support – solo travel is effectively suicide. Best conditions May-July during 24-hour daylight, though weather windows are unpredictable. Military clearance required through Pituffik Space Base. What you achieve: standing above one of the Cold War’s strangest secrets, where a nuclear reactor once powered an underground city that officially never existed.
Trail Specs
| Difficulty | Extreme |
|---|---|
| Trail Type | Backcountry |
| Surface | Ice |
| Features | High Altitude, Historic, Remote |
| Length (miles) | 138 mi / 222.1 km |
| Duration | 7-10 days |
| Max elevation (ft) | 6850 ft |
| Best season | May-July |
| Minimum vehicle | Specialized Arctic tracked vehicle |
| Nearest town | Qaanaaq, Northwest Greenland |
| Land manager | Pituffik Space Base |
| Permit required | Yes |
| Cell service | None |
| Water crossings | No |
| Dispersed camping | Yes |
| Start coordinates | |
| End coordinates | |
| Copy both for Google Maps directionsClick to copy the directions URL · or open it directly in a new tab | |
| Find on Google | Search on Google → |
Location
Trail Conditions
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Frequently asked questions
Can I run this in a lifted truck or stock overland rig?
No. Standard wheeled 4x4s are not viable here — the surface is open ice sheet with no maintained road, soft snow sections, and crevasse risk. You need a specialized Arctic tracked vehicle such as a Tucker Sno-Cat, PistenBully, or military-equivalent tracked platform rated for polar operations.
When is this route actually passable?
May through July is the only realistic window — daylight is continuous, temperatures are at their least brutal, and surface ice conditions are most stable. Outside that window, polar darkness, extreme cold, and unpredictable storm systems make an already dangerous route potentially unsurvivable.
What permits do you actually need to access this route?
Access is controlled by Pituffik Space Base (formerly Thule Air Base), a U.S. military installation — civilian access requires advance coordination and authorization through official military channels, which is rarely granted. Danish and Greenlandic government permissions may also apply given the route crosses sovereign Greenlandic territory.
What's the hardest part of the route and what makes it genuinely dangerous?
The stretch across the open ice sheet beyond the initial established zone is the critical section — no trail markers, crevasse fields, whiteout conditions, and zero rescue infrastructure for hundreds of miles. Navigation requires GPS, dead reckoning, and prior polar expedition experience; a mechanical failure or bad weather event here is a life-threatening situation, not an inconvenience.
Is there any resupply, fuel, or emergency support along the 138 miles?
There is nothing — no fuel caches, no structures, no support, and no cell service the entire route. Every liter of fuel, all food, all emergency gear, and all repair equipment must be carried from Thule/Pituffik at the start; plan fuel loads with a significant buffer for high-idle engine warming and unexpected route deviations.
Trail track
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