Søndre Strømfjord Abandoned DEW Line Station Circuit
Cold War radar stations across Arctic tundra.
The Søndre Strømfjord DEW Line circuit connects the ghostly remains of three Cold War radar installations that once formed Greenland’s contribution to North America’s nuclear early warning network. Built in the 1950s during the height of Cold War paranoia, these stations perch on ridgelines chosen for maximum radar coverage toward the Soviet Union. Concrete bunkers, twisted antenna arrays, and abandoned vehicle graveyards mark each site, connected by deteriorating military access roads that switchback across rolling tundra between elevations of 800 to 2,100 feet.
This difficult route requires serious 4WD capability and rock sliders — the military roads have degraded into boulder fields in places where permafrost has shifted foundations. Plan for two days minimum with full camping gear and emergency supplies including satellite communication. The best access window runs July through early September when snow doesn’t block the higher elevation approaches. What you discover is a haunting Cold War archaeology lesson scattered across one of the planet’s most remote landscapes, where rusted infrastructure tells the story of when Greenland was America’s northern frontier.
Trail Specs
| Difficulty | Difficult |
|---|---|
| Trail Type | Technical 4x4 |
| Surface | Rock |
| Features | High Altitude, Historic, Remote |
| Length (miles) | 52 mi / 83.7 km |
| Duration | 2-3 days |
| Max elevation (ft) | 2100 ft |
| Best season | July-September |
| Minimum vehicle | Modified 4WD with rock protection |
| Nearest town | Kangerlussuaq, Greenland |
| Land manager | Government of Greenland |
| Permit required | No |
| Cell service | None |
| Water crossings | Yes |
| Dispersed camping | Yes |
| Start coordinates | |
| End coordinates | |
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| Find on Google | Search on Google → |
Location
Trail Conditions
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Frequently asked questions
What's the minimum build required — can a lightly lifted truck handle this?
No. This trail demands a purpose-built Arctic overland rig with serious underbody rock protection, high-clearance suspension, and aggressive all-terrain or mud-terrain tires. A lightly lifted truck will get eaten alive on the exposed fractured rock sections — skid plates aren't optional, they're survival gear here.
When does the trail actually become passable and how short is that window?
July through September is your window, and even then early July can have lingering snow on the higher ridgelines. August is the most reliable month. Outside that window, expect frozen ground, ice-covered rock, and zero support infrastructure within range.
Do you need permits to run this circuit, and who do you contact?
The Government of Greenland manages this area, and travel near the old DEW Line sites may require advance authorization — some zones around abandoned military infrastructure carry access restrictions. Contact the Greenland government's nature and environment agency before you leave home; sorting this from Kangerlussuaq is not a plan.
What's the hardest section and what actually makes it dangerous?
The exposed ridgeline traverses above 1,800 ft are where things get serious — loose fractured Arctic rock with no recovery room on the downhill side and weather that can go zero-visibility in under an hour. There's no line choice that's 'the easy way around'; you're committing to the exposure.
With zero cell service and no towns for 50+ miles, what does fuel and emergency logistics actually look like?
Kangerlussuaq is your only fuel and resupply point — carry enough fuel for the full 52 miles plus a 30–40% buffer for low-speed rock crawling, which destroys fuel economy. There is no rescue service on the circuit; a sat communicator with two-way messaging like a Garmin inReach is non-negotiable, and you should file a detailed trip plan before you roll out.
Trail track
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