Coldfoot, the Koyukuk Mining Camp, 1908
Coldfoot’s story
124 years in pictures
Census counts: 13 in 2000, 34 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1908 and 3 maps from 1951 on.
- 1902Coldfoot is settled
ColdfootAK
A town settled in 1902, now home to 211 people.
Photo: Scott McMurren · CC BY 2.0
Is Coldfoot a good place to live?
Coldfoot’s January low is -19°F, where Alaska’s towns sit at 7°F and U.S. towns at 22°F. Of the 42 Alaska towns we compare, none has a higher share of residents below the poverty line than Coldfoot. 100% of the land in Coldfoot is conserved, where Alaska’s towns sit at 15% and U.S. towns at 4.3%. Coldfoot has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
Small town
211 people, and everyone knows the way
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Getting set up
Moving to Coldfoot: who provides what
Coldfoot is unincorporated, so Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area and regional agencies provide most services.
PowerAlaska Village Elec Coop65.9¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
InternetProviders and speedsData pending · D4
Trash & county servicesYukon-Koyukuk Census AreaYukon-Koyukuk Census Area provides services here
Register to voteOnlineIn Alaska you can register online until 30 days before Election Day, in person until 30 days before Election Day, or by mail (received 30 days before).vote.govWho runs elections hereAbsentee and Petition OfficeState of Alaska; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Jun 2025
ZIP code9970199701 100%Census 2020
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Sep 30, 2026.
The data
Ordered by what stands out in Coldfoot.
Outdoors
Protected land: nearly a third of Coldfoot
14 miles of trail. Coldfoot’s concentration of trails is 0.4 miles per square mile.
100%conserved
100%
conserved · 22,704 of 22,707 acres
14 mi
of trails · 0.4 per sq mi
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Climate
Expect four seasons and pleasant summers in Coldfoot
July afternoons reach 70° and January nights drop to -19°.
70°summer high
Typical low → high °F
Winter-17–3°
Spring10–37°
Summer43–67°
Fall10–28°
70°
typical summer high
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Natural hazards
The biggest natural risk in Coldfoot is cold waves, at a high overall level
The FEMA hazard score for Coldfoot is 61 of 100. 69% of the town’s expected losses from natural hazards come from cold waves, followed by avalanches at 10%.
61risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Cold wavesAvalanchesWildfire
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Health
How healthy Coldfoot is
The share of adults in Coldfoot who sleep under 7 hours is 40%. Only one of the 42 Alaska towns we compare has a higher share of adults who get no exercise outside work than Coldfoot.
| Coldfoot | Typical Alaska town | Typical U.S. town | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 67% | 68% | 79% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 40% | 35% | 36% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 35% | 32% | 33% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 16% | 14% |
32 measures vs. Alaska
0 better27 too close to call5 worse
| What stands out | Coldfoot | AK |
|---|---|---|
| More adults who get no exercise | 25.8% | 21.7% |
| More adults without reliable transportation | 10.7% | 9% |
| More adults facing food insecurity | 16.4% | 14.3% |
2 of 3
care shortages: dental, mental health
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Coldfoot
11pages on Coldfoot
After high school
Colleges nearby
None within 15 miles of Coldfoot; the nearest are
About 0 of every 100 Coldfoot residents are enrolled in college, against 5 across Alaska.
About Coldfoot
Census-designated place in Alaska, U.S.
Coldfoot is a census-designated place (CDP) in Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area in the U.S. state of Alaska. The population was 34 at the 2020 census. It is said that the name was derived from travelers getting "cold feet" about making the 240-some-mile journey north to Deadhorse. Coldfoot primarily serves as a truck stop on the Dalton Highway from Fairbanks to Prudhoe Bay. North of Coldfoot, there are no services for 240 miles (400 km), until Deadhorse. It has a restaurant and a small number of overnight accommodations (converted pipeline construction camp quarters). Bus tours along the highway typically take two days, with passengers spending the night in Coldfoot. The BLM, USFWS, and NPS jointl…
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 36 sq mi
- Elevation
- 1,014 ft
- Area code
- 907
Questions about Coldfoot
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Coldfoot, AK a good place to live?
Coldfoot has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.