Driving the Dempster Highway – Arctic Canada

Driving the Dempster Highway of Arctic Canada. All you need for this trip is an adventurous spirit, a reliable vehicle, excellent tyres, a couple of spares, and a jerrycan with extra gasoline – says Yrene Dee who is the founder of BackcountryCanadaTravel.com. She was born in Switzerland, lived and worked on different continents and travelled the world before she settled in Canada. She is an entrepreneur, wilderness nut, and animal lover who prefers off-the-beaten-track places.

Words and Photos by Yrene Dee. 

The 741 km long Dempster Highway stretches from Dawson City in Canada’s Yukon Territory up north to Inuvik in the Northwest Territories. It is one of the world’s most spectacular road trips and is the only road in Canada that crosses the Arctic Circle.

The route calls for a fantastic journey through an ever-changing landscape of mountains, open tundra, rivers and bogs. The road takes you into the land of the midnight sun, where you have 24 hours of daylight.

An all gravel surface to protect the permafrost, which the road sits on, the road is like a raised bridge with no sides. If the permafrost melted, the road would sink.

I was nervous about the challenge I was about to undertake, but the thrill of adventure was stirring wildly.

My road trip to the Arctic started far south in the Okanagan Valley, British Columbia, ten days before reaching the start of the Dempster Highway at Dawson City.

My Toyota RAV4 was equipped with the best all-season tyres I could find, so I was well prepared for the journey ahead. I realized early during my trip that things would be rough. The front windshield of my vehicle was rock-chipped before I even reached the Yukon border. Lesson learned: always come to a full stop whenever a semi-truck approaches to limit the amount and severity of rocks hitting the windshield.

I took a break from my journey in the Wild West town of Dawson City, with my small tent squeezed between large RVs at Dawson’s main campground. Being aware of the remoteness and solitude of the road ahead, I didn’t mind the hustle and bustle of Dawson and tried to take in some of its vibes and Klondike history. The Klondike region lies around the small Klondike River, which flows into the Yukon River near Dawson City. Famed for its “Klondike Gold Rush” of the late 1800’s, Dawson City still retains some of the gold rush vibe.

By the time I arrived at Tombstone Mountain Territorial Park, 72 km northeast along the gravel highway, my car was covered in dust; my throat was dry, and my head was throbbing from manoeuvring through the rough terrain. I stopped briefly to marvel at the superb views of the Tombstone Mountains, filled up my water bottle at the Interpretive Centre and inquired about the road ahead. “Keep driving to make it across Eagle Plains another 300 km north. Rain is in the forecast!” I was advised.

I continued on the rough stretch across the Ogilvie Mountains and scaled the North Fork Pass (1,289 m), the highest elevation on the highway.

THIS ARTICLE CONTINUES ONLINE IN
Globerovers Magazine July 2018

Arctic Canada’s scenic Dempster Highway.

“Back Country Canada Travel” Toyota RAV4.

Entering Canada’s Northwest Territories.

Iglu Church in Inuvik, Northwest Territories.

Welcome to Dawson City, Yukon.

Dawson City, Yukon.

THIS ARTICLE CONTINUES ONLINE IN
Globerovers Magazine July 2018