Driving to the Arctic Ocean: Adventure on the Dempster Highway
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- Опубликовано: 19 окт 2024
- In the remote wilderness of northern Canada, adventure beckons on the Dempster Highway! Of all my travel tales from this summer of solo travel, this is my favorite. It's a tale of grit, determination, and near disaster in a vast and beautiful area of the world.
Driving the Dempster Highway is a bucket list adventure. This road runs for 456 miles (734 km) from its junction with the Klondike Highway in northern Canada to the town of Inuvik north of the Arctic Circle. If you're feeling extra adventurous, you can drive all the way to the Arctic Ocean by taking the Inuvik-Tuktoyatuk Highway (another 87 miles/140 km) all the way to the shores of the ocean.
And that was my goal! To park my truck by the shores of the Arctic Ocean.
Amazing how so many seem unaware are care not about throwing rocks at everyone else. So if your ever passing someone, take your foot out of it just for a second. Also when passing, get well past the slower vehicle before cutting back in.
Never miss Atlin. Turn south 50 miles before Whitehorse. Its a small historic gold mining town, lots of free camping and a place where Akaskans go for a break.
Cheers from Yukon
Great advice. Thanks for sharing your recommendation to visit Atlin!
Definitely need to use 10 ply load E type tires on that road. I love your videos. Shows what is possible when you put your mind to it. Your camper is so nice. You and your dad did a great job. Can’t wait to see more of your videos.
Yes! If I was going to drive it again (which would be fun at some point in the future), I would definitely upgrade to 10 ply tires before starting the drive north from Minnesota. Thank you for your kind comments!
It's on my bucket list to make this drive to the Arctic Ocean !
No one of my family will come, so I'll have to drive the Dempster highway solo !
Wow! I admire your determination. When I was there in 2019 I turned around at Tombstone after a bit of hiking. I want to go back some day and reach the northern coast. Thanks for your tips on preparedness. Brand new tires and shocks will be a must. I returned to Watson lake via the Campbell hwy ( smooth dirt for the most part ) and saw black bears every hour of driving. That was in July. After watching your video I can dream of the scenery beckoning.
Tombstone really is the most scenic part! Glad you were able to enjoy that park.
Bears every mile in early June😅
Great video! Really enjoyed it and admire your adventurous spirit! 👏🏻
Thanks so much!
I believe I will just explore the rest of my home state Arizona:) excellent video by the way
Arizona is pretty nice, so I don't blame you :). Thanks for watching!
@@WanderwithKate safe travels to you:)
Wow, what an adventure! Thank you for showing us your trip!
Such a brave and valiant effort to get through that challenging Dempster Hwy - well done 👍🏻 what a great adventure and accomplishment 🎉❤😊
Thank you! It was a very fun adventure.
Great story and adventure!
Awesome journey to Arctic Ocean…❤ I’m planning to go there next summer…you have air down your tire to have a good traction and prevent from being puncture from rocks
Thank you! I am still learning the art of airing down my tires, but yes, it can definitely help reduce punctures and reduce some of the bouncing on rough roads.
Wow what an outstanding depiction of the Dempster. The best we’ve ever seen in fact. Some really good info, thanks for sharing!
Thank you! It was a really fun road to explore.
I had three flat tires on the Dempster. If you happen to get a flat near Inuvik, I can't recommend Polar Tire more. Quite the character that runs the place
Thanks for the recommendation of a good tire repair place!
We drove the Dempster about a quarter way twice, doing day trips from Tombstone, in 2020 and 2021,and did the full journey to Tuk in 2022. Your video is the most complete explanation of what the journey is like I've seen so far, and your narration is relaxed and entertaining. Well done. The showers at Jaks campsite were a welcome treat., btw
Thank you! It is a fun road. And yes, showers are always an amazing bonus at a campground - especially when you are in a more remote area!
Wow, this was one of the most real portrayals of the Dempster I have seen. Thx
Thank you!
Dempster is on my list. Great video and thanks for sharing your experience!
It really is a fantastic road!
I just got back from driving the Dalton to Deadhorse. One day up, the next day a quick dip in the Arctic, then the drive back to Fairbanks. It was a tough drive but worth it. All your tips are true. Ride the middle until you need to pass, dodge the giant holes the best you can, and I air-down my tires to reduce the chances of a sharp rock cutting the tire. Somehow my old 4runner made it up and back without any problems. I thinking about the Dempster now.
Just curious, how far did you air down your tires? I was nervous about airing down further, but it would help reduce sharp rock abrasion.
And you should 100% do the Dempster next. I loved it!
@@WanderwithKate I was nervous about going down too much as well, so I only went down 5lbs on all the tires. It seem to help. I installed trail rated tires about a month before I left NY. I also had a plug kit, compressor, two spares, and other tools. Thankfully, I didn't need them.
What an adventure! We traveled the Dempster to the Artic Ocean this past July. Six years ago we drove the Dalton to Deadhorse and took the tour to the Artic Ocean. We too drove to Tombstones Park in the rain and got the last site. Still unsure if we wanted to travel north , The weather forecast was 5 days of sun and temps in the mid to upper 70's...we HAD to go! We had a couple of extra gallons of gas which we didn't use. Because of traveling slow our fuel mileage jumped from 14.5 to 18.5, so we made it to Eagle Plains with fuel to spare. I did develop a slow leak on one of the trailer tires, which I plugged a few days later on the Alaska Highway.
I'm glad you enjoyed the Dempster also! You're right that with that weather, you had to go! How do you think it compared to the Dalton? Was the experience at Deadhorse a lot different than Tuktoyatuk?
And yes, that slow travel is amazing for mpg!
@@WanderwithKate Yes it is a different experience, well worth the trip next time you head to Alaska. If you want to get a feel for what its like watch my two Dalton Highway videos here , ruclips.net/video/jQoumZP39Jk/видео.html ruclips.net/video/pF2-S34y4AU/видео.html This year we drove the Dalton To camp at the Artic Circle on the Summer Solstice. We were going to turn around from there but had to go to Coldfoot as the Yukon River Camp was out of gas. So we left the camper at the Artic Circle campground and took the Bronco to Coldfoot to fill up.
Thanks for sharing this great video
Thanks for watching!
This video makes it pretty clear that I don’t want to tow a travel trailer up that road. A truck camper is the way to go.
I saw some small trailers make it, but I agree that I wouldn't be excited about towing a trailer on the Dempster.
Ford transit connect 👍
Great trip, breath taking views. Too bad about the windshield....and tire ...
Very nice to have camp fires up there, as down south there are fire bans from June to September. 🙂
Yes, it was lovely to be north of most of the wildfires and associated campfire bans.
What was your impressions of the locals and how they feel about tourists driving around exploring.. ? Thanks!
They seemed to be pretty welcoming. I spent some time talking to children in Tuktoyaktuk (they thought it was interesting that my dog was wearing a jacket). And several fellow travelers were invited into homes or to share local food at some point on their journey. Definitely a culture of hospitality.
😊
Not enough cold, mosquitoes, water, or deathly gray skies to last you a lifetime in MN/WI?
Haha, not quite. It was nice to enjoy the cold, water, and gray skies in a new location. But truthfully, I am currently planning a winter further south this year to hopefully get a little more warmth in my life again. Although it is warm and sunny in Minnesota right now.
I plan on driving the Demster August of 2025 as a present for myself on my 70th birthday. I would love to talk about your journey. Is that possible?
That's a wonderful 70th birthday present. What questions do you have?
Awesome video and well done on capturing your adventure! What type of truck camper did you use?
Thank you! I built my truck camper for this trip, so it is a DIY build made primarily from wood and poor man's fiberglass with some foam.
what month that was ? ( sry if i missed it ...)
That's a good question and I don't know if I mentioned it in the video. I started driving on the Dempster Highway August 21st, was up to Tombstone on August 22nd, then back to Dawson City and started again a day later. I finished the drive and made it back to the official Dempster Highway start on August 29th. .
@@WanderwithKate oh thanks, got it :)
Wow, that was fast, I thought it was into September...
I think not much bugs were troubling you back then, right?
people live, work, play and drive on that road every day. lol. was there summer 23, no problems. smh.
Yes, lots of people do live and work along this road. Did you have any favorite spots from your visit last summer?
Are you serious?! I'm single lady with a dog, but I am too skeerd to drive that alone. Still I want to. No mechanical abilities at all. There does seem to be plenty of other people on the road. I GOTTA WATCH THIS.
When I drove the road there were plenty of very helpful and friendly other travelers. It is well worth a drive!