agr

Way back in 1999 we did an Alaska Highway road trip and thought it would be good to come back some day and drive the Dempster Highway all the way to Inuvik. This year we finally managed it. What an extraordinary trip - this is why we moved to Canada.

The other reason for posting is in case anyone else is thinking of it - PM me and we can offer advice.

Jingsamichty

Sounds like a fantastic trip!

How long did it take you? Did you do it both ways?

Greenhill

Thanks for sharing - very inspirational

el_richo

Most people move for the kids, not a once a decade road trip

Looks interesting. Looks like a shabby version of Manning Park.

How long did it take?

agr

It was a 10-day round trip from Edmonton totalling 6700km. It would take longer if one observed speed limits. The Dempster itself is 734km each way, of which less than 15km are paved. We had two rest days, one in Tombstone Territorial Park (first photo) and one in Inuvik. While in Inuvik we took an excursion to Tuktoyaktuk by Cessna 207 and dipped our toes in the Beaufort Sea.

While on the road we sold our house in Edmonton using a rented satellite phone.

We saw lots of wildlife: 15 bears, 3 moose, 6 sheep, 11 caribou, two marmots, one porcupine, one fox and hundreds of bison.

Greenhill

Bit of a random question but did you use mud/snow or some other special type of tires? Reason I ask is we were recently in Maine and had intended to drive some very long unpaved roads (used only for logging) but were warned of the likely-hood of punctures - so we took a paved route instead.

agr

We were concerned about this but a lot depends on the quality of the gravel. We used regular tyres that are at least 70,000km old and had no problems. Where the surface was smooth we did 80 or 90 km/h but you have to keep a good eye out for potholes. It's tough on suspension. And you can kiss goodbye to the windshield before you start!

If you drive too fast for the type of gravel (some types are sharper than others) then you probably will get a flat.

Getting back on the paved Alaska Highway after 1500km of Dempster dirt is a joyful experience!

el_richo

This is a great endorsement for VW

Jingsamichty

Wow, that's a helluva trip. Was the scenery good much of the way, or was it more just a trip to say "we did it?"

agr

The scenery on the Dempster is stunning. The only place I have been that was anything like it was Iceland. Sections of the Alaska Highway are also outstanding, especially between Fort Nelson and Watson Lake. Just wish we'd had more time to stop and gawp.

Yes the only problem with the car was a fatigue failure of the radio aerial. Very pleased with our 7 year old Jetta, it didn't let us down once.

By the way, the car rental options out of Whitehorse are not great. Found one company that would allow you on the Dempster, but only with 4wd, and the LDW had a minimum $5,000 deductible. And didn't include damage to tyres, windshield or underbody. That's why we drove our own car all the way there.

dbd33

That's an inspiring trip but I don't get the bit about the gravel. Around here most roads are gravel, I commuted an hour or so each way, typically going 80mph or so for three years, without getting a puncture or hearing of anyone else getting a puncture. It's hard to steer on fresh gravel but otherwise the only trouble with those roads is that there's no point in cleaning the interior of a convertible.

Greenhill

I was curious about that too, I often drive on unpaved roads and certainly don't live in fear of the gravel causing a puncture. I'm imagining most of the punctures that occur on roads like this being caused by the crap that falls off the logging trucks (as well as hitting potholes a little too hard).

PMM

Hi


1. Gravel has sharp edges in the north, it is not tumbled before being spread.
2. You aren't going to see any logging trucks on the dempster.

agr

^^ this.
Most of the traffic we saw on the Dempster was associated with maintenance of the Dempster. The surface material is drawn from quarries along the way, so varies widely. In some places it's shale. Certainly not your nice rounded garden pea gravel!