The Dempster Highway

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Senior FJ

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Michael
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This coming June am heading out from Ottawa Canada on a six week trip that takes in the Dempster Highway to Tuktoyaktuc NWT CANADA and the Arctic Ocean any tips or thoughts on such a trip from those that have or are planning such a trip
 
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Redruby

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I’m planning to do the same as well as heading to Prudhoe Bay, I’ll be checking this forum hopefully we will be able to meet up somewhere on the road
 

Alanymarce

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I hope you have a great trip.

I have to say though that 6 weeks is not long, certainly not long enough the way we travel. It's about 7000 km to Tuktoyaktuk. At the rate we generally travel this would take 30-40 days, and that's one way only.

So, I think that you need to make the first part of the trip as efficient as possible - pick a "starting point" for Yukon and NWT and get there as fast (safely) as you can. Then slow down for the north. The same on the way back.

For the Dempster, you need to make sure you have a tyre repair kit, with lots of extra "jerky", and a compressor. In my opinion you don;t need two spare tyres (based on a lot of experience over the years). AS long you have reasonable range you also don;t need extra fuel (we have a range of about 700 km outside towns and this is fine for the Dempster); however fuel up whenever you can.

Here's one of our posts on this part of our trip last year: The Dempster Highway and Arctic Ocean: uncertain ferries, flat tyres, and new friends.


This post includes videos of the river ferries on the Dempster: Thanks, the vehicle, ferries, and statistics - Canada 2022
 

MOAK

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I hope you have a great trip.

I have to say though that 6 weeks is not long, certainly not long enough the way we travel. It's about 7000 km to Tuktoyaktuk. At the rate we generally travel this would take 30-40 days, and that's one way only.

So, I think that you need to make the first part of the trip as efficient as possible - pick a "starting point" for Yukon and NWT and get there as fast (safely) as you can. Then slow down for the north. The same on the way back.

For the Dempster, you need to make sure you have a tyre repair kit, with lots of extra "jerky", and a compressor. In my opinion you don;t need two spare tyres (based on a lot of experience over the years). AS long you have reasonable range you also don;t need extra fuel (we have a range of about 700 km outside towns and this is fine for the Dempster); however fuel up whenever you can.

Here's one of our posts on this part of our trip last year: The Dempster Highway and Arctic Ocean: uncertain ferries, flat tyres, and new friends.


This post includes videos of the river ferries on the Dempster: Thanks, the vehicle, ferries, and statistics - Canada 2022
Hey guys, quick question- do all of the fueling stations take credit cards or should we be carrying enough Canadian cash for any fuel north of Dawson City? Thanks
 
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Senior FJ

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Enthusiast I

404
Ottawa, ON, Canada
First Name
Michael
Last Name
Quigley
Member #

30054

I hope you have a great trip.

I have to say though that 6 weeks is not long, certainly not long enough the way we travel. It's about 7000 km to Tuktoyaktuk. At the rate we generally travel this would take 30-40 days, and that's one way only.

So, I think that you need to make the first part of the trip as efficient as possible - pick a "starting point" for Yukon and NWT and get there as fast (safely) as you can. Then slow down for the north. The same on the way back.

For the Dempster, you need to make sure you have a tyre repair kit, with lots of extra "jerky", and a compressor. In my opinion you don;t need two spare tyres (based on a lot of experience over the years). AS long you have reasonable range you also don;t need extra fuel (we have a range of about 700 km outside towns and this is fine for the Dempster); however fuel up whenever you can.

Here's one of our posts on this part of our trip last year: The Dempster Highway and Arctic Ocean: uncertain ferries, flat tyres, and new friends.


This post includes videos of the river ferries on the Dempster: Thanks, the vehicle, ferries, and statistics - Canada 2022
Thanks for the post
I will do the fast west then slow north as that is the plan

I do have the tire repair kit plus an integrated compressor plus all the accessories

I could end up being longer as I want to retrace family roads when I was much younger on the Cassiar Stewart highway plus a little dip into AK then down to Vancouver Island to stop at a friends spot in Victoria before heading east again
 

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Senior FJ

Rank II
Member

Enthusiast I

404
Ottawa, ON, Canada
First Name
Michael
Last Name
Quigley
Member #

30054

I hope you have a great trip.

I have to say though that 6 weeks is not long, certainly not long enough the way we travel. It's about 7000 km to Tuktoyaktuk. At the rate we generally travel this would take 30-40 days, and that's one way only.

So, I think that you need to make the first part of the trip as efficient as possible - pick a "starting point" for Yukon and NWT and get there as fast (safely) as you can. Then slow down for the north. The same on the way back.

For the Dempster, you need to make sure you have a tyre repair kit, with lots of extra "jerky", and a compressor. In my opinion you don;t need two spare tyres (based on a lot of experience over the years). AS long you have reasonable range you also don;t need extra fuel (we have a range of about 700 km outside towns and this is fine for the Dempster); however fuel up whenever you can.

Here's one of our posts on this part of our trip last year: The Dempster Highway and Arctic Ocean: uncertain ferries, flat tyres, and new friends.


This post includes videos of the river ferries on the Dempster: Thanks, the vehicle, ferries, and statistics - Canada 2022
Thanks so much for posting the pics and vids

I also have a windshield chip repair kit

Rt now it now looks like my dep day from Ottawa will be Aug 16 and it will be me and my border collie Rosie whom are all equipped and ready to go just need a bit more fuel money as the Toyota FJ gets thirsty therefore loves to drink especially premium gas … what adds to it is the additional weight