Yukon and the Dempster Highway

[Mixednuts59]

I am planing to make this trip with the wife in 2020, has anyone made this trip? Looking at gear recommendations and vehicle mods. Also advice on general planning and sight seeing.

Thanks,
Mixednuts59


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[Terry Pickens]

I'm leaving SoCal for the Dempster sometime in Mid July. I'll let you know my experiences, I'll have a writeup here in the forums. Will have a wait and see departure time as I will be waiting on my 4th grandchild to be delivered July 13th (due date). So right now I have no specific plans. I am traveling in a 2017 Subaru Outback that is raised and has BFG AT KO2's and a full sized spare. Big rigs and RV's make the run so not very demanding. It is all broken gravel so watch for flying stones from other vehicles and drive slow and enjoy the scenery. I will be carrying a 5 gallon gas can, tire fix kit and windshield repair kit for chips. Other than that just normal tools and camping gear.
If you have any questions just ask.

https://tvpjourneys.wordpress.com/2017/11/10/canada-planning-part-2-onward-to-jasper-and-dawson-yukon-canada/

 

[Terry Pickens]

I did get 2 books that are for the highways up there. "The Milepost" and "Travelers Guide to Alaskan Camping" both are geared toward RV travel but they both have information on sights to see, gas and travel tips. The Milepost is especially a great book to get. Make sure you get the latest edition as they come out every year.

 

[Mixednuts59]

I did get 2 books that are for the highways up there. "The Milepost" and "Travelers Guide to Alaskan Camping" both are geared toward RV travel but they both have information on sights to see, gas and travel tips. The Milepost is especially a great book to get. Make sure you get the latest edition as they come out every year.View attachment 58026

I will pick those up along with the backroads maps books. I want to drive right to Tuktoyaktuk and jump in the ocean. I figure my biggest challenge will be the two ferry crossings as they have been known to close during times of high water.


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[Terry Pickens]

Just what I'm doing but just going to dip my feet in. Guess my older age is making me more conservative. The Milepost mentions that about the ferry's but in the summer they stay open late. so just have to see. Happy planning.
I plan on taking Hwy 4 "Campbell Highway north out of Watson Lake and the "Sign Forest" to get a little more gravel under my tires. and then head east out of Dawson along "Top of the World Highway over to Chicken, Alaska then drop back into Tok, Alaska before heading south for home. On my blog you can see the route. Follow on Instagram also (@sled_rider), I'll post some photos when I have service.

 

[Buehler]

My wife and i did it last June. The only mods that you really need is a good set of tires. We used KO2 BFG. You can see our trip on Facebook. @buehleradventure


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[MishapMaggie]

We also did this trip in June last year! It was an amazing trip.Check out Keno and Mayo for some great offloading, you can get to a spot where you can see three different mountain ranges. Tombstone Mountain campground is so beautiful, do not drive past! Try and carry extra fuel to avoid having to fill up too much in Eagle plains, its ridiculously expensive, but once you hit the Fort MacPherson the gas is 30x cheaper. If you can air down your tires on the roads for comfort do it and so your Rig doesn't rattle itself free. (Tighten everything back up when you get back, trust me) I didn't have onboard air and didn't have an issue finding a station before the highway to top up. (I do now for next year). Tires tires tires, a good jack!. Bring extras, we pulled over and helped on average two people a day with changing tires. We all ran duratracs, the runner and taco were on tenply, it allows you to air down a bit more. The ferry up on the Dempster does have bankers hours. If you're going with others get a CB or sat, there is zero cell service. Bring a pen and 11 bucks cash for every night you camp..and be prepared for the most amazing outhouses you've seen if your life. It's weird but they're very well kept! A quick set up tent is huge too, so after a long drive you can just relax. Depending on when you go a eye mask because the sun doesn't set and it can mess up your sleeping patterns if you're sensitive to that. Also expect any photo you take to be no where near as beautiful as what you actually saw. A fridge is a must too, there isn't much out there so you have to grab fresh food while you can. Hope this helps and if you have more questions I'd love to awnser them!

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[MishapMaggie]

*offroading haha

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[Mixednuts59]

Thanks for all the info everyone. Yeah this helps with my planning. I know it’s 2 years away but the more information the better. I am going to try to head up that way in late June as I would like to see an ice free Arctic Ocean to take a dip. I will definitely bring a tire repair kit. Currently I am running the stick Nitto Grapplers on my 4runner and off road trailer. I think they are 6 ply, they should be good for the trip but 10 ply would be tougher as I know the shale on that highway loves to shred tires. Right now I run a Cabela’s cooler, the hardcore ones. Definitely wanting to upgrade to an ARB or similar style onboard fridge and wire it into my trailer.

Upgrades in the short term will definitely be skid plates and rock sliders and maybe rear bumper but I will have to stiffen the suspension prior to adding most of that weight.

Thanks again for the info, fantastic photos everyone.

Trevor


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[Jean-Yves Hudon]

This is on my bucket list as well. I will share my plans as it develops. Possibly 2020 as well.

 

[Mixednuts59]

This is on my bucket list as well. I will share my plans as it develops. Possibly 2020 as well.

Excellent! My supervisor did this trip in August and highly recommends it. I can’t wait to go.

 

[Migu]

I am planing to make this trip with the wife in 2020, has anyone made this trip? Looking at gear recommendations and vehicle mods. Also advice on general planning and sight seeing.

Thanks,
Mixednuts59

Just posted some info about our trip in another thread on this topic, figured would share here as well to hopefully help you out


Did this with my fiancee last September, what an amazing trip, would love to do again in a heartbeat. Yukon was definitely the best and most beautiful surprise.

Working from the top down:

• Make sure you do a dip in the Arctic Ocean! Note Tuk is not really tourist-ready per se, hopefully this year they'll be better but you won't find restaurants or hotels. Camping at the Tuk campground in town means being exposed to the ocean winds with no cover (unless you have RV/camper?). Treat it as a day trip from Inuvik and you'll have fun.
• Inuvik does have 2 hotels to stay at, everything closes early and most places aren't open Sundays so time accordingly. Make it a goal to stop by Alestine's for a meal!! https://m.facebook.com/alestines/
• Eagle Plains is sort of the defacto mid-way between Dawson and Inuvik. It's basically an outpost with a gas station, mechanic, diner, motel. There are also a couple gas stations on the Northwest Territories side (after the 2nd ferry).
• Make sure you check the ferries for the latest updates the day before and morning of, they/their landing sites break down and sometimes for more than a day.
• Explore around Dawson, lots of cool mining stuff (including Dredge No 4, tour is worth it), drive up to Dome Mountain in Dawson City for some wicked views, the paddlewheel graveyard is on the west side of the river, kind of hidden away on the beach, you will need to park and walk to it.
• Note Dawson has quite a few hotels, all of which are often packed with both tourists and workers so doesn't hurt to check availability a day or so before
• Don't forget to drive the Top of the World road from Dawson to the border (and if don't want to go to Alaska then just drive back), note this road is shut down around mid September.
• Stop into Carcross and check out the small downtown that is very well done in a native theme, with cute shops and historic train yards. Also see the Carcross desert!
• Check out Emerald Lake
• Bring a board with your names on it or something else unique to add to the Signpost Forest in Watson Lake

Feel free to message me for more specific questions, as you can see, I love sharing experiences and likely am not remembering everything I want to say at this time


On the question of tires, we ran General Grabber ATx, E rated, and brought 1 full size spare, never had any troubles and we were blowing through those gravel roads. Though keep in mind, they're pretty heavy duty tires. For comparison: I weighed the truck at a scale and we were at 6500lbs. We did speak to a couple folks that were there with rental cars and they did just fine so long as they drove very slowly and cautiously.

We drove from Toronto, so can also answer questions about the route along the way

 

[Paula - Canadian Explorer]

I am planing to make this trip with the wife in 2020, has anyone made this trip? Looking at gear recommendations and vehicle mods. Also advice on general planning and sight seeing.

Thanks,
Mixednuts59


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Not sure if you’ve made it up there given Covid (Dempster past the NWT border is still closed). I just posted an event for 2021: road trip from Calgary to Tuk via de Dempster. I’ve driven the Dempster many times in case you have any questions.

 

[mep1811]

My wife and I drove up to Tuk the summer of 2018. We were going back this year but the Chinese virus ruined our and everyone's plans. Maybe next year.

Here is a link to a three part series I wrote about our Alaska/Canada trip in TCT magazine. I hope you enjoy it.

Arctic Adventures in a Vintage Land Cruiser

During the summer of 2018, my wife and I embarked on an Alaska trip. We thought we’d be gone about four weeks. 92 days, two trips to the Arctic Ocean and 13,000 miles later we made it home …

badlandsexpeditions.wordpress.com

 

[Paula - Canadian Explorer]

My wife and I drove up to Tuk the summer of 2018. We were going back this year but the Chinese virus ruined our and everyone's plans. Maybe next year.

Here is a link to a three part series I wrote about our Alaska/Canada trip in TCT magazine. I hope you enjoy it.

Arctic Adventures in a Vintage Land Cruiser

During the summer of 2018, my wife and I embarked on an Alaska trip. We thought we’d be gone about four weeks. 92 days, two trips to the Arctic Ocean and 13,000 miles later we made it home …

badlandsexpeditions.wordpress.com

Nice. I read your chapters. That was an exciting adventure. I hope to one day drive the Dalton and Top of the World Highways.
Glad you got the certificate in Tuk. Hope you join the Dempster Rally next year (event is already posted).
I was hoping to go to Tuk this year as well, but Covid happened and inter-provincial borders closed (NWT's border is still closed).