Dempster Highway

Understand

The Dempster Highway — Canada’s only all-weather road to cross the Arctic Circle — was officially opened on 18 August 1979, at Flat Creek, Yukon. It was unveiled as a two-lane, gravel-surfaced, all-weather highway that ran 736 km (457 mi) from the Klondike Highway near Dawson City to Fort McPherson and Arctic Red River (now Tsiigehtchic) in the Northwest Territories. The Canadian Forces 1 Combat Engineer Regiment from Chilliwack, British Columbia, built the two major bridges over the Ogilvie and Eagle rivers. Ferries handle the traffic at the Peel River crossing near Fort McPherson and the Arctic Red River crossing near Tsiigehtchic. The design of the highway is unique, primarily due to the intense physical conditions it is put through. The highway itself sits on top of a gravel berm to insulate the permafrost in the soil underneath. The thickness of the gravel pad ranges from 1.2 m (3 ft 11 in) up to 2.4 m (7 ft 10 in) in some places. Without the pad, the permafrost would thaw and the road would sink into the ground. In addition to services in Fort McPherson, Tsiigehtchic and Inuvik, there is one location with commercial services along the highway, at Eagle Plains. It is an important fuel and food stop because of the great distance, and harbours stranded travellers when the highway is closed due to extreme weather conditions. (Until 1979, the highway was only open in the short summer.) During the early 1990s, Northwestel erected microwave towers along the highway to facilitate public safety with manual mobile telephone service and to provide government agencies such as highway maintenance and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police with communications.

History Much of the highway follows an old dog sled trail. The highway is named after Royal Canadian Mounted Police Inspector William John Duncan Dempster, who, as a young constable, frequently ran the dog sled trail from Dawson City to Fort McPherson NWT. Inspector Dempster and two other constables were sent out on a r

Getting there

By car The Dempster Highway turn off is on Yukon Highway 2 and is approximately 40 km (25 mi) east of Dawson City. It is strongly suggested to fill up your tank either at the Klondike River Lodge at the turn off or in Dawson City as there are no services until Eagle Plains 365 km (227 mi) away!

Do

Photography Camping: This great wilderness is a great place to set up camp and enjoy the great outdoors. Just pull off the road at least 10 m (30 ft) and set up camp. See also: Car camping. If leaving the highway for an extended hike, a GPS device is helpful. Declination can be 27º or more in this region. Hike/backpack: Fresh air, free of smog and car fumes; short grass; no snakes or other hidden dangers; beautiful, unspoiled land. Why not? Walk through forests or tundra, climb one of the numerous hills. Once away from the highway, the virgin land appears before your eyes as it did to those in search of the Northwest Passage hundreds of years ago. Be careful to avoid bears. If bringing a GPS, recommended for long hikes, the declination at this latitude is great. Hunting Fishing. Kayaking, rafting, & canoeing: There are several possible river trips along the Dempster. Cross country skiing is available in most months outside July. Bring your own skis, as there is nowhere to rent skis along the highway. Visit the Arctic Ocean. By travelling from Inuvik to Tuktoyaktuk on the eponymous Imuvik-Tuktoyaktuk Highway, travellers can reach the shores of the Arctic Ocean. This is the only highway contiguous with the majority of the North American road network that reaches the Arctic Ocean. (The Dalton Highway in Alaska ends 13 km (8 mi) from the Arctic shoreline, which can only be reached across privately-owned land by participating in an organized tour.) The region is extremely remote. You should bring appropriate maps or a GPS device when doing so. Remember declination can be 27° or more, so recalibrate your device before leaving the highway.