Nahanni Range Road to Tungsten NWT
Yukon Territory & Northwest Territories

Also see my page dedicated to the South Canol with pictures from our numerous trips on this favourite route of ours.

12 September 2007

The Simpson Lake Yukon Gov't campground (km 81 on the Campbell Hwy) was a pleasant beginning to our day.  The start of the Nahanni Range Road was only 25 km north of the campground.

Information sign at the start of the Nahanni Range Road

This sign at the start of the road was an accurate sign.

Sign at the start of the Nahanni Range Road

Today, blue skies and good gravel road greeted the truck.  We felt enthused as this was the first true blue sky this trip.

Clear blue skies can be amazing in the north in the autumn.  The air has a sweet scent that fills the lungs and the world just seems to be a better place!

Nahanni Range Road

The first 80 km provided reasonable road conditions and nice scenery. 
We didn't know yet that the best was another 50 km ahead.

Nahanni Range Yukon gov't campground sign, km 84

The campground was in the middle of a large forest fire that burned about five years ago. 
Even so, it would have been a good overnight spot. 

Campsite at Nahanni Range Yukon gov't campground

Campsite at Nahanni Range Yukon gov't campground

Hyland River from the Nahanni Range campground

It was only midday so we carried on after lunch.  Didn't know where we'd be tonight.

Hyland River where it intersects the road at km 110 (mile 68)

This warning at km 134 should be taken seriously ...

Warning sign alongside the road

We carried on past the sign, fully understanding the risk of traveling on remote roads in Canada's north.  We were prepared to take care of ourselves for an extended period if necessary; had fuel, food & water and first aid kit, plus way-too-many heavy tools to repair the truck should something break.

Further along the road, the blue skies and clear day provided perfect picture opportunities.  My little Canon A70 point & shoot did a good job.

Lake along Nahanni Range Road

Looking south over a lake along the Nahanni Range Road

View moving northeast towards Northwest Territories ...

Looking northeast towards our destination

Overall, the road was in good condition.  This area had been freshly graded.

View looking west as we head towards the Northwest Territories

After leaving the valley floor, the road climbed towards the Northwest Territories. 

Looking back at the Yukon

The road narrowed as it climbed.  On one side of us was a wall and on the other side was a severe drop with no roadside barrier.  Steve inched the truck along as we didn't know if there would be oncoming traffic around any of the corners.

Small lake near the highest point along the pass

We wondered where the border between Yukon and Northwest Territories would be.  A "Notice to Hunters" was the only marking.

Sign marking the boundary between Yukon and NWT

The next sign we saw (below) gave several warnings with a downhill graphic,
DEADEND AHEAD 300-400 FT, and KEEP RIGHT. 

Not sure what was ahead we crept slowly up to the edge.
There was no place to turn around with a fifth wheel behind us!

Turns out the sign should have said "90 degree left turn and if you miss the turn you will drop a long way over a vertical bank".

Sign -- DEAD END AHEAD 300-400 FT - KEEP RIGHT

I took video of this experience, so wasn't able to take a picture.  There was a checkerboard sign as we approached the corner, visible in this 36-second video. Apologies for the low-res video ... I was using my small Canon digital.

Continuing along, the scenery was spectacular.  Amazing colours!

Looking towards the Northwest Territories and the Ragged Mountains

The tungsten mine is at the end of the road. 
There isn't much to see other than the signs indicating "No Trespassing".

End of the road at Tungsten

We heeded the "No Trespass" signs and turned back. 

There was a fine spot to set up camp just a few kilometres back.  Look again at the fourth picture up and you'll recognize the backdrop of the Ragged Mountains ...

Boondock site alongside the Nahanni Range Road, near Tungsten

The evening was very quiet, with a few planes flying overhead.  A couple of workers from the mine passed by on their way to retrieve a moose they shot the night before.  They told us the planes were flying between Tungsten and Macmillan Pass, where there was another mine (end of the North Canol Rd).  They also told us not to wander too far without reflective gear as some hunters liked to shoot into this valley from the road above (the road we drove in on), and they thought some of the hunters wouldn't expect to see two humans and a dog out for an evening stroll and might assume we were something else in the dusk.  So they thought it best we be brightly decorated.

We didn't meet anyone else that night; nor were we used for target practice.

Total of 170 pictures today ...

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