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The Dempster Highway—Canada’s first all-weather road to cross the Arctic Circle—was officially opened on August 18th, 1979. It is a 735 km (455 mile) two-lane, gravel-surfaced, all-weather highway that runs from the Klondike Highway near Dawson City to Inuvik, Northwest Territories. This page includes pictures from two trips:
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There is an excellent 52-page mile-by-mile guide published by the Yukon Government, "The Dempster Highway Travelogue". The guide can be downloaded from http://www.environmentyukon.gov.yk.ca/pdf/DempsterFinalWeb.pdf
Sign at start of the Dempster Highway - September 1993
Road sign indicating 261 km to Eagle "Lodge" and 633 km to Inuvik - June 1996
Information sign at Tombstone Mountain - September 1993
Spring at Tombstone Mountain - June 20, 1996
Fall colours at Tombstone Mountain - September 3, 1993
Some of following pictures might be out of order. My notes from the trip refer to before Eagle Plains and after Eagle Plains, but not the specific locations.
June 20, 1996
June 20,1996
June 20, 1996. The black dot in the middle of the picture is a bear
running from us.
The smoky column in the distance is a fire.
September 3, 1993
September 3, 1993
In 1993, the most we paid for fuel was $0.779/litre at Eagle Plains Hotel, which is about the half-way point between the Klondike Hwy and Inuvik on the Dempster Highway. In 2008, the most expensive fuel was $1.859/litre at the junction of the Dempster and the Klondike Highway.
Sept 3/1993 receipt for regular gas at Eagle Plains
Thirty-five kilometres (22 miles) north of Eagle Plains is the Arctic Circle. The signage has changed significantly since 1993. On June 22 at the Arctic Circle, the sun does not set below the horizon.
Arctic Circle - September 3, 1993
Arctic Circle - September 3, 1993
June 22, 1996 and another fire in the distance.
The Yukon-Northwest Territories border is at kilometre 465 (mile 290). Inuvik is another 270 km (170 miles) northward.
Also set your clocks one hour ahead for Mountain Standard Time.
Looking north from the Dempster Highway at the Yukon-Northwest Territories
border - June 20, 1996
Looking south on the Dempster from the NWT-Yukon border, with smoke - June 22,
1996
Looking south at the NWT-Yukon border heading (with smoke from forest fires) -
June 22, 1996
Mileage sign leaving the Yukon/NWT border heading towards Inuvik,
270 km away-
June 20, 1996
June 20, 1996
At the Peel River ferry, the sign and loading area are not overwhelming. We chuckled when we saw the bulldozer, ready to make any alterations to the "loading ramp". The ferry came back across the river to pick us up and we eagerly awaited the "signal from the ferry personnel". The "signal" was almost undetectable -- it has a very small flick of the fellow's hand as he stood by the ferry.
The Peel River crossing is a cable crossing and operates from 9 a.m. to 12:30 a.m. daily from early June to mid-October. In winter, there is an ice-bridge at this location.
Peel River ferry crossing northbound - June 20, 1996
Southbound on the Dempster about 10 p.m. on June 22, 1996, in a tremendous
rainstorm.
1 a.m. in the morning in Inuvik - June 21, 1996
1 a.m. in the morning in Inuvik - June 21, 1996