Dempster Highway – Isolated Mystic Beauty

If I ever go missing, look for me here

Escape from the city to… Dempster Highway, Yukon.

Hmm, 736 km long highway in the middle of no where with no gas stations till the end of the road? Better get some gas. Better bring some extra gas. A LOT of extra gas.

dempster highway
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dempster highway sign
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drive with headlights on at all times
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dempster highway yukon
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The Dempster Highway is not a very inviting or forgiving type of road. I would recommend to bring at least four extra tires.

We had 5 in total, and we needed 4 of them by the time we were done, although all 8 tires were ‘marginal’ to begin with.

Sometimes you’re 20-something and buy a $1,000 minivan with 250,000 km for a road trip into the middle of no where. These things happen.

Once you’re on the Dempster, you’re alone.

BCAA will not come and rescue you. And did I mention there are more animals than people?

So bring extra food, water, supplies, gasoline, and anything else you may need to stay alive all alone in the wilderness for many days.

extra tires
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Camping near the beginning of the Dempster. Where to stash this gas while we sleep in the van? Oh yeah, anywhere.

camping van
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side view mirror mountain
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North! VERY VERY North. To the end of the road.

eagle lodge sign
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mountain rainbow
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scenery
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gravel shale road
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road and river
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mountain dirt road dempster highway
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Am I on Mars? Well, I’m cool with that.

road on mars
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trees mountains dempster highway
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Dempster Highway

dempser highway yukon
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rocks
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mountain range
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On the Dempster, you can see if another car is coming about 10-15 minutes into the future because you can see the road that far ahead. Okay, maybe I’m exaggerating a bit. But not by much!

alone on yukon dempster highway
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dempster highway road
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mountains
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arctic circle sign
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I like these ‘knuckle mountains’ as I call them.

knuckle mountains
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Northwest Territories was very windy. Not very warm at all, and that was in June.

Apparently driving the Dempster gives you amazing opportunities to view wildlife. However we hardly saw any at all, and that is why I must go back.

When I say ‘The end of the road’ I’m talking Inuvik, NWT, but in the winter, you can keep driving on an ice road, even further. But it was June.

clouds
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dirt shale road dempster highway
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beautiful sky and road
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beautiful scenery northwest territories
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If you keep driving on the Dempster, you’ll have to take 2 ferries. The ferry rides were one of the most memorable experiences.  

They are free, but only run certain days/hours. Check ahead of time.

Dempster Highway Ferry

stop sign dempster highway
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van waiting for ferry dempster highway
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northwest territory
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Carmen Cohoe

Carmen became a driving instructor in beautiful North Vancouver at the age of 22 due to some crazy people who agreed to hire her. After that, there was never a dull moment teaching many different folks from many different places how to drive using automatic and standard vehicles and a minivan.

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