Savoring the Dempster... yet again

Tombstone Valley on the Dempster Highway, Yukon

I’ve often said that the Dempster is my favorite road. It is 543 miles of winding gravel road connecting communities and people from the gold rush days of Dawson City to the small, indigenous community of Tuktoyaktuk and the Arctic Ocean. This is our seventh trip on the Dempster. 

But the Dempster is more than just a road. It is a place where the Porcupine caribou herd winters. Brown and black bears flourish. Moose outnumber people. Wolves and fox abound. And millions of birds migrate here to nest and raise their young before migrating back south for the winter. 

Dempster brown bear from a past trip.

The Dempster has a vastness that is indescribable. It has a beauty that only God could create. The first section of the Dempster traverses the Klondike Plateau, the Mackenzie Mountains, and onto the Olgavie Mountains. Riding the rim of Olgavie Ridge is an amazing run. It takes you high above the boreal forests to alpine tundra cloaked in rich green moss, lichen, sedges, and grasses.  Ultimately the road leads you to Eagle Plains, a lodge and government outpost for weary travelers. 

Olgavie Mountains, Dempster Highway, Yukon

At the Arctic Circle, the Richardson Mountains (the most northerly extension of the Rocky Mountains) come into view. The Dempster crosses these mountains at Wright Pass, which is also at the Yukon/Northwest Territory border where caribou migrate to and overwinter. If indigenous hunters are tracking, you can be sure to find brown bears. The bears have become accustomed to following gun shots, knowing that soon a welcomed gut pile is theirs for the taking. 

Beyond the border between the Yukon and Northwest Territories, and after taking ferry crossings on the Peel and Mackenzie rivers, lies the Mackenzie River Delta. It is the tenth largest delta in the world and ranks seventh in the world in terms of flow, exceeded in the western hemisphere only by the Mississippi and the Amazon. 

The Dempster is home to the Gwinch’in and Inuvialuit First Nation peoples. The Inuvialuit live in Arctic Canada, mostly above the town of Inuvik. The Gwinch’in live in the basins of the Yukon and Peel Rivers, mainly below Inuvik. Both peoples strive to live off the land in a climate that is cold, mostly dark, and often unforgiving. 

For travelers, the Dempster can be treacherous. It must be respected at all times. Speed and fatigue are its worst enemies, particularly when folks try to traverse the 543 miles in a single day or two. Traveling above 50 mph can be deadly because conditions change on a dime.  There are washboards, frost heaves,  potholes, and sharp, exposed rocks at every corner. A fellow who refused to take the road with an RV group told us that they later reported three flat tires and a broken drive shaft. A native of Inuvik explained it best, “You can go as fast as the number of tires you want to change.”  

Below is a photo of a wreckage we saw this morning along the roadside… most likely due to speed, poor soul. We have not been able to find out if he survived the crash. 

Poor weather conditions are an additional hazard. The weather changes quickly here. Damp, gale force winds prevail. Rain turns to sleet or snow in a heartbeat. Clear skies turn threatening all too quickly. And because of it, the road suffers. From Olgavie Ridge to Eagle Plains and on to the Arctic Circle, the Dempster becomes most difficult, slick, and slippery, during rain and snow. An RV spun out right in front of us on this stretch several years ago. He barely missed sliding off the road and down a steep embankment. We stopped to give him plenty of berth and could see the fright in his eyes as he tried to gain control of his overweight vehicle as it careened downhill, much too fast for conditions. 

Windblown raven on Olgavie Ridge

Past the border, in the Mackenzie Delta, dust from vehicles can be so bad that they can literally bring visibility to zero when you cross paths with a big rig. It is best to pull over and stop when you see them coming. 

There is also muck. The Dempster’s Black Valley is not named for some sinister reason but because of the black shale in the area. The road is altogether black, regardless of conditions. Add rain, and it’s a sticky, sloggy, messy, mucky, and impossible-not-be-coated-in reality. We have had up to six inches of muck packed on our running boards on various trips. (Please note that for most of us, it is a badge of honor to have our vehicles crusted in muck, signifying a course well driven. However, it is a bit of a challenge with a long-hair Golden dog.)

Because of the Dempster’s remoteness, it is expensive here. Gas stations are available at only four locations along the entire road, and you’ll pay top dollar due to transportation costs. Gasoline exceeds $8 a gallon this year. All fuel stops must be planned according to your vehicle’s capacity or you must carry extra fuel with you. Replacement tires can take five days or more to reach you. During our first trip in 2010, we met a fellow who had to pay over $5,000 just to have his motorhome towed to Whitehorse for repairs. 

Those things are, perhaps, the downside of the Dempster… but it is normally only if you approach it as a road to conquer or a destination to reach. To make the road a conquest misses so much of what the road offers. We prefer to take it easy… slow, deliberate, and ever watchful for the animals we hope to encounter. Slow and easy has never failed us. (We also run ten-ply truck tires to further increase our odds.)

The upside to the Dempster is indescribable. It contains incomprehensible vistas, amazing skies, northern lights, and incredible wildlife. We have been blessed to see them all… although none are guaranteed. 

Fall comes quickly to the Dempster and as early as late August. We noticed glimmers of color as we entered the highway this morning. When colors do begin appearing, they often peak in a week to ten days. A trip up the Dempster may look like summer. A few days later, and you are in autumn’s glory. It appears that is our blessing this trip. There are tinges of gold everywhere. 

Let’s see what blessings the Dempster offers us this time.