The Dempster Highway

According to our rental car agreement and the waiver we signed, we were not allowed to take the rental car on the Dempster Highway, a 760km unpaved road built on permafrost that connects Dawson City to the Inuvik on the Artic Sea. However, the weather forecast was good and we couldn't resist the temptation of at least exploring part of the Dempster Highway. There is a visitor centre dedicated to the Dempster Highway in Dawson City where we got the necessary maps as well as information about the sights along the highway.

A few facts about the Dempster Highway:
- Built in 1958 for oil and gas exploration
- 761 km of unpaved road built on a gravel berm to
   insulate the permafrost in the soil underneath
- the only service station is at Eagle Plains at 370km
- Only road in Canada that leads to the Arctic Sea
- Flat tires and cracked windshields are the norm
- Named after RCMP Inspector William John Duncan
  Dempster who ran the dog sled trail from Dawson to
  Fort McPherson

A rain shower along the Dempster

The first stop along the Dempster is the Tombstone Territorial Park, part of the First Nations traditional territory. The park protects a unique wilderness of rugged peaks and permafrost landscapes with an abundance in wildlife. We did a couple of short hikes accessible from the visitors centre and the Dempster Highway and got a glimpse of the beauty of this unique landscape.

Tombstone Territorial Park

Eagle Plains (Population 8) at km 369 is the halfway point of the Dempster and also the only access to civilization along the highway. It's an important stop for food and fuel and a small hotel offers accommodations to stranded travellers. Although there is a small campground at Eagle Plains, we decided to drive to the Rock River Campground at km 440, past the Arctic Circle. In hindsight, we should have stayed at Eagle Plains as the other campground was in the woods along a river, not only was it infested by millions of mosquitos we also didn't have a view to enjoy the midnight sun on the longest day of the year. 

We made it!

The next day we decided to drive up to the border with the Northwest Territories before heading back towards civilization. The temptation to drive all the way to Inuvik was hard to resist but in the interest of time, we had to start trekking back. We also didn't want to jinx our luck by getting stuck somewhere with our rental car as we were not really prepared for this adventure in the first place. We didn't have any spare tires nor a jerry can with extra fuel but the luck was on our side this time!

The furthest North we have ever been!

Along the Dempster

The Dempster also serves as an airstrip

Yukon Part 2: Kluane National Park

The scenic Haines Highway offers great views of glaciated mountains and offers a variety of scenery, from coastal forests to alpine tundra. After winding through a wide alpine valley, it descends into Haines Junction, the gateway for Kluane National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage site which includes Canada's highest peak Mount Logan (5,959m). After a visit to the visitors centre, we hiked the Sheep Creek trail that climbs along side of Sheep Mountain in the hope to see the Dall sheep. Despite the stunning view of the valleys, mountains and glaciers the only glimpse of a Dall sheep we saw through the binoculars at the visitors centre. At this time of the year, they are high up in the mountains but can be seen at lower elevations during spring and fall.

View of Kluane National Park from the Sheep Creek trail

The majority of the park can only be explored by hiking and mountaineering, however, we did explore the Alsek Valley road only accessible with a 4x4. After driving for about 10km along a bumpy road crossing several flooded areas we got to a point where the road was barely visible and we decided to track back. The scenery was absolutely stunning though.

Alsek Valley

Point of no return

Kluane National Park has been home of the Southern Tutchone for thousands of years living a nomadic lifestyle in order to take advantage of the abundances of of wildlife and plants throughout their territory. After being denied access to hunting, trapping and fishing in the 1940's the First Nations have reasserted their right to carry out their traditional activities throughout their territory with the implementation of their land claim.
The Kluskhu First Nations Village offers a glimpse into the life of a First Nations summer fish camp. This village is used by the Kluskhu First Nations to catch salmon and to dry the fish before returning to their permanent village for the winter.

Kluskhu First Nations Village

Our camp for the night was at a private campground along Lake Kluane, as the Provincial campground nearby only accepted RV's because of the bears in the area.

Cottonwood Park Campground