Dempster Highway, an Arctic Plunge, & a Sourtoe Cocktail - Dawson to Tuktoyaktuk Adventure
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- čas přidán 27. 08. 2024
- We arrive in Dawson City to good news that allows us to head to Tuktoyaktuk, NWT!
Our adventures lead to an over 1,100-mile drive on gravel roads from Dawson City to Tuktoyaktuk taking two ferries and making stops in Fort McPherson and Inuvik along the Dempster Highway. It was an incredible drive taking us through several distinct biomes and culminating with a stop in the Arctic tundra. We experience 24-hour sunlight for the first time in our lives, swim in the Arctic Ocean, and live in "The Pickle," our Autohome roof-top-tent, for four days on this adventure.
Back in Dawson City, we finally get in a hike up Dome Mountain and Kelly gets caught up on work while Jason explores Dodge No. 4, the largest wooden-hulled dredge in North America. Our last night in Dawson City, and Canada, we headed to the Sourdough Saloon to drink a Sourtoe Cocktail. This is a shot of alcohol, normally Yukon Gold whiskey, with a floater of an amputadde and mummified toe. With steel lined stomachs, and a bit of courage, we both drank this toe-tini.
The next morning we waited in line for the ferry to cross the Yukon on our last portion of our Journey to Alaska. See you next time as we begin our Alaskan Adventure!
I want to do this. A huge bucket list for me
It was on ours as well. Best of luck ticking items off that list. Let the adventures begin!
We were in Tuk on June 12. We had to wait 2.5 days for the Peel River ferry. The landings were completely washed out and we were stuck waiting for the crews to rebuild. The Peel River had an epic flood this year and so many locals lost their cabins along the river. It was a great trip as you well know. It's a long poke up the Dempster and not for the faint of heart.
Wow! You guys were just behind us. We heard about the ferry closing, which was probably a good thing. You could see as we crossed the Peel there wasn’t much of a ramp. A truck in front of us towing a trailer barely had enough ramp width for the trailer tires. It was amazing they got the Dempster open as early as they did despite the major damage. It’s certainly a trip to remember and glad we did it…once 😉
We did the trip to Tuktoyaktuk a little later, July 15th-20th . We pulled our travel trailer all the way. Lots of dust got sucked inside, but it was worth it! It was warm, in the mid 70's and sun. Water temp was 66, so we took a swim! I haven't started making videos of our trip yet, but will over the fall and winter. Our total trip was 107 days and 18,000 miles !
Very cool! I think you went at the perfect time. It was pretty chilly while we were there and the village wasn’t ready for visitors yet. We’ll look forward to seeing your videos in the future! Enjoy the adventure!
Enjoying the adventures!!!!
Thanks, Mel! Not as warm as LA. But, then again, I’m not a fan of swimming with the gators 😆.
WoW WoW WoW that was so cool! What an adventure. Congrats on all those bucket list accomplishments. Really enjoying your journey.
Thank you! We had a ton of fun checking off some of that list!
Great episode! Something you'll remember the rest of your lives, for sure!
Absolutely! Although I kind of blanked out when my body hit the water In Tuktoyaktuk 🥶
Another awesome video! Congratulations on a wonderful adventure. Best wishes ahead to Alaska!
Thank you! We had so much fun (and exhaustion) going to Tuktoyaktuk. We look forward to sharing our Alaska adventures!
What a great adventure!
Thank you! It’s been a lot of fun with more adventures ahead.
Another great trip report. Thanks for sharing.
Thank you for watching!
Love it
Thank you!
you know everybody in Tuk is wonder what you guys were smoking when you took the dip
Yup. But, there was someone else who was inspired to jump in after me and an entire family after him. Apparently it was contagious 😆. The restaurant owner did mention the locals think we’re a couple cans short of a six-pack 😜.
I’m taking my 07 Town and Country van up the Dempster in June 2024. Any advice you can give is greatly appreciated. Safe travels.
Thank you! Give yourself extra time to get up and down the Dempster, since ferries can, and do stop crossing at times, stranding you. Just have patience and extra food and you’ll be good. In mid-June most things were closed in Tuk. On the bright side, there weren’t many other folks on the road. Make sure to have a good spare tire and emergency kit. It can be over 100 miles to the nearest help, so being self sufficient is very important. Try to bring everything you’ll need from Dawson City as food and supplies get very expensive once you head up the Dempster. Lastly, it’s probably best to have an idea of multiple camping options for each day. The road is rough, so a 200-mile day can be exhausting. Then again, the sun doesn’t set until around midnight, so if you’re still feeling good you can push to the next. Oh, yeah…bring good tunes. Minimal cell reception and satellite radio stopped working part way up 😆. Enjoy your trip, take your time, and enjoy. There’s a ton of great places to explore on your way to the Dempster. Cheers!
Hello from a fellow Ollie owner, we’re loving your adventures!! Keep ‘‘em coming! We are looking forward to our trip to Alaska in a year. Just wondering how is your foam “rock guard” working so far?
Thank you for watching! We think they’ve been doing their job, but won’t really know for sure until we get back south and remove them. We have heard far less “clinking” when driving on gravel, so tray’s a good sign 😆. They don’t cover as much as we would have preferred and have seen a few chips in areas not protected. If we were to do it again, I think either getting it coated with line-x might be the better choice. It’s permanent, but at least would provide more thorough protection. Basically use what the factory now does with the wheel wells.
How important is it to have 4wd or awd on your vehicle? Thanks for a great video.
Thanks for watching! Honestly, we rarely use the 4wd, but we have needed it a few times. It’s one of those things that just allows us to get into places we might not go without it and was nice when we’ve had to tow in snow.
Great adventure! where did you leave you trailer while traveling the dempster highway? We plan to go there this summer.
Thank you! We left the camper at Gold Rush RV Park. It’s no frills and not cheap, but it’s a short walk to the Dawson City attractions, they have no-hookup sites for cheaper, and they were fine with us leaving it there for the time we were on the Dempster. There is a provincial park across the river, but it clearly states you cannot leave your RV there unattended. Probably not enforced, but we weren’t comfortable rolling the dice to save a few bucks. Enjoy your adventure! It’s an incredible experience!
I first heard of the Dempster about five years ago and I've dreamed of making the drive up ever since. I think we are finally going to do it in September 2024. I have to ask though- Where do you get the stickers of the states and provinces?
Driving the Dempster was a great experience, and September is likely better than early June. We got the stickers off of Amazon. If you search state map stickers and provincial map stickers you should have multiple options. Enjoy your adventures!
Great video, we’re heading up the Dempster next week, what PSI did you air your tires down to?
I only brought them down about 10 psi (50/55). It was enough to smooth out the washboard areas a bit. Since it’s such a long drive and reasonably decent gravel roads that we were normally traveling between 35-45mph, I didn’t feel the need to take them down to 35/40 psi that you would want for more serious off-road trails. Most people probably don’t dump any air and it’s still fine, just more jarring. Enjoy your Dempster run!