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Outside Magazine May 2003
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Destinations: Yukon Gold
Dempster Driving
Take a tundra tour along the Yukon's loneliest road

By Sam Moulton


The loneliness of the long-distance road: the wilderness of the Yukon, as seen from Dempster (Corel)




















IT'S TRUE YOU CAN'T DRIVE to the ends of the earth, but the Yukon's Dempster Highway will take you as close as you'd ever want to go. Beginning near Dawson City, this lonesome strip of loose gravel stretches 461 miles northeast, ending just shy of the Arctic Ocean in Inuvik, Northwest Territories. Completed in 1978 to reach oil and gas deposits, the Dempster remains the gateway to an otherwise untouched swath of mountainous tundra. Drive it and you'll cross the Continental Divide (three times), the Arctic Circle, and two mountain ranges. Its reputation as the longest, most adventurous road in North America isn't unwarranted, given the gaping potholes, tire-piercing shale, and only four gas stations. Here's our suggested one-way, three-night itinerary and a bit of advice: Take a rental, reset the odometer, and load up on maps. You're on your own getting back. At right, ten highlights along one of the gnarliest drives on earth. ACCESS + RESOURCES
ROAD WISDOM Make all your arrangements in Whitehorse, 298 miles southeast of the Dempster's start. Norcan Leasing Ltd. (867-668-2137, www.norcan.yk.ca) rents mid- and full-size SUVs, starting at $40 a day, and Arctic Motorcycle Tours (867-633-3344, www.arcticmoto.com) rents Kawasaki KLR 650 dual-sport motorcycles ($115 per day). Once you hit the highway, the only services are at Eagle Plains, Fort McPherson, Tsiigehtchic, and Inuvik. Be sure to carry extra fuel, several spare tires, and a copy of The Milepost (www.themilepost.com), the definitive guide to all northern roads. Stop at the visitor center (867-993-5566) in Dawson City for updated highway conditions and a 14-page, mile-by-mile pamphlet. CAMPGROUNDS The Tombstone, Engineer Creek, and Rock River campgrounds ($12 per night) operate on a first-come, first-served basis, with government-maintained kitchen shelters, toilets, and pump water.


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