The Dempster Highway Part III - Ep. 9

I complete my drive of the Dempster Highway and arrive in the Canadian hamlet of Tuktoyaktuk on the shore of the Arctic Ocean. Tuk, for short, is a village situated in polar bear country with a rich history surrounded by hundreds of miles of permafrost arctic tundra. Original Score by Trevor Wayne Howard ‪@trevorwaynehoward11‬

[@rickvaiBBB]

You are so lucky to be able to go on such an adventure.

[@4yellowwolf]

Congratulations 🎈

[@mikestevens2053]

Awesome! We drove to Tuk last September, and this video brings back fond memories. No better car wash can be had than a car wash after driving the Dempster Highway! (on edit): based on when you were there, we were just a week ahead of you!

[@walksofworld1981]

That's amazing! We almost crossed paths!

[@RandysRides]

Adventureland is hilarious. This was a well done video, man !! I'll bet this channel gains traction quickly with more vids. Subbed !! Cheers. :)

[@walksofworld1981]

Randy's Rides thanks so much! Appreciated the subscription! I just subscribed to your channel, looks friggin awesome! And hell yes to 'Adventureland' - love that movie!

[@RandysRides]

@@walksofworld1981 Hey, thanks !! It's not as well done as yours, but I hope you find some stuff amusing. Cheers !!

[@malcolm.s]

I am loving your videos. I hope there are more to come.

[@walksofworld1981]

Thank you so much! Trying to keep making new videos with different adventures indefinitely!

[@bobgong7832]

Just subscribed.... 🙂 So glad I stumbled onto your three Dempster Highway videos as they brought back good memories. Thank you. Two friends and I rode the Dempster on our mountain bikes, touring the NWT and Yukon in summer of 1996 or 97 (it's been too long). We started in Inuvik, rode south to Dawson City and eventually down to Whitehorse, Yukon. Unfortunately, we did not make it to Tuktoyaktuk as you did and only saw one grizzly from afar (...luckily for me, being the slowest on a bike). We also stopped at the oasis known as Eagle Plains, rested there around 24hrs and probably consumed six meals during that time for each of us.....Good times. If you're ever around Northern California, drop me a line so we can share more tales of the vast, desolate but beautiful country up north!

[@walksofworld1981]

Would be happy to and will do! Thanks for subscribing. Apologies for an insanely late comment on my part, I always forget to check comments, I gotta get better with that! Your summer mountain biking adventure in 1996/97 sounds awesome!!

[@tomgerth5224]

man, I've really enjoyed this 3 series video! I'm inspired now to do the Dempster! A couple questions: 1) I'll be pulling a teardrop...what kind of camping opportunities along the way? 2) we'll be travelling with another couple (another vehicle)... how necessary is sat phone? 3) where did you get your sat phone... and approx how much $? I have subscribed!!

[@walksofworld1981]

Hello! I'm so sorry I missed your comment here from 9 months ago now! Always forget to check the comments, my apologies! By this point, you've probably driven the Dempster three times already haha! But anyway, to answer your questions: 1). To me it seemed like there were a TON of camping opportunities along the way, basically all over the place. Though I'm not a camper myself, I got the impression that you can pull your camper off the road anywhere and pretty much camp wherever you want. There's literally nobody out there. 2). I personally think a satellite phone is VERY necessary because, you never know what kind of situation you'll be in and there is ZERO cell reception anywhere there, absolutely none. Better safe than sorry because, as is always the case, if you're prepared for an emergency, an emergency usually never happens (kind of like if you take an umbrella with you, it does not rain, and of course there'll be a downpour if you forget to bring one). I got the sat phone in Whitehorse Yukon, can't remember the name of the store, but anyone in town would know. The price seemed reasonable to me, I think it was like $115.00 for two whole weeks. Happy to answer any more questions you have and sorry to get back to you 2 million years late! Thanks for subscribing 🙂

[@proflprasad9094]

Surprised you didn't feature the Tombstone Interpretive Centre. It was one of the highlights when I traversed the Dempster during the 2022 Summer Solstice.

[@walksofworld1981]

I went through Tombstone Mountain area in Dempster Highway Part 1 episode, there was an incredible vista there. I don't think I went to the Interpretive Centre, but I was also in a race against the dwindling daylight.

[@waynemurrah4892]

Wow that was amazing!!!

[@walksofworld1981]

Thank you so much! Cheers!

[@bbkb]

Great video. But other info might help when we go. How long did it take? Did you run lower tire pressure ?(No flats) Cost of you stay at the hotels,B&B? Any bathrooms at rest area and how far apart were they?Anything else you might add to the trip that was not in video?

[@walksofworld1981]

Hi B B, I definitely hear you! So I'd say it took me about 20 hours, but its very weather dependent. I drove there in October in some truly horrible muddy wet icy road conditions. A truck driver told me that driving in the winter was better because the snow packs everything in, so you can almost glide across it. So the time it takes is truly relative to WHEN you go on the trip. I did not run lower tire pressure but I did buy brand new Nokian All Weather Tires about 2 days before I began the drive and I'm glad I did! Excellent tires are NECESSARY. I'm almost certain I would have gotten a flat if I'd left my old tires on the car. If you want some truly great detailed information on the Dempster Highway, check out the youtube channel 'theroadchoseme.' It was this channel that got me interested in driving up north in the first place. The cost of hotels and B&Bs were in the $150.00 range per night, similar to like a Best Western in the United States. There are bathrooms and rest areas in the three towns along the way: Eagle Plains, Fort McPherson, Inuvik, but they're very spread out from each other. You can absolutely make the distance between them in a single day's drive, perhaps even less with good weather conditions. I would mention to bring a lot of your own food and snacks, because when I drove in the off season, Fort McPherson had no restaurants whatsoever. I got into the town at 6pm, the town store had closed at 5pm, they mercifully let me in to pick up some snacks because I had nothing. Eagle Plains is an essential stop around the half way mark - it's a tiny one stop 'town' but its got everything you need: A hotel, a restaurant in the hotel, and a gas station. This gas station also has a repair shop. They expect people to arrive with flat or damaged tires and they're fully equipped to help you. I highly recommend bringing a satellite phone, there is NO RECEPTION on the road. Essentially, if you have quality tires, plenty of snacks/food in the car, a satellite phone, and are prepared for slow driving around 40mph, you'll do well. It's not about having an abundance of spare tires (although you should have at least ONE full size spare - I did), it really comes down to having good tires in the first place. It's an epic drive, be prepared for some creepy moments where you semi hugging cliffs and there are no guard rails anywhere.

[@bbkb]

@@walksofworld1981 Thanks for the great reply. I want to drive car. She wants RV for bathroom breaks and sleep anywhere anytime. We are heading west this year. Should be heading north in 3 years when she retires. Looking forward to about 60 days of travel then. Thank again.

[@mikestevens2053]

@@bbkb My input to what he already said: The road is VERY hard on a vehicle. We did the trip ~ 1 week before him, and may have crossed paths on our way back. They constantly grade the road, but any rain makes tons of nasty potholes. It's all shale, and a gelatinous muck when wet. If your RV is basically a low-clearance pavement driver I would opt for a car, especially if your car has reasonable ground clearance and maybe AWD. The nastiest porta-potty I've ever experienced was the one (several actually) at the end of the spit at Tuktoyaktuk. You need to be up and back by early-mid October before the river starts to freeze and the car ferry service is suspended, or else wait until the rivers are frozen solid to drive over, which is a dangerous time of year to travel. We traveled in a diesel 4x4 van which we slept in. Probably the best suited vehicle for this road from what I saw was a full-sized pickup or SUV, with a truck camper if you wanted to avoid hotels. You could actually make it up in a passenger sedan if you were prepared, cautious, and had excellent tires, and traveled in the Summer. Enjoy!

[@bigmancleverman989]

Not a bad voice !

[@walksofworld1981]

Haha many thanks! I could do the 'In a world' voice for movie previews.

[@mrkamramanphotography2414]

So the mud did not stick like cement basically, I’ve been told that the mud can ruin your vehicle.

[@clivearnold4331]

When did you go to tuk?

[@cottager60]

He said he left Tuk on Monday, October 10, 2022.

[@clivearnold4331]

@@cottager60 thank you !

[@walksofworld1981]

Hi Clive! I went there in October 2022. Winter was closing in fast.