So this was an absolutely fantastic trip. What a beautiful area of Canada. I consider myself fairly well travelled, I've been to 30ish countries and all across Canada. The drive up the Dempster has got to be one of the most special places I have ever driven through. Every 10 minutes the scenery seams to completely change.
From the rugged peeks of the early Tombstone area, to wide valleys surrounded by mountains, with grassy sedge's and rivers snaking through it, small lakes, then narrow roadway down steep hills flanked by mountains of rubble with impossibly steep angles of repose. This opens into more peaks of shorter mountains with jagged spines, wider rivers of rock, some stained rust red by minerals. Then you climb through forested areas, into more wide open vistas of endless black spruce.
Leading into and beyond Eagle Plains the road winds across the tops of broad ridges, somehow avoiding dipping in and out of the valleys, and following old hunting trails. As you pass the arctic circle and approach the and NWT the road follows the contours of a new range of mountains, breaching them at a saddle between NWT and Yukon. You then begin the long decent to the Mackenzie river through loose rock valleys and open vistas. The rest of the drive to Inuvik is flat through endless lakes, marshes and stubby treed forests.
Words can't truly describe the beauty, and photos do it no justice. Sorry all, you are just going to have to see it yourself!
We ended up doing a flight to Tuktoyaktuk and taking a boat back down the Mackenzie Delta, stopping at a whale camp. We then drove back down to Dawson city, in to Alaska through the top of the world highway, then back into the Yukon and spent a few days hiking around Kluane National Park. Also an absolutely gorgeous place. I'm going through pictures right now, here's a taste from Kings Thrown hike overlooking Kathleen Lake in Kluane. 360 panorama.
