Yukon/NWT vacation - Calgarypuck Forums - The Unofficial Calgary Flames Fan Community

Fuzz · 01-31-2016, 03:54 PM

We are thinking of heading north in June. Probably going to rent a camper there and strongly considering driving the Dempster to Inuvik. Anyone done that before? Any advice?

troutman · 01-31-2016, 04:24 PM

Be prepared for bugs that time of year:

http://www.travelyukon.com/Plan/Trav...ss-Travel-Tips

http://legacyweb.theweathernetwork.c...eport/cayt0019

Dan02 · 01-31-2016, 05:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fuzz

We are thinking of heading north in June. Probably going to rent a camper there and strongly considering driving the Dempster to Inuvik. Anyone done that before? Any advice?

nm misread your post.

btimbit · 01-31-2016, 06:54 PM

Inuvik is a neat place. Only been there in the winter and never driven, but I'd go back for sure. Was contemplating driving the Dempster some time as well

millhouse11 · 01-31-2016, 07:02 PM

Never been to Inuvik, but when I was with Transport Canada (20 years ago), the hot spots were Dawson City and Whitehorse. I was in electronics, and we maintained the airports in AB, Northern BC, Yukon and the NWT. The top destinations in the summer that everyone wanted were Dawson City and Whitehorse.

CliffFletcher · 01-31-2016, 07:49 PM

Dawson City is great. Lots of seasonal expats and a good party scene. The campground across the river is fun.

Kluane Park is spectacular. But don't expect Banff or Jasper levels of infrastructure. There are trails, and that's about it. And the weather can be harsh and unpredicable.

pseudoreality · 01-31-2016, 08:08 PM

I grew up in the north and have traveled extensively throughout all three Territories. July is much better of a time to see the north if you can wait a month. Its warmer and less buggy. That being said, we've been in a real drought the last few years and bugs haven't been bad since 2009. March is the other time of year to see the north if you want to do winter activities (dog sledding, aurora watching, ice fishing, YK Snow Castle and Ice Carving, etc.).

The Dempster can be the most beautiful place in the world, and then the worst 15 minutes later.

Party Elephant · 01-31-2016, 08:36 PM

Beautiful country up there. It's my understanding that if you're driving the Dempster it's a good idea to bring a full jerry can and more than one spare tire.

Northendzone · 02-01-2016, 06:51 AM

i have heard that the malls and shopping in general are great

Fuzz · 02-01-2016, 07:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pseudoreality

I grew up in the north and have traveled extensively throughout all three Territories. July is much better of a time to see the north if you can wait a month. Its warmer and less buggy. That being said, we've been in a real drought the last few years and bugs haven't been bad since 2009. March is the other time of year to see the north if you want to do winter activities (dog sledding, aurora watching, ice fishing, YK Snow Castle and Ice Carving, etc.).

The Dempster can be the most beautiful place in the world, and then the worst 15 minutes later.

We are thinking tail end of June into July, so hopefully the weather will be OK, and the black flies won't be to bad. I think my biggest concern is the amount of driving, but I've done plenty of long trips before. Is the gravel road north Dawson in pretty good shape? If my wife can do some of the driving on it that would help.

Ruttiger · 02-01-2016, 08:13 AM

Did that drive with a friend in September of '06 and it was without a doubt the absolute best road trip of my life. He's done far more travelling around the globe than I have, and he agreed that with the Fall colours along the Dempster, he'd never witnessed scenery like that before anywhere.

As for the road, there were stretches where we comfortably did 130 km/hr, and at other times we couldn't go more than 30. We may have been in the minority but we didn't suffer any tire damage. That said we did have one spare and one of those 'flat tire repair in a can' things but didn't end up needing either.

The highlight for me was the Tombstone Mountain lookout and camping at the campground just down the hill. The view and setting were stunning and I could have sat there all day. I started a thread a couple years back on everyone's favourite places in the world and it was inspired by the view at Tombstone. We also camped at Engineers Creek and Inuvik along the way.

For anyone with a sense of adventure and a desire for some true solitude I can't recommend that trip highly enough. Feel free to ask if you have more questions. Enjoy - I'm jealous!

Fuzz · 02-01-2016, 08:37 AM

Thanks, might poke your brain a bit as we do some more research. Trying to figure out how many days we need to take for this. I'm thinking 2 weeks might be good for Whitehourse to Inuvik and back. I've heard the drive through Alaska from Dawson back to Whitehorse is really nice, though a bit of a detour.

heep223 · 02-01-2016, 09:00 AM

Watch out for bears. They are plentiful and hungry in late spring.

MrCallahan · 02-01-2016, 09:05 AM

Never thought I'd hear of people going up to my home area for a vacation!

If you end up going making it through Yellowknife in July, check out the Folk on the Rocks festival. It's an annual music festival, that's always a good time, and always has a rather eclectic group of artists from all over the world.

Weitz · 02-01-2016, 09:06 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fuzz

We are thinking of heading north in June. Probably going to rent a camper there and strongly considering driving the Dempster to Inuvik. Anyone done that before? Any advice?

I spent 10 days flying in and out of Eagle Plains in August a few years back for work. Was an amazing experience.

Its a beautiful area. We also spent a Night in Dawson City but wish I could have spent some more time there.

Fuzz · 02-01-2016, 09:08 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MrCallahan

Never thought I'd hear of people going up to my home area for a vacation!

If you end up going making it through Yellowknife in July, check out the Folk on the Rocks festival. It's an annual music festival, that's always a good time, and always has a rather eclectic group of artists from all over the world.

Well, with the dollar in the tank, and cutbacks it makes sense to stay in Canada. Cheap gas prices will help a bit too. We did East Coast a couple years ago, so time to check out the north!

GreenLantern · 02-01-2016, 10:40 AM

I always felt if I did this trip I would drive up there in a rental then fly home to save time. I am curious if you did this all by driving which route you take there and back because isn't there really only one way to go?

Fuzz · 02-01-2016, 10:47 AM

We are planning on flying to Whitehorse and renting a camper there, then drive to Dawson, then Inuvik. Come back through Dawson and maybe take the top of the world road to Alaska and back down to Whitehorse.

Weitz · 02-01-2016, 10:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GreenLantern

I always felt if I did this trip I would drive up there in a rental then fly home to save time. I am curious if you did this all by driving which route you take there and back because isn't there really only one way to go?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fuzz

We are planning on flying to Whitehorse and renting a camper there, then drive to Dawson, then Inuvik. Come back through Dawson and maybe take the top of the world road to Alaska and back down to Whitehorse.

When we were up there trying to rent a truck for work, it was a pain to try and get one of the companies to let us drive the Dempter highway. They all said you were not allowed. We finally got permission to do so from Driving Force and I think it cost $1800 to rent a truck for 10 days.

CliffFletcher · 02-01-2016, 11:44 AM

Drove from Edmonton to Dawson in a van with 6 people taking turns driving, stopping only for gas and to eat a couple times. IIRC, it took about 30 hours.