Dempster Highway
Photo: PierreWiki at English Wikipedia, Public domain via Wikimedia Commons
The Dempster Highway (known as Yukon Highway 5 and Northwest Territories Highway 8 in those territories respectively) is a highway through the sub-Arctic wilderness of northern Yukon Territory and extreme northwestern Northwest Territories (NWT) in Canada. The highway runs 671 km (417 mi) from the Klondike Highway near Dawson City to the Indigenous settlement of Inuvik. A 137-km (85-mi), all-season extension to Tuktoyaktuk opened in November 2017, although the extension does not seem to be considered part of the Dempster Highway, instead being referred to as the Inuvik-Tuktoyaktuk Highway.
The Dempster is one of just two roads in North America contiguous with the majority of the North American road network to cross the Arctic Circle. Although considerably less travelled than its American twin, Alaska's Dalton Highway, the road offers much similar scenery.
UnderstandThe Dempster Highway — Canada’s only all-weather road to cross the Arctic Circle — was officially opened on 18 August 1979, at Flat Creek, Yukon.
Get inThe Dempster Highway turn off is on Yukon Highway 2 and is approximately 40 km east of Dawson City.
PrepareSee also: Tips for road trips and Winter driving.
ItineraryThe Dempster Highway is 736 km long from Dawson City to its original terminus at Inuvik.) Kilometre distances here are approximate and start from the junction of the Klondike Highway (Hwy 2).
Do
Stay safeDue to the scarcity of services, you will need a certain degree of self-sufficiency while travelling along the highway on your own. Therefore, you are advised to bring what is listed in the Prepare section.
Sources and licences
- Guide text adapted from the Wikivoyage article "Dempster Highway" by its contributors, available under CC BY-SA 4.0. Read on Wikivoyage · Contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0
- Photo: PierreWiki at English Wikipedia, Public domain via Wikimedia Commons