Dempster hiway

[D_D_Wanderers]

Anyone traveled the Dempster Hiway lately?? We are heading up early next week.

[GeeWillakers]

We left our Class A in Dawson last week and I’m glad we did. Road was decent going up but still lots of rough spots. There were lots of campers, a number of trailers and fivers, and a few Class C’s. Didn’t see any Class A’s on the road but did see a couple in Inuvik and Tuk. Road to Tuk is good except for the last 20k. If it’s wet you won’t make that last bit. We pushed through to Tuk in the sun after 6pm and came back that night in the wee hours finally stopping at 5am. It rained all day the next day. Wasn’t fun south of Eagle Plains in slush-like conditions on road. Don’t know what they put on the road but it is a slog when it’s very wet.

[tony_lee]

D&D Wanderers wrote:
Anyone traveled the Dempster Hiway lately?? We are heading up early next week.

We will see who has the most screws fall out on the way up. Most of mine have already fallen out and been replaced with adhesive

In Whitehorse now enjoying the hospitality of Walmart. No reservations, plenty of room and the right price

That method of slowing down inconsiderate drivers only works if the road is narrow enough and the edges unstable enough that they can't get past a vehicle in the middle. Also works just as well if they are overtaking. Locals in Iceland recommended it against the drivers of bigfoot 4WDs who think they own the roads. Lost count of how many middle finger salutes I got, but since I didn't get a single windscreen ding I figure it was worth it. There the edges of the roads have a windrow of volcanic rock so with their tires costing a fortune, they don't dare get off thge graded track.



If the road is very wide then best is to see which way the wind is blowing and just pull right off on the upwind side. No dust and no damage so works well.

[D_D_Wanderers]

I think playing chicken with a trucker would be a bad idea. Time is money to those guys. Most of them don't care about the well being of other traffic that share the road. The industry is so short of drivers, they are hiring anybody with a pulse and can reach the gas peddle. Complaining to the truck company will do no good. Hopefully letters to the tourism department and the law may produce some results. Fortunately there are lots of responsible drivers on the road. They are just getting fewer. As a retired professional truck driver told me "just because you are the biggest rig on the road doesn't mean you get to be the biggest Ahole"

[SideHillSoup]

We had to change our plans on the trip to Tuk this year,,, now next year plan, however one of my buddies works up at the Ekati Diamond Mine, his partner at the mine is from Inuvik.
This partner from Inuvik says a way to slow the truckers down is drive in the middle of the roads flashing your headlights, so they see you and can’t get past you ( only on straight stretches) and they will slow down.
Now it’s sounds like a good idea when your sitting in your living room having a cold beer planing your trip.
However my experience over the years living here in the mountains of south eastern B.C., with semi trucks, everywhere, is to give them as much room as possible. If they are doing something wrong, take down as much info of the truck/ trailer as possible in that split second ( one reason we have dash cam) and relay it to the cops, and or send the info to the owner of the truck/ trailer. No body likes bad advertising, maybe even a note or 100 notes to the Govt of the NWT, trucks speeding and damaging tourist vehicles isn’t a great selling point when someone wants to visit the areas.
Soup.

[GeeWillakers]

Two fuel stations in Fort McPherson are $1.46 per litre, much cheaper than Eagle Plains.

[harley4275]

MDKMDK wrote:

D&D Wonderers wrote:
There is no fuel on the Dempster until Eagle Plains. 375km. Next would be at Inuvik. The bug level was good but may change as temperatures warm. When off loading the ferry, alert the deck hands and they will guide you. It will be nice having your own rig at Tuk. Drive through town, the road ends at a great location on the shore for boon docking.

Thanks for all the added info.
Hope there's room at the end of the road by the time I get there.:)

Unless it closed , there is a gas station in ft mc pherson just past the ferries .

[MDKMDK]

D&D Wonderers wrote:
There is no fuel on the Dempster until Eagle Plains. 375km. Next would be at Inuvik. The bug level was good but may change as temperatures warm. When off loading the ferry, alert the deck hands and they will guide you. It will be nice having your own rig at Tuk. Drive through town, the road ends at a great location on the shore for boon docking.

Thanks for all the added info.
Hope there's room at the end of the road by the time I get there.:)

[D_D_Wanderers]

There is no fuel on the Dempster until Eagle Plains. 375km. Next would be at Inuvik. The bug level was good but may change as temperatures warm. When off loading the ferry, alert the deck hands and they will guide you. It will be nice having your own rig at Tuk. Drive through town, the road ends at a great location on the shore for boon docking.

[GeeWillakers]

Would. small (32’) class a have a problem to Inuvik other than spraying rock? On our way now but planning on leaving unit in Dawson.

[MDKMDK]

I see. Thanks for the info. Long drive from Whitehorse to Eagle Plains? Many amenities (diesel?) along there and beyond? We encountered more than we expected along the Alaska Hwy in northern Canada. It was a pleasant surprise.
I've got about 8 feet behind center rear axle, so it might be doable based on your ferry descriptions. The tail clears the ground on level ground by about 14" at the tail drag bumpers. My driveway has a fairly steep approach and I have no trouble backing or driving in. If done carefully.
My Navion is just under 5000 kg, ready to roll. The Wrangler is less than half that. When does the road "firm up"? Good news about bugs. We hate 'em.
Thanks again for the info. If you think of anything else that might be important about the route north from Whitehorse, I'm all ears.

[D_D_Wanderers]

The road is better between Eagle and Inuvik than before Eagle. There are two ferries. The first across the Peel River would be no problem. The docking ramps where lvel so a rig with long rear overhang would have no problem. The second accross the Mackenzie was uneven. Maybe they could have made it better if needed. Most shorter C classes weren't having any proplem. Later when the road firms up the wieght restriction will come off, then you could likely take your rig right to Tuk.

[MDKMDK]

D&D Wonderers wrote:
Made it up and down the Dempster Hiway. What a great drive. Saw wild life, and miles of beautiful scenery. The road was a little pot holey in places, but no need to be in a rush. Very few bugs. The only hazard was idiot truckers that insist on driving beyond their ability and shower your windshield with rocks. Left the coach at Eagle Plains and went the rest of the way with the toad. Nothing more than 5000lb allowed from Inuvik to Tuk. Real soft in places but a great drive in a lighter vehicle. What a amazing experience, sitting on the shore of the Beaufort Sea and watch the sun almost set and rise again.

That's awesome. Especially the sunrise/sunset thing. What an experience! We'd like to give it a try some day.
Did you wind up with any "stone shower" damage? We almost made it through the "kill zone" in northern BC/YT in 2016, but a pinhead driving a semi rig did exactly what you described to us (the roadway was medium-small sized aggregate, posted as 50kph, and he was doing at least 90kph through it - we had no where to escape to), and we took a chip high on the passenger side. Got fixed in Great Falls, MT at the Safelite there. Great service, great price, Great Falls.
Could you have driven the coach/towed combo to Inuvik? Or would it have been more trouble than it's worth? I see there's at least one ferry crossing between Eagle Plains and Inuvik, possibly two. Would that have been passable with both vehicles?

[D_D_Wanderers]

Made it up and down the Dempster Hiway. What a great drive. Saw wild life, and miles of beautiful scenery. The road was a little pot holey in places, but no need to be in a rush. Very few bugs. The only hazard was idiot truckers that insist on driving beyond their ability and shower your windshield with rocks. Left the coach at Eagle Plains and went the rest of the way with the toad. Nothing more than 5000lb allowed from Inuvik to Tuk. Real soft in places but a great drive in a lighter vehicle. What a amazing experience, sitting on the shore of the Beaufort Sea and watch the sun almost set and rise again.

[tony_lee]

Yes, I did say it was one of the reasons and like you, our main reason is because we almost never ever reserve campgrounds (because we use them as little as possible) so need to work on the assumption that what we have on board might have to last us for a week or more.