22 replies to this topic

[penner]

Anyone planning a trip up the Dempster to Tuk in 2020? We will be heading up either mid June OR late July , thinking later because of the bug factor. Figuring on a 6-8 week trip from Ontario. Any suggestions and info would be appreciated. Thanks. Glen.

[klahanie]

Maybe. We had been intending to do a North trip aiming to be up that way end of July but now are kicking around going back to the East Coast. Prob decide closer to Feb. Will follow this tread as a possibility.

 

Do you have a tentative route planned to get to Yukon ?

 

Six to eight weeks is really good but you know, it will go quickly. I googled TO to Tuk (as an example); it's a heck of a long way but will be well worth it !

 

Only tip I can give right now is to take your time on the Dempster part. Don't drive it as a punch list, get down and soak in the environment as often as you can, bugs be damned.

 

Enjoy your planning ...

[penner]

No real route planned yet. I did "map quest" a tentative route and it will be a good hike. Add in stops in Ft Smith and Edmonton for visits and even 8 wks might be pushing it. If you decide on the East will you do Nfld again? 

[klahanie]

^ Yup, Newf and NS, which we only drove thru. That could mean the Trans Lab again, hehe, but only if I can swing including the Trans Taiga.

 

Ft Smith, eh ? So the rapids, Pine Point, Wood Buffalo. Nice.

[Dirt Rider]

When you say Ontario, are you referring to Calif or Canada?

[penner]

When you say Ontario, are you referring to Calif or Canada?

Canada. I'm about 2hrs N/W of Toronto. 

[smlobx]

We’ll be going to AK and Tuk next summer. We are not going to detail the entire trip (3 months) but will explore and stop where interested. We should be in tuk mid to late July. We will be leaving Virginia in mid May visit Banff and Jasper on our way to Prince Rupert where we’ll be taking the ferry to Haines then on to the rest of AK. We’re estimating about a 15,000 mile trip!

 

just an FYI for anyone planning on going to Denali it appears that there has been a huge landslide about 44 miles into the park and it is unknown at this time if the full road will be open by summer....

Edited by smlobx, 23 December 2019 - 11:10 AM.

[trikebubble]

My Wife (and our 2 dogs) drove from our home in Penticton BC to Tuk and back in July of 2018. We took three and a half weeks and drove a total of 8600+KM. I'll start by saying both that I'd would go back in a hear beat, and I think "Going North" should be mandatory for every single Canadian. It is hard to appreciate what we have in a country unless you've had the humbling experience of going way North, seeing what is up there, and meeting the Canadians who live their lives above the Arctic Circle.

 

A few highlights from our trip.

- I'd really recommend taking the Cassiar Hwy up, and going to visit Stewart.Hyder and the Salmon Glacier on the way. (I could honestly take or leave the Alaska Hwy route in Northern BC)

- Plan to spend a couple days playing tourist in Dawson City, it is without question the best little town I've ever visited anywhere in Canada. We camped at the campground in the middle of town, hung up our driving duties for a couple days and really enjoyed walking around town, sampling local food (Joe's wood-fired pizza is tops), hiking the local trail network, kissing the sour-toe, and just hanging around. Sitting in the campground at 1am in total sunlight, enjoying a beer and chatting with other travelers was also a highlight.

- We really tried ot take our time when driving up The Dempster. I kept the speed at no more than 80km/hr which allowed us ot really soak it all in, and we stopped multiple times to just stand there in awe of the vastness of the area.

- Tuk in July of 2018 was simply magical. We were fortunate to drive North before a lot of other people, so we were able to camp in a place that you no longer can. I would still recommend camping in Tuk for the night (regardless of the cost, it is something you would regret later in life if you didn't). I never really believed people who said "yeah, the sun never sets up there in the middle of the summer" until I witnessed it for myself. Standing on the shores of the Beafort Sea at 3am just watching the sun hover there was breathtaking.

 - On our way South we detoured onto the Campbell Highway, and took a quick drive around the partially abandoned town of Faro. It is a very strange experience driving thru neighborhood's of closed up houses and apartment blocks. (I do hear they have a famous golf course their though)

 - After visiting Faro, we drove east than hooked onto the South Canol Road. I'll say this was without question the most isolated, and equally beautiful and amazing road of our whole trip. It's appx. 225km long, and we saw maybe 3 other vehicles on the entire road. Now that I think of it, we saw more porcupines than passing cars. We stayed at Quiet Lake Territorial Campground, which is easily one of the best campgrounds I've ever stayed in. (Yukon campgrounds cost around $12 a night, and you get free firewood with that. It's a hard deal to beat, and you can help support their campgrounds up there)

 

I'm sure their is more that I can't think of right now, but overall I'd say to slow things down as much as possible, stop as much as possible to take it all in.

Edited by trikebubble, 30 December 2019 - 10:11 PM.

[penner]

Thanks for the replies and suggestions. Leaning towards leaving here mid to late July . Probably drive fairly steady until we get to B.C. then slow it down. Looking at taking I-90 and then cutting up to B.C. and hooking up with the Cassiar. Any suggestions on a border crossing and route to connect with the Cassiar? Have no intention on going to Vancouver. Thanks again and Happy New Year

[dennis 221]

tuk short CUT road last summer was and still is UNDER construction!! avoid at all cost! 26 miles of one way hell