Dempster Highway 559a1
Dempster Highway. The rest of this narrative (below) is about the trip and not specific to this picture.
Dawson City (previous picture in this set) is where one gets on the Dempster Highway. The Dempster Highway is a graded gravel road running north for 736 km (457 miles) across the Arctic Circle to Inuvik, NWT (Northwest Territories). The highway runs through very remote territory and usually has very little traffic. On the days that I drove it, it was typical to see another vehicle about once every 1-2 hours, though there was a 4 hour stretch where I did not see another vehicle. From Dawson City there is no population (no cabins, no ranches, no mines... nobody) for 369 km (230 miles) until Eagle Plains. Eagle Plains is a gas station, restaurant, motel, and campground. After Eagle Plains, there is another stretch of 180 km (112 miles) with zero population, then one begins to encounter small communities and traffic (a vehicle every 30 minutes or so.) It is recommended when traveling the Dempster Highway to carry extra spare tires (the gravel is rough on tires), tape for fixing any broken hoses or wiring, extra gas, and emergency supplies (food, water, blankets) in case your vehicle breaks down and no one comes by for a couple of days.
It is very difficult to describe the experience of driving the
highway. After the first hour on the road, one begins to realize how
very alone they are. Because the road is gravel, it would be very
easy to slide off and go down an embankment, and not be found until
months later. But somehow, even though I was driving alone, I found
it awe-inspiring instead of frightening. Most of the road runs
through mountain valleys and along ridges, with air that is so clean
and clear that one can see for what seems like an eternity -- for much
of the road, if one were to go due east, one would not encounter human
habitation for 1000's of miles. Coming around one curve, I saw a
large, gray, wolf crossing the road -- which was somehow quite moving
to see. And, because there is no night in June, it was possible to
watch owls hunt for food. Though the following pictures in this set
have no wildlife, hopefully they capture some of the beauty of the
road.
From 1994 San Francisco - Arctic Ocean camping trip. Scan of an older
picture. Best viewed as part of the NW Canada set.
View on black, courtesy of B l a c k M a g i c
Comments and faves
The MediaMentor (39 months ago | reply)
Hi, I'm an admin for a group called Images of Canada's North, and we'd love to have this added to the group!
kgdavid and Patmos1 added this photo to their favorites.