TheSamba.com :: View topic - Tips for traveling the Dempster Hwy. from Dawson to Inuvik

Fri Aug 30, 2013 9:02 pm

Nice writeup. I enjoyed hearing about the conditions - particularly a few inches of greasy mud and how much it can affect things. Maggie looks like an excellent traveling partner to have.

DougM

Sat Aug 31, 2013 6:19 am

Awesome write up. Great dog.

Sat Aug 31, 2013 9:10 am

dobryan wrote: Thanks! I am planning on doing the exact trip in the summer of 2015 with my then 13 year old son. Plan on a sabbatical from work and 2 months on the road touring Canada, Alaska, and Parks in the USA.

BTW, What shocks are you using?

Thanks guys. I'm running Old Man Emu shocks, with the last edition of the Go Westy springs.

Sat Aug 31, 2013 9:50 am

Thanks.

I'm going to need new shocks for this trip. Mine are a few years old and I don't want to lose one on the way. I've got a stock suspension on my '87 Westy so I'll need to determine what replacement shocks to get that can handle the pounding but are not big $$$. Plenty of time to figure it out. :D

Sun Sep 01, 2013 7:04 am

One thing I forgot to mention in the earlier post is that a lot of the gas stations along the way close around early September, both on the Dempster and on the long stretches in both Northern B.C. and the Yukon. I didn't need my extra fuel, but was glad to be carrying it for about a 1,000 mile stretch south of the Dempster. The visitor info centers will give you a sheet with the services offered at each stop along the way if you ask, which was really useful.

Sun Sep 01, 2013 12:08 pm

Dobryan,

Shocks that are just a few years old would not need to be replaced IMO. They generally last a decade or more and many mfrs recommend that if the shock is not leaking there is no need to replace. So I would not be afraid to take a huge trip with shocks that are say 5 years old. On dirt roads the challenge with shocks is to avoid running fast with washboard (repetitive small bumps) causing the shocks to frenetically cycle constantly and heating them up severely. A simple remedy for that is to drop tire pressures perhaps 20lbs so the tire is absorbing a large % of these repetitive small movements, not the shock. Of course you need to consider if there are rocks in the dirt road that can then mash the softer tire against a rim lip, but that's common sense. So don't feel you need to replace shocks for a trip like this. Spend the money on better lights, spare fuel, spare parts, or better meals.....

By example, I change the shocks on my LandCruisers every 100,000 miles (on third set for both of them). These vehicles get used hard - not severe mind you - but when the new shocks are on frankly I don't get that "wow what a difference". Just a bit more suspension control and such. So even they are not worn out at 100k under a 6000lb vehicle that regularly tows a 6000lb trailer, deals with severe winters, gets offroaded, etc.

DougM

Sun Sep 01, 2013 2:09 pm

Doug, Thanks for the advice on the shocks. Unfortunately these were used when I got the bus so I'm not confident that I want to do a 10,000+ mile trip on them. I'll replace them next year, no issues with a few bucks.

OP, sorry for the threadjack. :D

Sun Sep 01, 2013 3:15 pm

Sounded like a great trip and I liked the video. The mud is no doubt impressive on it's adhesive capabilities. After getting back from doing the Dalton Highway last year I put Westy up on ramps to pressure wash the underside. In places I'd use a brush to get some of the mud off. A year later I still find Dalton mud here and there. Keep on eye on new surface rust underneath, I've notice the trailing arms seemed to spring up a few spots of rust. I only experienced stiff shifting from the mud however we only had about 1/2 day of rain. That is probably a good note for someone to remember that shifting issues will probably occur after running a couple hundred miles when the road is muddy. Seems like folks that run the Dempster have good thinks to say about the journey. It's on my to do list!

Wed Apr 16, 2014 11:13 am

Just did the Dempster a couple weekends ago and just wanted to let people know that the gas/diesel cardlock at the junction of the Dempster Highway and North Klondike Highway is still open 24hrs and takes credit cards.

The Klondike River Lodge burnt down in 2013. http://www.whitehorsestar.com/archive/story/lodge-was-key-fill-up-spot-for-dempster-travellers/

Wed Apr 16, 2014 10:52 pm

thinking of doing the dumpster in later august (post bugs, pre freeze?) 2015. would love to have a group of westies do it together especially after such a successful baja trip last month. i will try to generate enthusiasm as the time approaches and discuss routes, sites and stops along the way to the north. my van is no beauty queen so i am not concerned about flying rocks and mud myself but others may. lets keep this idea afloat!!

Thu Apr 17, 2014 5:09 am

82jxtd wrote: thinking of doing the dumpster in later august (post bugs, pre freeze?) 2015. would love to have a group of westies do it together especially after such a successful baja trip last month. i will try to generate enthusiasm as the time approaches and discuss routes, sites and stops along the way to the north. my van is no beauty queen so i am not concerned about flying rocks and mud myself but others may. lets keep this idea afloat!!

I'm planning on doing that with my son in late June 2015.

Thu Apr 17, 2014 9:19 am

The gov't has started construction on extending the highway from Inuvik to Tuktoyaktuk but will not be finished for a couple years, but once it is done you can drive right to the Arctic Ocean. http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/north/8-facts-about-the-inuvik-to-tuktoyaktuk-highway-1.2488106 Currently the only time you can drive to Tuk is on the ice road in the winter which is a blast!

Sat Sep 27, 2014 10:53 pm

As mentioned earlier in this thread, I drive on a lot of dirt/gravel roads around the intermountain west and I was skeptical about the "tire shredding" nature of the gravel in Ak.

So my wife and I decided to take a road trip up there and check the gravel out for ourselves :-P

Actually, we've been planning the trip for about 6 years.

At any rate, the Dalton highway...

I left home with brand new tires, and an unused spare that was 10 years old, and a can of fix a flat, and a bike tire pump, and some tire plugs. I was a touch nervous from what I had read about the road, but the road turned out to be fantastic, almost zero washboard, some pot holing around, but the dirt/gravel they use has plenty of fines in it and it packs far better than the gravel roads I drive around Idaho/Utah/Wyoming/Montana, the gravel was smooth and as hard as pavement in some places. Overall I'd rate it as a 9.5 out of 10.

The Denali highway was in worse condition than the Dalton, but it was still "good" by my estimation, most gravel roads I drive on in the lower 48 are worse.

The road to McCarthy was the worst dirt road we traveled, a notable portion was in the process of being chip sealed so it was smooth and flat, but dusty, the last 15 miles were pretty bad though, significant portions of road that were completely covered with potholes, but as with the Dalton and Denali, minimal/no washboard.

At any rate, thats my take on some of the AK dirt roads, and here are a couple pics...

Pic of Denali, from a flight we took,

And one of me skateboarding in front of a sign, by a dirt road,

Sat Sep 27, 2014 11:29 pm

There are a lot of areas where shale and sharp rocks are used for road repair. Went up in a Toyota 4X4 this fall.....3 flat tires from rock punctures and a cracked windshield. Go with the strongest tires you can. On another note....an orange VW van came flying by me at the NWT border spraying rocks everywhere.....thanks for that! :(

Wed Jun 03, 2015 5:17 pm

June 3rd and a Blowing Snow Advisory

I love living up here!

Wed Jun 06, 2018 6:31 pm

If this Thread is closed, please delete my post here.

My wife and I have driven up to Alaska (from Kentucky) 9 times since 1986. In 1986 and 1993 (2nd trip up) the Alaska Highway was under major re-construction with lots and lots of gravel and work zones.

Anyway, in 1986 we drove the Dempster to just south of the Tombstone Campground and turned back due to "a" very long bad place in the road. Back then, there was very low travel on the road. Then, in 1993 we returned and drove all the way to Inuvik. We also drove up to Yellowknife and returned to the Alaska Highway via Liard which was all gravel (almost ran out of gas).

Since then, we've driven back to the Arctic Circle 4 or 5 times, maybe more. We've also driven to Circle, AK which has some really rough gravel. We've only driven to Livengood, AK on the Dalton. The traffic is much lower now as I understand.

We went up to the Arctic Circle in July of 16 on the Dempster. The road was beat up pretty bad as there had been rain and lots of traffic. In fact, the Dempster is being used more and more by tourist, which means more pot holes develop after a shower... and more dust! In July, 2014, we cancelled plans to drive up the Dempster due to so much rain.

In summary, of all our travels to Alaska and the many back and side roads we drove on, never a flat tire. We never took more than the regular spare and never packed extra fuel. Seems my tires in 1993 were Yokohama's. Since then, I've always used Uniroyal highway tread.

Maybe we've been lucky!