Again like our post about the Dalton Highway, we thought we would take this opportunity to introduce the Dempster for those who are going to embark on this specific road this summer.  Also, for those who missed our summer 2011 post about this amazing road.  The DEMPSTER…what to say.  All depends on the weather and you own riding sanity and tolerance.  Take extra gas on this trip and we hope everyone has nothing but SUN!

Click on the links below if you want to read our posts from last year when we were blogging live from the road.

DOING THE DEMPSTER

RESPECT THE DEMPSTER

VIRTUAL TOUR OF DAWSON CITY

The Dempster Highway, also referred to as Yukon Highway 5 and Northwest Territories Highway 8, is a highway that connects the Klondike Highway in Yukon, Canada to Inuvik, Northwest Territories on the Mackenzie Riverdelta. During the winter months, the highway extends another 194 km (121 mi) to Tuktoyaktuk, on the northern coast of Canada, using frozen portions of the Mackenzie River delta as an ice road (the Tuktoyaktuk Winter Road). The highway crosses the Peel River and the Mackenzie Rivers using a combination of seasonal ferry service and ice bridges.

The highway begins about 40 km (25 mi) east of Dawson City, Yukon on the Klondike Highway and extends 736 km (457 mi) to Inuvik.

Much of the highway follows an old dog sled trail. The highway is named after Royal Canadian Mounted Police Inspector William Dempster, who, as a young constable, frequently ran the dog sled trail from Dawson City to Fort McPhersonNWT.

Continue reading “Welcome to the DEMPSTER”