I'm considering cycling the Dempster Highway in the summer of 2011 and I'm looking for any input, feedback or comments from those who have done this route. This is the gravel highway from Dawson City, Yukon to Inuvik, Northwest Territories. It's as far north as an all-season road can take you in Canada.

Crazy Guy on a Bike has some information on this and I am using that resource. Does anyone here have other information I should keep in mind.

At present, this is nothing more than a bit of daydreaming, but there's a good chance it could become a reality.

It is a great ride. It has been a while since I rode it, https://www.mvermeulen.com/yukon.html

Be prepared to cold weather any time of year. I've emailed with a number of people who followed me and it can snow in July. The road condition will depend on where they've graded and how much precipitation has recently fallen. There can be some mosquitoes and large biting horseflies (though after my Dempster trip, I've seen worse).

Nice write up Mev, thanks for sharing that with us! 5 1/2 days, 83 miles a day, thats a lot of miles in a short time, fully loaded. Why not spread it out longer? Was this based on having to carry enough food for the whole trip, or anything in particular?

mev : would mtb bike type tires at reduced pressure be useful during the more slippery areas during or shortly after a rain?

My preference would be my touring bike with tires at least 40 mm wide. I've already had my touring bike on plenty of dirt and gravel roads and trails, so I know the bike is up to the task.

I was on the Dempster in July if I recall correctly a few years back. The road gets trashed if it rains. Be prepared to be very wet, very cold and very dirty. Bugs were an issue so bring whatever you need to be happy in a mosquito rich environment...I hate bug spray so I used LS shirts and a bug hat with face net.

I ran Marathon XR 26 x 2.0" tires....overkill for the dry days, but appreciated when it got messy.

vik : Were the bugs an issue for most of the trip? Or were you able to find a wild camp site away from them, near a hill top for instance?

If you can get the latest information on when they open the road to the public from the department of highways, I found that to be the best time to go.
They have to wait for the 2 rivers to be free from ice so they can run the ferries safely. Leaving as soon as possible from the south,
usually end of may, or into june, is supposedly one of the driest times of the year, and although there's a healthy bunch of mosquitos and
horse/deer flies, it's not as bad as the hoards later on. When I went, the road beginning at the Klondike Inn was almost as good as a paved
highway, smooth and dry all the way to Inuvik. Unfortunately, a rain storm came through as I headed back down, which turned the first 150 miles
into slippery gumbo with patches of raw oil here and there. Be forewarned that there is only the "Eagle Plains" cafe/motel/bus stop about halfway,
and Fort Mckenzie 3/4's the way up, for facilities. Fort Mckenzie is not a tourist town, and is not very friendly to outsiders. It's a great experience,
and the scenery is nothing like you've seen before. You'll probably be all alone for most of the ride.

The only times the bugs weren't an issue was when it was raining. I could out run a lot of the bugs riding except for some of the flies...who I suspected were faster fliers and were hitching a ride on the back of my bike when they weren't buzzing my face.

I camped in official campgrounds when they were available and wild camped when necessary. I had no trouble with either.

Unfortunately, my work schedule will mean June is pretty much out of the question. There are simply too many things going on that month. At present, I'm considering either the first two weeks of July or the last week of July and first week of August.

For those who have done the trip, were there any problems or close calls with bears or other wildlife? We've got the black bears here in the southern interior of B.C. and I've encountered or observed them quite a few times, but grizzlies seem a bit more unpredictable.

[QUOTE=Newspaperguy;
For those who have done the trip, were there any problems or close calls with bears or other wildlife? .[/QUOTE]

I have not done the trip yet but you may find Stephen Herroero's book, worth your time. He's a Calgary Professor that authored a book in 1985 called "bear attacks". I read it a couple of months ago and found it to be very worthwhile. Interesting and informative.

I didn't have any problems with bears. I kept my food in a bear vault and when wild camping dumped it 300m away from my camp. It was never disturbed.

I carried 2 cans of bear spray which I didn't use. I followed reasonable precautions about keeping food and cooking stuff away from where I slept.

I had eight days allocated, so it was more based on me being a bit more gonzo. It didn't get dark, so I also enjoyed getting out and riding a long day. I packed too much food and took some back, so that wasn't as much reason. Since then I've mellowed some; for example cycling across gravel roads in Siberia a few years ago, I would be happy to stop at 55 miles with plenty of daylight left.

As far as the question about tires goes. For some of the muddy conditions, perhaps wider tires would have helped. For dry conditions, I've found a 700x35 is reasonable for myself and weight I've carried. I found that both on Dempster and also on Dalton and other gravel roads I've traveled.

Hi,

I rode the Dempster this past summer. A couple of comments:

1) You can take a box of groceries and have it sent to the Eagle Plains Hotel at the halfway point for free. If you are starting from the south this can be arranged at the North West Territories visitor center in Dawson (on the main drag opposite the visitor centre). If you are starting from the north this can be arranged at the visitor center in Inuvik. (It's hard to miss. The staff are very helpful there.)

2) The road is constantly changing. It can be impassable after rain. It is regularly maintained by scraping the top, dumping gravel, putting on calcite, being packed down by vehicles etc. The road conditions I experienced heading north were different from the road conditions when I headed south a week later.

I hope this helps.

Cheers!
Don