I'm creating this site two years after we actually traveled the Dempster Highway, so I'll describe our trip briefly. You can find some more information on the  Pictures page.

We drove our own car from Seattle, Washington. First, we went by road from Seattle to Prince Rupert, British Columbia. There we boarded a ferry and took the  Alaska Marine Highway to Skagway. We spent a few nights in Sitka, which has a Russian heritage, and in Juneau. In Skagway we crossed the Canadian border again and entered the Yukon Territory. We drove to the historic Dawson City, which used to be the heart of the Gold Rush. We spent two days in Dawson - we took a tour around town and visited Jack London's cabin.

The Dempster Highway starts near Dawson City and runs for 456 miles (733 km) to Inuvik. From there we took a plane to Tuktoyaktuk (Tuk) to see the Arctic Ocean. There is a road between Inuvik and Tuktoyaktuk, but it goes through the delta of the Mackenzie River and is open in winter only. At Eagle Plains there is the only gas station and hotel between the beginning of the Dempster and Inuvik. On our way to Inuvik we had to cross two rivers – the Peel and the Mackenzie - by ferry. There is no charge for these ferries, and the waiting time is no more than 45 minutes. But they do not operate at night, so you have to plan your schedule accordingly.

The Dempster Highway was paved only in the beginning, but the condition of the gravel portion was pretty good, so we had no problems driving it. We got a cracked windshield, but it was my fault - I was trying to pass a truck where I shouldn't have. The weather was good during our whole trip, but shortly before we came there had apparently been a few rainy days. We didn't see a single mosquito in August.

To our big surprise, on our way back we could observe Aurora borealis on the border between Yukon and British Columbia. It wasn't nearly as strong as in winter, but clearly visible.

To our big surprise, on our way back we could observe Aurora borealis on the border between the Yukon and British Columbia. It wasn't nearly as strong as in winter, but still clearly visible.

Overall, we had an excellent time. However, two weeks was not enough for such a big trip. I could only wish we had had at least three weeks.