Dempster Highway to the arctic ocean Archives

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Okpik Arctic Village_Western Arctic_Winter_2024_1

Day 1

Catch your morning flight from Dawson City to Inuvik crossing the Arctic Circle and enjoying the amazing Arctic scenery. Meet your guide at the airport in Inuvik, collect your bags and start your adventure. You will experience a town tour of Inuvik, learning about the Northern community before we take you on a scenic ride along the Inuvik-Aklavik ice road to the small community of Aklavik. After a town tour of Aklavik, we will bring you to your traditional accommodation at the Okpik Arctic Village for the evening where you join your local guide and Village inhabitants in the tipi, cabin or igloo for dinner.

Meals: Dinner, snacks
Accommodation: Traditional

Day 2

Start off your morning at the Village with breakfast in the cabin. After breakfast, your local guide will give you a tour of the Village. During your tour you’ll have the opportunity to take part and experience how we live off the land through mixing traditional knowledge, modern technology and traditional activities. Join us dog sledding, while you learn how to ready the dogs and mush your own team. After a traditional lunch, we will take you back to Inuvik. You will have plenty of time to enjoy the majestic scenery and take photos. This is your free evening to explore the magic of Inuvik and all it has to offer.

Meals: Breakfast, lunch, snacks
Accommodation: B&B with shared bathroom or hotel for an additional cost

Day 3

Travel the brand new Inuvik-Tuktoyaktuk Highway from Inuvik to the coastal community of Tuk (local name) on the brand new and only highway to the Arctic Ocean. Your local guide will share stories and history of the area, pointing out local landmarks and other points of interest including the Lady of Lourdes Schooner, traditional sod House, local churches, Distant Early Warning Site, Trans Canada Trailhead site. After your Tuk tour, you will receive a cultural tasting where you get to enjoy lunch at the famous Grandma’s Kitchen with us, and you will have some time to explore Tuktoyaktuk by foot, enjoying everything the hamlet has to offer. After 3 to 4 hours in
Tuktoyaktuk you will return down the Inuvik-Tuktoyaktuk Highway back to Inuvik.

Meals: Lunch (bagged lunch if restaurant not available), snacks
Accommodation: B&B with shared bathroom or hotel for an additional cost. Tuktoyaktuk town tour provided by Steen Enterprises.

Day 4

Get ready for a drive down the Dempster Highway! We will venture along the tundra/taiga from Inuvik towards Eagle Plains. Along the drive, we will stop in Tsiigehtchic and Fort McPherson where we visit the grave site of the Lost Patrol and also go across the Mackenzie and Peel River. Other opportunities to get out and enjoy the views include the NWT/Yukon border as well as the Arctic Circle.

Meals: Bagged lunch, snacks
Accommodation: Eagle Plains Hotel

Day 5

A fresh Arctic morning! You’ll depart Eagle Plains along the Dempster Highway with breathtaking views of the Ogilvie and Richardson Mountains and a stop at the beautiful Tombstone Territorial Park to immerse yourself in the unique wilderness! Explore rugged peaks, permafrost land forms, all of which are an integral part of the rich First Nation culture. You will arrive in Dawson City, Yukon in the evening, when the city erupts with energy. Visit any of the local saloons and great restaurants.

Meals: Bagged lunch, snacks

Driving the great adventure on the wild Dempster highway

Itinerary: Inuvik and Tuktoyaktuk in three thrilling days

Here’s why the Western Arctic is the road-trip of a lifetime

Welcome to Tuktoyaktuk sign with Pingo in the background

Eagle Plains – Yukon

Your trip along the Dempster Highway is going to be filled with many hours where you are the only person for kilometers around, so it’s important to take full advantage of the few stops and services where you can gas up, get some rest, and enjoy a good meal.

Eagle Plains has a population of 8, making it one of the smallest communities in the Yukon. It’s the only hotel and garage between Dawson City and Inuvik, and one of the few places you can meet and chat with people also heading up or down on the Dempster.

Less than an hour from the Arctic Circle sign, Eagle Plains gives plenty of wide and wild opportunities to see the spectacular Northern landscapes and wildlife.

Dawson City – Yukon

Your journey down the Dempster Highway starts here in the City of Dawson in the Yukon. Dawson City is a historic and adventure-filled destination in its own right – the centre of the Klondike Gold Rush from 1896-1899.

Getting to Dawson City can be an adventure itself before you even start down the Dempster Highway – access Dawson City by road from Whitehorse or even Alaska on a scenic journey on the North Klondike Highway (#2) or the Top of the World Highway (#9). Flying is an option from Whitehorse, Old Crow, and Inuvik – but for a truly historic experience, make your way to Dawson City by canoe, kayak or raft down the Yukon River.

Set off on your great Northern adventure up the Dempster Highway towards the Arctic Circle and the end of the road in Tuktoyaktuk.

Arctic Ocean

Congratulations! You’ve made it to the top of the world. Travellers from all over the globe arrive in Tuktoyaktuk and head to the shore to take a dip in the brisk waters of the Arctic Ocean. It’s a mysterious, life-giving body of water that few get to see with their own eyes, let alone stick their toes in.

The smallest and shallowest (and coldest) of the world’s five major oceans, the Arctic Ocean is nevertheless teeming with life – from ice algae and phytoplankton to dizzying schools of fish and awe-inspiring marine mammals like seals, whales, walruses and polar bears.

Follow the Dempster Highway to Inuvik, and then onward on the Inuvik to Tuktoyaktuk Highway, journeying north as the east channel of the Mackenzie River snakes its way towards the mouth of the Beaufort Sea. You’ll pass the treeline where the boreal forest ends and enter the wide-open tundra of the Barrenlands and the grazing range of Canada’s only herd of domestic reindeer.

The all-season highway, which takes about two-and-a-half hours to drive from Inuvik, ends at the furthest point north someone can reach by car in Canada. Take care on your journey as the highway can be rough in spots and the trip is almost all beyond cell service. Make sure you bring provisions and drive with caution.

Western Arctic Regional Visitor Centre

If you’ve never visited the Western Arctic before then make sure to start your adventure with a quick stop at the Western Arctic Visitor Centre in Inuvik. It’s your one-stop shop for information related to visiting or travelling through this incredible region.

Located on Mackenzie Road, just as you enter town from the Dempster Highway, the Visitor Centre contains a multitude of fascinating exhibits on local art, flora, fauna, and neighbouring communities. This is also where you can pick up your official Arctic Circle Adventurer Certificate.

The Centre is open from June 1 to September 1 and hosts weekly events based around northern culture. Call 867-777-7237 (or 867-777-7353 during the off-season) or email travel_westernarctic@gov.nt.ca for more information.

Nataiinlaii Territorial Park Visitor Centre

Nitainlaii Territorial Park Visitor Centre in the Northwest territories

Perched on a cliff overlooking the Peel River, tucked in amongst the white birch and spruce trees, Nitaiinlaii Territorial Park is an ideal place to unwind after an epic journey on the Dempster Highway

Though the park is best known as a campground, it’s also a popular picnic day-use area and rest stop. Just inside the entrance is a beautiful log building, cut from Peel River timber, which serves as an interpretive and information centre. It provides travellers information about the local area, exciting adventures to be had and current conditions of the Dempster. The interpretive centre also features historical displays detailing the rich culture and traditions of the Gwich’in people.

Nataiinlaii means “water flowing out in all directions” in the Gwich’in language. The Gwich’in were the first inhabitants of this area and the park is named after the waters here that served as their hunting and fishing grounds, as well as a vital transportation route.

There are 23 non-powered campsites in the park with picnic tables, fire pits and firewood. The site also features washrooms, a kitchen shelter, drinking water and on-site security. There’s no online booking for the camp, but sites are generally available at all times and can be booked upon arrival.

Nataiinlaii is located about 200 kilometres south of Inuvik at the 541 kilometre (Mile 336) point, only 76 kilometres after crossing the Yukon border.

Inuvik Community Greenhouse

The most northern commercial and community greenhouse in North America, and the largest of its kind in the world, the Inuvik Community Greenhouse provides fresh, local, sustainable produce north of the Arctic Circle.

In the summer, Inuvik gets 24 hours of sunlight, which means produce grows fast. The greenhouse’s 16,000-square feet of space is used by locals who pay a small fee to garden and volunteer their time to maintain the space. There are over 170 garden beds in the greenhouse, with dedicated plots for Elders, group homes, children’s groups, and the local food banks. The greenhouse also contains a commercial space where plants are sold to cover operational costs.

Scheduled tours are available from June through September. Contact the Inuvik Community Greenhouse online to book or purchase gift shop items outside of regular hours.

Opened recently, The Inuvik Greenhouse Cafe’s garden-inspired menu is designed to provide residents and visitors with delicious meals that showcase the greenhouse’s bountiful harvest. The menu changes weekly to incorporate the freshest available ingredients, making each visit a new culinary adventure.

Visitors to the cafe can enjoy a variety of dishes made from locally grown produce, ensuring that each meal is not only fresh but also supports the community’s efforts toward self-sufficiency and sustainable living. The cafe also serves as a community hub, fostering social interactions and promoting healthy eating habits in the region.

Open Wednesdays, 5 p.m.–8 p.m., Thursday–Sunday, 10 a.m.–4 p.m. between June and August. It is also open weekends from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. in September.

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