TD2 2022 Adventure - Alaska or Bust! - Part 3 - Northwest Territories, Arctic Ocean, and Yukon, Canada

Hello folks,

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After we checked out the drive to Tombstone Territorial Park in Part 2, we decided to take the Dempster Highway (aka The Dempster) all the way to Inuvik, and then continue on the final push to Tuktoyaktuk (aka Tuk) which is right on the Arctic Ocean.  We wanted to experience the different landscape inside the Arctic Circle and take advantage of the fact that we could drive all the way to the Arctic Ocean!

Ferries are (a smooth) part of The Dempster

The Inuvik-to-Tuk Highway was a milestone – the first road in history to reach the polar shore of North America. It's another 87 miles from Inuvik to the Inuvialuit community of Tuktoyaktuk on the Arctic coast.  

Plentiful lakes to reflect blue skies and puffy clouds

We'll try to give you a little bit of a feel for both the Inuvik and Tuk communities, and the drive that it takes to get out here (and back).  Spoiler alert:  it's smoother than expected in some areas, much rougher than expected in others, and really dusty! 😬.

Both communities are built upon permafrost, and as you saw in Part 2 (Dawson City), you don't want to heat up the permafrost!  So they now have very modern construction techniques that effectively put their houses up on elevated piers and beams, with raceways designed to bring through the utilities (power, water, sewer).  Those also have to stay above the permafrost, and at the same time, not freeze in the middle of winter.  Quite a challenge!

We were lucky we didn't try to get here any earlier.  Just a week earlier, the ferries weren't running since there was still lots of ice in the rivers.  And the Arctic Ocean still hadn't had its ice-out around Tuk!

Camping right on the Arctic Ocean (so early, it was free)

In talking with some of the Tuk locals (who just stopped by to chat), they all said they like winter the best!  Remember they won't see the sun for two months and it's bone-chillingly cold.  But, I guess they can go anywhere on their skimobiles -- roads are not needed.  I can't even imagine it. 

And I'm sure they prefer snow to the washboard gravel roads that are typical in sections run by big rigs. For the wheelbase of Thistle Dew Too, boy that washboard can be teeth-rattling.  The only answer given our rear dualies (side-by-side tires), was to take it slow.  (Off-road vehicles can reduce tire pressure, but that risks a blow-out with dualies.)  You may get a feel for that with some of the movies about the passing trucks and their major dust storms.  

So without further ado, here is the full set of photos for Part 3 - Northwest Territories, Arctic Ocean, and Yukon of our TD2 2022 Alaska or Bust! adventure.  As you move your cursor over each photo, you will see a descriptive title.  If you can't read it all, hover your cursor over it and the entire title will appear in a box.

Next up we will be heading into Alaska on the Top of the World Highway!

And no matter where we roam, we always like keep Thistle Dew Too's motto in mind: