Dempster Hwy fall 2022

[marret]

Originally Posted by Marcel Huijser

Wow.. motorcycle! I know the dust can be pretty awful! How did you deal with that?


Good luck with the upcoming trip. It will be another adventure, for sure! Lots of preparations and thinking ahead reduce the probability of trouble when you are on the road... but I know we also need some good fortune for things to go smooth!

For dust, there were two of us and we kept our distance, sometimes out of sight. We were early, relatively, and there wasn't a ton of traffic. We always were able to keep distance. We also did the Denali Hwy that I loved and other gravel roads.

I got a flat on the Denali and my friend on the Dempster. We were able to plug the tires.

Yep to everything else. Good advice and watching the shoulders will be even more important in the van. There was a guy that hit a soft shoulder on the Denali when he wasn't paying enough attention causing him to crash, break some ribs, etc.

Thanks again.

[Marcel Huijser]

Good idea to keep substantial distance!


About crashing: indeed... everything is fine until it isn't.... things can turn bad in an instant. You have to be very alert all the time. Of course this is true for paved roads with lots of other traffic as well, but it is good to realize that the dangers of gravel road driving are not the same as those of paved road driving. On a gravel road, drive like it is just that!

[marret]

On distance, we had some rules about turning, stopping, etc. During the Roaming Rally in 2018, dust was a major issue. Only answer is distance/space.

Yep, all fine until it isn't and all the rest. One has to pay attention.

[86Scotty]

That pic you took of the canyon is beautiful! The one with the flag and cone I mean, Lol.

Pretty scary up close shot.

[BrianW]

Back in 1989 I drove the Haul Road (Dalton Hwy) almost to the Arctic Circle in a Ford Probe sports car (rental)! Probably not the smartest thing to do, but I was young and we had the damage waiver [emoji23]

[marret]

There is a guy who drove a Miata to Tuk last year. Not a rental though

[nyyankees588]

Awesome photos. One question - and I'll caveat by admitting that I've done zero research on the road - did you feel 4x4 was necessary? Obviously if you encounter adverse conditions or venture off of the main road, I'd imagine it may be, but would you do it in a 2x4 van (with LSD)? Cheers!

[BrianW]

I’ve never driven the Dempster, but have driven many of the usual gravel roads in Alaska and Yukon. E.g., Denali Hwy, McCarthy Road, Nabesna Road, Haul Road, Top of the World/Taylor Hwy, Cassiar Hwy (back when it was mostly unpaved), etc. Although I was always in a 4x4 (Isuzu Trooper, F350) — apart from the ill-conceived Ford Probe foray mentioned above — I don’t think I ever actually had to shift into 4wd unless I went off on a side trail, etc. A 2wd van will be fine IMO, especially with good AT tires and LSD.

Construction zones can be soft, because often you are literally driving through the active roadbed building. Just keep momentum up and leave space between the car in front. If you go early in the season (mid to late May), some more remote gravel roads (like Top of the World out of Dawson City) may not yet be graded after the winter and can be rough (washboard, holes). But you still don’t need 4wd, just slow down and air down.

I’d take a set of tire chains/cables, a good 12v air compressor, tire plugs, and a recovery strap just in case.

[Marcel Huijser]

Here is a picture of the tread on tire after the trip. The gravel and shale chips away at the tires.
I think it is a good idea to have good tires with decent tread, but not necessarily very new ones...

[dokaman]

Love the matching "paint" job! The Dempster is next on my list of far north roads. Great pictures and very motivating.