Canada Guide
The North
The Dempster Highway
Begun in 1959 to service northern oilfields, and completed over twenty years later – by which time all the accessible oil had been siphoned off – the 741-kilometre Dempster Highway between Dawson City and Inuvik in the Northwest Territories is the only road in Canada to cross the Arctic Circle, offering a tremendous journey through a superb and ever-changing spectrum of landscapes. It's hard to resist the temptation of crossing into the Arctic 445km north of Dawson City, a section that takes you over the most captivating stretch of the highway. However, the Dempster is a gravel road and the journey north to Inuvik takes anything between twelve and fifteen hours by car in good conditions. It's an increasingly travelled route – which locals say means four cars an hour – but is not a journey to be undertaken lightly. Inuvik, too, is an ugly disappointment, but then this road is very much about the journey rather than the destination.
The first fuel is at the start of the hwy at the Klondike River Lodge ( 
867/993-6893; Price: $81-100); the next is 365km north at the year-round Eagle Plains Hotel at Eagle Plains. Then it's Fort McPherson, 193km beyond Eagle Plains; thereafter there's nothing until Inuvik, so for emergencies take a jerrycan (you rent them at the Klondike River Lodge) and make sure that you have two spare tyres and your car's mechanics are sound – the only maintenance facilities are at Eagle Plains. It's worth checking on 1-800/661-0750 that the two ferry services on the route at Peel River (539km; free on demand, spring to late autumn daily 9.30am–12.30am, then ice bridge) and Tsiigehtchic, formerly Arctic Red River (609km; same details) are running.
Just as important, make sure you have lots of drinking water: the only place you'll find any that isn't out of a stream is at Eagle Plains.