Dempster Highway and Tombstone Territorial Park
Yukon Highway 5 / NWT Highway 8 / Tombstone Territorial Park · Dawson City, Yukon
The Dempster Highway is a gravel road that runs north from the Klondike Highway near Dawson City in Yukon, across the Northwest Territories border, to Inuvik, about 740 km in all. It crosses the Arctic Circle, climbs through the Ogilvie and Richardson mountains and uses river ferries in summer and ice roads in winter. The first stretch runs through Tombstone Territorial Park, where sharp granite peaks stand above tundra that turns red and gold in late summer. This is a real expedition, not a scenic drive. Services are very few, fuel is scarce, flat tires are common, cell coverage is almost absent and mosquitoes can be fierce. It suits prepared drivers with a sturdy vehicle, spare tires and time. If you only have a day, drive to Tombstone and back. Check road and ferry status first, and confirm that your rental contract allows gravel. Dawson City is the natural base, and the midnight sun gives long June and July days.
Tombstone Interpretive Centre, Dempster Highway km 71, Dawson City, Yukon, Y0B 1G0, Canada
The highway itself is open all year, but conditions change fast. Summer gives the best driving, with long daylight and the river ferries running, roughly from early summer to autumn. In winter, ice roads replace the ferries once the rivers freeze. There are gaps at freeze-up and break-up when neither ferry nor ice crossing works and the route is cut for days or weeks - confirm current crossing status with the territorial road reports before you commit. The Tombstone visitor centre is seasonal, usually open in the summer months with limited hours. Fuel stops and lodging along the way keep their own seasons. Always check conditions on the day.
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