Day 7 – Inuvik to Eagle Plains – 366 km (227 miles) – 8 hours
Read our “Summary of the Dempster” post for an overview of The Dempster!
We knew today was going to be a very long day so we got up early in Inuvik and got on the road to head south. Our goal for the day was to try and get to at least the Arctic Circle if not on to Eagle Plains. We would just see where the day takes us.
We were thrilled that we had front air suspension working now but no luck getting our sewer hose. We could not find one in Inuvik and we tried both the hardware store and the infamous North Mart. But since we only destroyed one of the hoses we still had one remaining and could dump when needed.
Our first stop was, of course, to dump the black/grey tanks at the campground we were staying at. When we got to the dump station it was locked! The office was open so I went in and the office worker came out and unlocked the dump station. Whew…good. Then Norm started dumping and at the exact same time the sky decided to dump rain. It only rained about 2 minutes but Norm got drenched. We have not seen any rain on the trip but we did for a few minutes this morning. Anyway, mission accomplished.
Next up was to fill up on fuel. There are 3 gas stations in Inuvik and all 3 of them were closed and no signs of when they might open and there was no one around to ask. We still had plenty of fuel to make it easily to Eagle Plains but we like to keep it full when possible. Always fill when you can when in the North. Off we went. We were heading south now! We are no longer members of the “Heading North on the Dempster” as we are now members of the “Heading South on the Dempster”!! YAY!! We have made it more than halfway.
We still have two rivers to cross on the ferries. The first up heading south is the Mackenzie River ferry crossing with the confluence of the Arctic Red River and Mackenzie Rivers. The Mackenzie River is the longest river in Canada and flows 4,200 km from northern British Columbia to the Arctic Ocean. This crossing runs on demand and is free. It is an ice road in the winter and doesn’t run in the spring and fall during ice break up. This crossing connects 3 areas, the south shore of the Mackenzie River, the north shore of the Mackenzie River, and the town of Tsiigehtchic. This small community is a Gwich’in community known for its dryfish and berries. The crossing went smoothly and no wait.
The small hamlet of Fort McPherson is about an hour drive from the Mackenzie River ferry crossing and we knew they had 2 gas stations. We just didn’t know if they would be open or even still in business but we targeted the hamlet as our next destination. Fort McPherson sits on the Peel River and the majority of the population of just under 700 are First Nations Gwich’in. Both Gwich’in and English are spoken here. It was originally a Hudson’s Bay Company post and was named for Murdoch McPherson.
We drove into Fort McPherson and found a fuel station at the Peel River Inn (8 rooms and temporarily closed for construction). It was a Sunday morning and the fuel tanks has plastic covers over some of the pumps. Uh oh….they could be out of fuel. Norm went into the store and they said, yes, they had diesel so off we went to pump. YAY! We have a full tank now and plenty of fuel to make it to Dawson City and even further.
On to the Peel River ferry crossing. It is a very short crossing, runs on demand, runs on a cable, and it’s free. During winter with all the ice the ferry doesn’t operate as you can just drive across on the ice. During the fall and spring the ferry doesn’t operate until the ice breaks up. But in summer you have this great ferry to get you across the river. We didn’t have to wait long and soon we were on board and shortly thereafter on the other side of the river. Now all of our ferry trips on the Dempster Highway were completed!! Great news because 4 days later the Mackenize River ferry broke down and the crossing was closed for over a week. Travelers were stranded for quite some time. Luckily we crossed in time and had no delays in our travel.
After the Peel River ferry crossing the next major landmark is the Northwest Territories and Yukon border. Along the way is the infamous “Midway Lake” about 30km south of Fort McPherson which is home to a large music festival in early August where nearly 2,000 people attend (and camp).
It wasn’t much further to the border where there is, supposedly, a large concentration of grizzly bears. The tourist information brochures tells you to be “bear aware” when getting out of your vehicle. There is a nice rest stop there with great views and of course is a must stop.
We were now in the Yukon and had at least another hour to make it to the Arctic Circle depending on road conditions. This next section is one of the worst with lots of shale in the road with pointy edges and many vehicles get flat tires along here. And yes, we saw quite a few vehicles with flats here. As usual you always stop and see if people need help or supplies. Every vehicle we saw with flats already had several other vehicles with people helping them. In the North, you ALWAYS help others!
It took us well over an hour to the Arctic Circle and we decided to keep driving. There was the threat of rain in the sky (and in the forecast) and we didn’t want to get stuck with the wet, miserable, slick roads that we had heard so much about. It was almost another hour to Eagle Plains where we decided to chuck it in the night.
Eagle Plains consists of a motel with restaurant and bar and a parking lot for a RV Park/Campground. There is also a fueling station and a vehicle repair shop. That’s it!! We went into the motel to pay for a campsite which includes 15 amp. The camping area is simply a parking lot with a few picnic tables around and some plug ins. You park where you want. So off we went. The campground was almost empty as we like to arrive at places a bit earlier in the day. We took the first spot to the left and hooked up. It was miserable outside with the mosquitos so we decided to cook inside for dinner and call it a night. We were exhausted, physically and mentally. Our brains were rattled, jumbled, and jostled. But we did sit and watch the tenters show up and pitch their tents while fighting off swarms of mosquitos!! We are easily entertained.
Campground: Eagle Plains RV Park and Campground
Location: Eagle Plains, Yukon
Site: NA (back-in)
Cost: $35 (CAD)
Services: E (15 AMP)
Comments: The only place around to eat at a restaurant, sit at a bar, get a shower, get some drinking water, get some fuel, and get any needed vehicle repairs. Stop just in case if only to walk around and see it.
Like I said, the area is basically a parking lot and you just park wherever as evidenced by the photos below. It did become quite full later in the evening but there was still space enough for everyone.
There are restrooms and showers available to the campers and a drinking water spigot. Note that when it gets cold then drinking water is turned off at all campgrounds/dump stations in the North. We did see quite a few motorcyclists and bicyclists tenting there. Many truckers just park in front of the motel after filling up with fuel and food and get their much needed rest.
We slept great since we were indoors and no mosquitos and the temperatures cooled down quite a bit. We did loose power a few times in the middle of the night and we had a few rain showers but not enough to affect the roads.
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