The Liard Highway and Great Slave Lake: start of mosquito season and black fly season

2022 June 18 to 26

 

We covered the road from the Dempster Junction to Stewart Crossing and, from there, to Carmacks on our way north, so this was familiar ground. We visited Ethel Lake to camp one night. We had vaguely expected it to be a deserted lakeside campsite, given the distance from the highway on an unsurfaced track, however, it proved to be jammed with humans and mosquitoes. 

From Carmacks, we had chosen to take the road to Watson Lake via Ross River, with a side trip to Faro. The difference in traffic was surprising, as there were many travelers on the Alaska Highway, and very few (and almost no bikes) on this highway. It was in good shape, albeit mostly unsurfaced, and it was delightful to experience the scenery as we headed east. 

Faro was quiet, a town built for a mine that no longer operates. There, we found our way to the Mount Mye Sheep Centre although we saw no sheep, and explored the road to the mine seeing three porcupines out for the evening. 

We camped at Johnson Lake, and this was the point at which the insect population made itself really evident. There had been an increasing number of mosquitoes in recent days, however, we had successfully stayed ahead of them as we worked our way north. But now the mosquito season was underway: a combination of repellent and a fire was used to keep them at bay, however, the mosquitoes were aggressive nonetheless!

 

Continuing east we enjoyed Lapie Canyon and then Ross River, where the road north was closed due to high water, and the suspension bridge was also closed. Several points of interest were also closed, so we had to continue eastward. We made stops at Hoole River, Finlayson Lake, and Simpson Lake before camping for the night at Watson Lake.

 

From here, we took the Highway north, heading for the Great Slave Lake region via this less frequently traveled route. We stopped at Coal River and enjoyed Liard River Hot Springs, reminiscent of similar stops in Iceland. From here on, we saw more wildlife than we had seen in a while – black bears, bison, caribous, porcupines, and wild sheep. The next several days we had heavy rain on the road, but arriving at Fort Nelson it turned torrential, luckily, we stocked up there for the next stage of the trip. 

 

 

 

Heading north on the Liard Highway we encountered bison in larger numbers, also encountered black bears, and we were excited to see a lynx on the side of the road, which watched us long enough to be captured on an image or two. 

 

We stopped at Fort Simpson, a little distance off the highway, and crossed the Liard River on the ferry to go to the Fort Simpson Territorial Campground under heavy rain to find it closed, so we ended up in the Nahanni Inn since no other camping options existed.

 

The following morning, as we crossed the Liard River on the ferry, black flies now became evident, the second insect to make their presence known in numbers.

 

From here we were on a route where waterfalls are a key attraction: Sambaa Deh Falls, Lady Evelyn Falls, McNallie Falls, Louise Falls, and Alexandra Falls were all similar in a geological setting, and very distinct in terms of the beauty of the falls themselves.

 

 

 

 

Our next objective was Wood Buffalo National Park, the largest national park in Canada, and where we hoped to see Wood Bison. Before heading east we stopped in Hay River for coffee at the excellent Big Lake Eatery & Café, to which we returned on our way back. Wood Buffalo National Park has the benefit of being huge and having large numbers of bison; unfortunately, the density of bison per unit area allowed us to see only one herd, a very long way off, from the viewpoint over the salt plains, which is itself a beautiful spot. We walked down to the plains and then returned to head for Fort Smith.  

The town is marketed as having interesting shops and cafes, however, we found that the reality wasn’t close to its marketing. The campsite office had an excellent display of arts and crafts, and the Northern Life Museum was really good. Aside from these, we walked down to the river at the Rapids of the Drowned and found little else of interest. Our hopes of seeing some bison on the way back to Hay River weren’t rewarded, and after a coffee at Big Lake, we continued northward to Fort Providence. There, we made contact with Leonie Sibourin, whom we had noted as an artist in moose tufting displayed at the Fort Smith camp office, and were welcomed there by her and Henry; Leonie was happy to show us examples of her art and to explain how to craft the moose hair, and we left happy with the experience. 

We then traveled northwards. After having seen no bison in Wood Buffalo National Park (at least none other than at great distance), we were pleased to encounter many bison on this route, initially a few in the Mackenzie Bison Sanctuary and then larger numbers in the Wood Bison Protection Area further north.

Finally, we arrived at Yellowknife, the capital of Northwest Territories, and in relative terms a major center, although not the highest in population. This was to be our base for the ensuing week.

 

Our next stages of the trip:

We’ll spend the week in Yellowknife, then start southbound to Northern Alberta, then into British Columbia again to head back to Vancouver for the next chapter of the trip.

 

 

Hugs

 

Alan & Marce

The Dempster Highway and Arctic Ocean: uncertain ferries, flat tires, and new friends

 2022 June 8 to 18

We had looked forward to this part of the strip for various reasons, including Alan’s interest in visiting the places he had worked many years ago. Uncertainties associated with this highway included the weather, the state of the road, and the timing of the opening of the Peel River and Mackenzie ferries, which could be affected by the first one.

It has been a cold spring, not that there’s been much spring, more of a transition from winter to summer with no intervening period. In the days before heading north there had been snow, and later a blizzard south of Eagle Plains which had closed the road. The ferries, which in the last 15 years usually opened in early June (with the latest opening being June 10th), were still closed on the 11th. Gathering information on the state of the ferries was not easy. Our decision to leave Dawson City was to head for Tombstone Mountain campground and check with the Interpretative Centre there before heading further north. We had to be somewhere with an internet connection on June 13th, and so if we could not rely on getting to Inuvik we would have to return to Dawson, and then try again the following week.

Tombstone was a good stop. We enjoyed the Goldensides Trail, which had good guides; and walking the short North Klondike River trail and exploring the surroundings. This area is distinctly different from the forest further south, as we transitioned from taiga to tundra, with smaller trees, bushes, lichens, and grasses predominating. The views were amazing, and we saw a variety of birdlife on the lakes we passed through, as well as sandhill cranes on the way north and in Tuktoyaktuk. We also saw moose twice on this part of the trip, a mother and a young moose both times.

 

 

Based on the information available, we decided that we should head for Eagle Plains; where we would finally choose between heading to Inuvik or going back to Dawson, with enough time to return to the latter if the ferries (and road) were still closed. The last part of the road to Eagle Plains was very muddy, and we met people who had struggled to cover this section on motorbikes and others for whom it had been a challenge even in four-wheeled vehicles. It was still raining, and the forecast was not good to continue north, however after breakfast, and rumors that the ferry at Peel River was both open and closed, we met someone who had crossed the river that morning heading south. So – the green light! We left in the rain and crossed Peel River and the Mackenzie with no problems, despite meeting groups who had been turned back because their vehicles were too big.

 

We had a puncture on a section of the highway north of Eagle Plains, that had recently been “maintained”, with knife-sharp shards of shale! More to follow on this section of road later in the post.

Our original plan had been to spend the week in Inuvik, with a day trip to Tuktoyaktuk mid-week; however, we found that there was a conference that week; and that accommodation was more or less impossible to find. In the end, we spent one weeknight in Inuvik, three nights in Tuktoyaktuk, and another night back in Inuvik before heading south again.

The campsite in Inuvik was closed, so we needed to move to the other campsite south of the town, and then into town the following day. We then headed north on the new(ish) road to Tuktoyaktuk, enjoying views of this tundra and finally reaching the village late in the day.

 

Since it was June there was sun above the horizon 24 hours a day, and the weather proved good, albeit still colder than expected.

 

We visited the operations bases that were open when Alan worked in the Beaufort Sea years ago; however, they are shut down so the visit was more of a “drive-by” than anything else. We also enjoyed our time in the village, finding it good to gain a deeper appreciation of the local life and explore the many nooks and crannies of the area. Ee met Dennis, Clifford, and Norm on the first night, with whom we enjoyed dinner and conversation.

On returning to Inuvik, Alan visited the EGT base, hosted by Willie and Scotty, seeing the Wurmlinger and exchanging stories with them. 

Our subsequent travel south was still uncertain since the ferries had both closed again while we were further north, however, it turned out that both opened conveniently just in time for our travel south. So we continued south, stopping a night in Eagle Plains, after which we continued to Stewart Crossing.

 

Punctures:

In addition to our puncture northbound, a driver stopped to help us, and because of it, Mike (the driver) found that his car also had one. Luckily, we also had Taylor and Hayley stop to help everyone fix these.

Southbound, our day through the black shale section was a long story: first, we stopped to help a couple with a puncture in one of the tires of their trailer, then further north we came upon a disconsolate couple whose pick-up had three flat tires – simultaneous punctures on those!. While helping fix these (replacing the unrepairable tire with the spare, and repairing the other two) another couple heading south stopped to ask whether we needed more help, which we felt we did not, so they continued. A short distance further south, we came upon them stopped fixing one of their tires, and helped them with this. On the last part of this leg, we had a puncture of our own, turning into the ones on the side of the road fixing a tire.

Roadside camaraderie was plenty throughout the day’s travel, accompanied by some comments about the sharp shale, the clear cause of these punctures.

Reflections on the Dempster

This iconic highway, with characteristics reminding us of the Gibb River Road in some ways, although somewhat cooler, was a great journey. The scenery is distinctive, particularly once in the tundra, and traveling is different, both in terms of the frequency of problems and in the way that travelers stop to help each other on the road. A good trip!

Our next stages of the trip:

We plan to return to Watson Lake via Ross River, taking a different route from our route north, then east and north to various Forts (Nelson, Smith, Providence) to explore the Waterfall Route, Wood Buffalo National Park, and Yellowknife.

Hugs

Alan & Marce

Photos may be used for non-commercial purposes, with credit to alanymarce@gmail.com.

Northern Yukon –Whitehorse to Dawson City

2022 June 4 to 8

We arrived at Kathleen Lake campground and walked down to the lake that evening, with snow-capped mountains as the backdrop to a tranquil expanse of water. In the morning, we returned to the lake and had the chance to spot a beaver, beaving in the water. We then returned to Haines Junction, for good coffee at the Village Bakery, to continue north along Kluane Lake. At Thachäl Däl (or perhaps Thechàl Dâl’ – the signs showed both spellings) Visitors’ Centre we were pleased to see Daal Sheep high above us on the mountain crags. We continued to the excellent Kluane Museum, just a bit north, to then move south again through Destruction Bay and Talbot Arm to finally reach Soldier’s Summit Trailhead, where there’s a short walk to a viewpoint over Kluane Lake. We saw another Grizzly on the way south to Rock Glacier Trail where we walked up to another viewpoint, then to Dalton Post and finally to Million Dollar Falls campground, where we camped with the sound of the falls below.

 

On the Road

Kathleen Lake

Heading north

Thachäl Däl

 

Haines Junction

In the morning we returned to the Village Bakery in Haines Junction. After coffee, we headed east again to Whitehorse, stopping at the hitherto closed Visitors’ Information Centre. We lunched at the excellent Kind Café before making our way to Fox Lake, passed through Braeburn Lodge (acquiring some legendary cinnamon buns), then Carmacks, walking along the riverbank, and on to Five Fingers Rapids Recreation to finally reach Tatchun Lake campground.

Further north, Pelly Crossing was a gas station and grocery store. On our way to see Mayo, we enjoyed a short walk at Devil’s Elbow and then explored the village. At Mayo, Binet House was of interest, and we enjoyed coffee and a chat with Janicie at the Visitors’ Centre.

Continuing our way northwest we stopped to help a traveller with a car which had given up; enjoyed seeing beavers in a river alongside the road, then reached the Goldrush Campground at Dawson City; populated with wall-to-wall RVs, as is in the town and so a good base from which to walk into the town.

Dawson offered few options for dinner however the Pan of Gold Pizzeria was good. In the morning we went to the Visitors’ Centre and then continued around the town. The Cultural Centre was closed, the ODD Gallery at KIAC was worth our visit. The Yukon, Robert Service Cabin and Jack London Museum were all enjoyable stops. We also went to see Dredge #5 a little outside the town - an example of the dredges used for gold recovery in the river - leaving massive, ugly, tailings piles in the river valley.

We also enjoyed coffee and lunch and then started eastward again, filling with fuel at the junction with the Dempster Highway, to have a full tank before the northward journey.

 

 Kathleen Lake - another view.

Our next stages of the trip:

We plan to explore Dawson City, then head to the iconic Dempster Highway, with uncertainty regarding the river ferries, given the late end of winter, the high water levels, and the state of the road, then to Inuvik, Tuktoyaktuk, and the Arctic Ocean.

Hugs

Alan & Marce

Photos may be used for non-commercial purposes, with credit to alanymarce@gmail.com.

Northern British Columbia and Southern Yukon – Prince Rupert to Whitehorse

2022 May 24 to June 4

From the North Pacific Cannery, we returned to the highway and then headed east, back towards Terrace, where we took the Nisga’a Highway northwards, with stops at Kitsumkalum Lake, Tumbling Creek, the “Lava Flow” -where a 20 min walk took you to the limit on the lava river, bringing back memories of lava flows in Iceland-, then the Drowned Forest, Beaupre Falls, and Vetter Falls, finally reaching the Nisga’a Lava Campground, which was a lot more comfortable than it sounds. In this area, we saw black bears frequently, and this continued as we went north. The highway is relatively light in terms of traffic, and there is a sense of being remote, which is good.

 

 

 

This is Nisga’a country, and there is a cultural center to the southwest of the campground which is reported to be excellent. We headed there, calling ahead to confirm that it would be open, given our experience so far that visitors’ centers and cultural centers were closed in most cases, however, we were pleased to learn that it would indeed be open. On the way we visited the lava field again, as well as the Tseax River, the totem poles at Gitlaxt’aamiks, a lava tube, the village of Gitwinksilhkw, where we enjoyed espresso and ice cream overlooking the river and the totem poles, finally reaching the Nisga’a Museum at Laxgalts’ap which turned out to be excellent!

 

 

 

Returning to the highway junction we took route 37 north, which is an unsurfaced highway, with hardly any traffic, and on which we enjoyed the beautiful rapids on the river, and saw black bears again.

 

 

After a while, we rejoined the Stewart-Cassier Highway and continued to Meziadin Lake. On refueling, Alan forgot to put the gas cap, but we only realized this 10 km after leaving. Surprisingly we found the gas cap at the side of the road while returning to the gas station, however, an O-ring had been lost, but we only noticed after a series of vehicle alarms started going off (which were resolved in Whitehorse).

 

From Meziadin Lake we headed to Stewart, seeing more grizzly and black bears on the way, through a stunning mountain scenery to this small town on the lake, which seems to remain in the 19th century in terms of its architecture. We dined at the aptly named Silverado Café Pizza Parlor, having walked to the lakeside on the boardwalk, and enjoyed the old wooden buildings in the center. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Taking in more time in Stewart in the morning, and visiting the museum, we returned eastwards to the Stewart-Cassiar Highway. While following the road northward, we stopped at Bell 2 Lodge (for soup and the acquisition of two Kühl jackets at significant discounts), Bob Quinn Lake, Kinaskan Lake, the Stikine River, Lower Gnat Lake, and finally Water’s Edge Campground, on Dease Lake, all this while having the occasional sight of the various bears we could catch from the road. The camp warden was friendly, and bird life was rich on the way.

  

The following day was replete with more bears, as we continued north via Sawmill Point recreation area, Simmons Lake, Jade City, and then Boya Lake, where we walked the Beaver Lodge Trail, which was a beautiful walk on the lakeshore, although no beaver was taking place at the lodge. We had also made the short side trip to see Cassiar, once a very important mine, now not much more than a mine dump and a car wrecker.

 

Yukon

 We crossed the border into Yukon and continued to Watson Lake Campground. We had now reached a somewhat different ecosystem, although the change had been gradual and so not very evident. Here we saw our first caribou and snow geese.

 

Continuing our travels, we visited Albert Creek, although we couldn’t find the banding station despite it being signposted. Then we went to Rancheria Falls, passed through the Morley River Recreation Site, went back to visit Morley Lake, and followed to Teslin, stopping to enjoy late lunch at Kimmy’s Yum Yum food truck, to then finally reach the Teslin Lake Campground. 

 

 

From here we made our way via Johnson’s Crossing Lodge to the Tagish bridge, then west to Carcross, where we walked the old town and the few places that were open.  

 Carcross has several interesting art establishments, however none were open while we stayed there. On the day of our departure, we took a short walk through the Carcross Desert, described as the smallest desert in the world, after that, we passed Emerald Lake, Swan Haven (popular with swans during their migration, but not as we stopped to see the place), and on to Marsh Lake where we would spend a few days of our upcoming “work week”. We couldn't find a place for the whole week, so we had to move mid-week into Whitehorse (really Carcross Cutoff). The place in Marsh Lake was full of character, and we walked down to the lake one day.

 

Exploration in the area included Miles Canyon and Atlin Lake; Atlin is an interesting village on the lake, with old wooden buildings, a good lunch at the Mountain Lodge, and no cellular service.

 

Exploration in the area included Miles Canyon and Atlin Lake; Atlin is an interesting village on the lake, with old wooden buildings, a good lunch at the Mountain Lodge, and no cellular service. 

 

On our way to our second place “in” Whitehorse, we stopped at the Wolf’s Den where we had an interesting conversation with Tonna, who made coffee for us and told us tales of here out in the wild.

 

We took advantage of our time in/around Whitehorse for grocery shopping, obtaining a new gas cap (which fixed the alarms on the vehicle), going to the huge Coast Mountain Sports shop, and picking up some other items. We enjoyed the excellent MacBride Museum of Yukon History and after a Gwich’in Council get-together with music. The Kwanlin Dun Cultural Centre and library next door were well worth our visit. Art and craft interests were satisfied with visits to the Yukon Arts Centre, Art Underground, Yukon Artists @work, North End Gallery, and Itsy Bitsy Yarn. We dined at the iconic Klondike Rib and Salmon and at the excellent Wayfarer Oyster House, as well as finding Midnight Sun Coffee Roasters where we had excellent coffee. The Fireweed Farmers’ Market proved interesting and we found the diversity of people there, both selling and buying, very welcome.

 

On our last morning, we stopped for fuel, had another coffee at Midnight Sun Coffee Roasters, and continued to the Yukon Wildlife Preserve, where one could see animals from the region. The center is extensive, with a 5 km walk to see it all. 

 

 

We then headed west to Haines Junction via Canyon Creek to stay at Kathleen Lake campground. From there, we’ll set off to explore Kluane National Park.

 

Our next stages of the trip:

 

We plan to explore the Kluane National Park, then return to Whitehorse and head north, to Dawson City, then onwards and northwards…

 

Hugs

Alan & Marce

(Photos may be used for non-commercial purposes, with credit to alanymarce@gmail.com)