18,49 km 90,20 km 96,06 km 68,01 km 69,59 km 46,80 km 91,46 km 88,82 km 80,75 km 84,10 km 33,92 km 118,03 km 25,06 km 72,36 km 83,32 km 76,88 km 61,95 km 76,09 km 71,35 km 94,94 km 50,71 km
In July 2009 we again cycled through the Canadian wilderness. After our visits of Canada in 2003 and 2005 we returned to Canada again this year.We started our cycling adventure in Inuvik. After we landed at the airport, we cycled the few kilometers (± 11 km) into town to get supplies. After this we started cycling south accross the Dempster Highway. The Dempster Highway is the only public road in Canada that goes accross the Arctic Circle. Most of the road is gravel (only the 11 km before Inuvik and the last 6 km before the Dempster Corner are sealed), but on most sections of the road it is very good cycling. Along the route we crossed the Arctic Red River and the Peel River by free ferry to get to Fort McPherson. After Fort McPherson it's a long climb into the Richardson Mountains to get to the Yukon - Northwest Territories border. After this we crossed the Arctic Circle just before we reached Eagle Plains. Eagle Plains is about in the middle of the Dempster Highway and a nice resting place. Cycling till now has been tough because of the long climbs we had to make. After Eagle Plains the road continues but keeps mainly to the ridges of the mountains. Also the climbs aren't that long and steep anymore, so cycling gets better after Eagle Plains. Just before we reached the end of the Dempster Highway we cycled through the Tombstone Territorial Park. Here we passed the highest point of the Dempster Highway; the North Fork Pass Summit (42229 feet / 1289 m). We also had a nice view of the peak of Tombstone Mountain (7195 feet / 2193 m). After this it's a slow downhill, following the North Klondike River, to the Dempster Corner; the end point of the Dempster Highway and the start of our cycling trip on the Klondike Highway.
It has been very dry weather and it's a bit misty because of forest fires when we leave the Dempster Corner. All the way accross the Klondike Highway going south, we have a sturdy wind against us, which makes cycling a bit hard. But still we are able to cycle a good distance every day. Highlights of the Klondike river are Moose Creek Lodge with the wooden mooses and musquito's, view of the Tintina Trench, the Five Finger Rapids and beautiful scenery. We end our trip on the Klondike Highway as we enter Whitehorse and turn onto the Alaska Highway.
After a few kilometers on the Alaska Highway from Whitehorse we turn onto the South Klodike Highway. This is a very nice, quiet and scenic road. We visit the Robinson Log Roadhouse and the smallest desert of the world (just before Carcross). Carcross is the end of the South Klondike Highway for us (the highway continues towards Skagway). We visit the little village and camp here.
From Carcross we take the Tagish Road towards Jake's Corner. This road takes us through the small town of Tagish. This is also a very nice and scenic road and takes us through some nice forests. At Jake's corner we reach the Alaska Highway. Here we turn left back towards Whitehorse. We camped at Jake's Corner when we're doing the North America Adventure and we remember the place. We also cycled this day from Jake's Corner to Marsh Lake. The Alaska Highway is a busy road, but there are nice wide shoulders where we could cycle on.
On our last cycling day we cycle back to Whitehorse. On the way we take lunch in the Wolf's Den Restaurant just before the crossing with the South Klondike Highway. The last few days of our holiday we do some sightseeing in and around Whitehorse. We visit downtown and we visit the Beringia Center and the Transportation Museum (both next to the airport). At the bicycle shop iCycle we get some boxes for our bicycles to transport them with us on the airplane.
