The Latest Challenge

As we plan this trip, we face a number of challenges. Recommendations after doing the research and reading, whether we take the Dalton Highway to Deadhorse, or the Dempster Highway to Inuvik, or both, we are going to need more than one, suggested 3 spare tires and wheels. The puzzle is with the truck, and a plan to have a camper on the top, that leaves us with very little space to hold 2 more spare tires. Also, the plan is to get a winch on the front of the truck in order to pull us out if we have any trouble. Here is the possible plan. 1. Install a 2" hitch receiver on the front of the truck. 2. Buy 2 hitch mounted spare tire mounts. Install on on the back of the truck. 3. Get a front hitch mounted winch that has a 2" hitch receiver, and mount the tire in front of the winch. This would require removal of the spare tire in order to use the hitch. The other option is to get some type of rear bumper mounted spare tire mount, and have two on the back of the bumper, one on the left and one on the right. An example would be to get 2 of the 2" bumper adapters shown in the picture to the right. Mount these to the left and right on the back bumper, and hang one spare tire off each of those. It is a fun puzzle to work out. Update: After measuring the bumper, the 4" bumper adapter isn't going to work for me. It is far to small for the Dodge Ram 2500 stock bumper.

Tuktoyaktuk on Microsoft Streets and Trips

Over discussion at dinner last night, we have decided that we would like to go to Tuktoyaktuk, but we need to find out what the costs are to get from Inuvik to Tuk. The alternative plan, which sounds cool to me is to visit 2 locations on the Arctic Ocean, Tuk/Inuvik as one stop, and Deadhorse/Prudhoe as the second stop. The other decision was that we want to find different routes for the northbound and southbound legs of the trip. Still working this out, but it looks like may include a short ferry trip on the inside passage on the way up, perhaps Prince Rupert to Ketchikan, Petersburg, Juneau, and Haines. The returning on an inland road with no ferries. Also, we determined that we don't wan't to take the Alaska ferry from Bellingham, as that would be too much time on the boat, and having toured the Alaska Ferry that runs from Bellingham a couple of years ago, it is not the best option. I ordered Microsoft Streets and Trips 2011 today, to use in planning the route. After reading several reviews, I decided to order the software only version without a GPS, as the reviews claim that the GPS included from Microsoft is not very good. I don't need the usb GPS to connect to the laptop at this point anyway since we are still many months away from the trip. I last used the Streets and Trips 2005 version, and was very happy with it at that time. I hope that I am as pleased with the 2011 version. The things that I want to be able to do with Streets and Trips 2011 are: Printing large format maps. Hopefully I can print some maps at 24 x 48 inches or 24 x 36 inches. These would be nice to use for planning purposes. Calculating routes, and providing driving directions when off line. I will follow up later with details on how it works.

Ice Road Truckers

As part of the research and planning for this trip, I discovered a TV show called Ice Road Truckers which focuses on the truck route between Inuvik and Tuktoyaktuk and beyond. In the winter they covert the frozen river, and frozen Arctic Ocean into to a road. After watching the show it became clear that we do not want to attempt this trip in the winter.  With the ice thick enough on the Arctic Ocean to drive trucks on it, there is no option for swimming. It looks like summer is going to be the best option for this trip, perhaps July / August 2012.

Tuktoyaktuk Tour Options

The last leg of the trip from Inuvik to Tuktoyaktuk is only drivable by the ice roads in the winter.  We need to find an alternative option since we will be going in the summer.


Up North Tours offers a tour flight from Inuvik to Tuktoyaktuk with a chance to dip your toe in the Artic Ocean, not sure on the pricing.

Up North Tours - Tuktoyaktuk Tour

Another tour from Arctic Chalet / White Huskies is a flying tour priced at $400 per person to get to Tuktoyaktuk and back with a driving tour at Tuktoyaktuk.
http://www.whitehuskies.com/white-husky-summertours.html

Updated 9/20/2011
I discovered another flight option to Tuk.
Aklak Air offers the flight without a tour.  Their prices are $441 for adults, and $354 for a child fair.  Added up the fares for four of us, the Up North Tours appears to be about the same price.

The Milepost

Marcia ordered "The Milepost - Alaska Travel Planner" from Amazon.com and it arrived today. Within 2 minutes of opening this guide, I was able to answer questions about the Dalton Highway - Haul Road that I was having trouble finding on the internet. After picking this guide up, I couldn't put it down for at least an hour. I was able to determine that YES it is possible to walk on the beach and dip your toes into the Arctic Ocean at Prudhoe Bay if you use the Arctic Caribou Inn tour from Deadhorse for $40 per person. Excellent.  They do have a polar bear club for those who go in the water, the only drawback is that you cannot go in the water deeper than your knees (due to the lawyers and insurance companies). What I also found extremely cool was a detailed breakdown of every notable item along the Dalton Highway, with mileage, including turnouts, campgrounds, bridges, pipelines, and parking areas. Very nice. Another nice discovery in the Alaska Travel planner is that it covers Alaska, Yukon Territory, British Columbia, Alberta and the Northwest Territories.  And to my surprise near the end of the book there is even a section that covers the 456 mile Dempster Highway to Inuvik, our other possible destination.

Where to go, there are not many options...

There are very few places in North America where you can drive all the way to the Arctic Ocean.

Barrow, Alaska - No roads connect here from the outside world, so this isn't an option.

Prudhoe Bay, Alaska - You can drive close, but the last stretch through oil fields is restricted access. Drive to Deadhorse AK, then tour bus to Prudhoe Bay on the Arctic Ocean. This route would be about 5100 miles round trip.


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Inuvik, Northwest Territories, Canada - 62 miles from the Arctic Ocean.  We need to determine if there is a way to get that last 62 miles on a tour or some other method. I have heard you can get there by dogsled, but that is only in the winter. This route would be about 4500 miles round trip.


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Tuktoyaktuk, Northwest Territories, Canada - North of Inuvik, on the shores of the Arctic Ocean, available by ice roads in the winter, and by plane in the summer.

Nanisivik, Canada - An abandoned town, that appears to be not accessible by road.  Further east that we plan to travel.  This doesn't look like a viable option.

Churchill, Manitoba, Canada - Technically on Hudson Bay, and not on the Arctic Ocean.  Also much further east that we wish to travel.

There are a few other locations in Norway and Russia, but these are certainly not an option for this trip.


It looks like Prudhoe Bay, Inuvik, or Tuktoyaktuk are the only options.


Perhaps we should travel from Ferndale WA (Home) to Prudhoe Bay, then to Inuvik, then home again.


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This route would be about 6100 miles. Google maps says it would be 7 days of travel time, but 7 days appears too short looking at the routes and road conditions.


Here is another option that includes Vancouver Island BC, Anchorage AK, and less overlap on the same roads on the way up as on the way back. Estimates at 6700 miles.


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