Guide 04 · Alaska · Yukon · NWT · 65°N–70°12′N

The Dalton and Dempster Gravel Runs

Two of the most remote public roads in North America. Both are long, largely unpaved and thinly serviced. Riders who finish them do so by planning fuel, tyres and weather holds in detail before leaving pavement.

Dalton Highway · Alaska Route 11 · 414 mi / 666 km

Dalton Highway: Livengood to Deadhorse

Gravel Dalton Highway climbing toward Atigun Pass through the bare peaks of the Brooks Range — Approaching Atigun Pass in the Brooks Range, the highest point on the Dalton at about 1,444 m (4,739 ft).

The Dalton Highway was built in 1974 as a haul road for the Trans-Alaska Pipeline, which it follows for most of its length. It begins at the junction with the Elliott Highway near Livengood, north of Fairbanks, and ends 414 miles later at Deadhorse in the Prudhoe Bay oilfields. The road is a mix of gravel and patchy chip-seal, and heavy trucks have priority in practice if not in law.

Mileposts as signed on the Dalton Highway; kilometres approximate.
Point	Milepost	Distance	Latitude	Services
Yukon River crossing	MP 56	~90 km	~65°53′N	Fuel, food (seasonal)
Arctic Circle wayside	MP 115	~185 km	66°33′N	Pull-out only
Coldfoot	MP 175	~282 km	~67°15′N	Fuel, food, lodging
Atigun Pass	MP 244	~393 km	~68°08′N	None
Deadhorse	MP 414	666 km	~70°12′N	Fuel, lodging

Dalton hazards

The Coldfoot to Deadhorse leg, about 240 miles (386 km), has no fuel. Carry extra in approved containers if your range is short of 450 km with a margin. In wet weather the road is treated with calcium chloride, which turns into slick, sticky mud and coats the bike; wash it off promptly to limit corrosion. Trucks throw stones and dust: pull right and slow for every oncoming rig. Atigun Pass can see snow in any month. Beyond Deadhorse, public access to the Arctic Ocean is restricted to authorised tours.

Dempster Highway · Yukon 5 / NWT 8 · ~740 km

Dempster Highway: Dawson City to Inuvik

Dark shale surface of the Dempster Highway stretching across tundra with low mountains behind

The Dempster leaves the Klondike Highway about 40 km east of Dawson City and runs roughly 740 km to Inuvik in the Northwest Territories. It crosses the Ogilvie and Richardson mountains, passes the Arctic Circle, and uses two summer ferries over the Peel and Mackenzie rivers.

Since 2017 the Inuvik–Tuktoyaktuk Highway, about 138 km of gravel, continues to the Arctic Ocean coast at Tuktoyaktuk, making this the only public road in Canada to reach that ocean.

Kilometre posts as signed on the Dempster; approximate.
Point	Km post	Latitude	Surface	Services
Tombstone Interpretive Centre	km 71	~64°30′N	Gravel	Information, campground
Eagle Plains	km 369	~66°22′N	Gravel and shale	Fuel, food, lodging
Arctic Circle	km 405	66°33′N	Gravel	Pull-out
Peel River ferry / Fort McPherson	~km 539–550	~67°26′N	Gravel	Fuel in community
Inuvik	~km 740	~68°21′N	Gravel, paved in town	Full services

Dempster hazards

Fuel: fill in Dawson City. The first fuel on the highway is Eagle Plains at about km 369.
Tyres: sharp shale is known for cutting tyres. Start with fresh rubber, carry a plug kit and know how to fix a puncture in the cold.
Ferries: the Peel and Mackenzie crossings stop during freeze-up and break-up, typically in spring and autumn, which can close the route for weeks.
Weather: rain turns some sections greasy; snow is possible in the Richardson Mountains in summer.