Yellowknife or Bust.

[niss]

I'm taking a roadtrip this summer with a buddy out to Yellowknife and back. I'm not looking for a job, just experiencing the country.

Now it would be an awful shame to drive 5200km, to end up 400km south of the arctic circle, and not actually get to cross into the technical arctic. So I ask those of you who have been, or are there. How do I get up there?

Also, what should I see/do while I'm on my way out?

My itinerary:
Aug 20 - Sault Ste Marie
Aug 21 - Winnipeg, MB
Aug 22 - Winnipeg, MB
Aug 23 - Regina, SK
Aug 24 - Calgary, AB
Aug 25 - Jasper, AB
Aug 26 - Edmonton, AB
Aug 27 - High Level, AB
Aug 28 - Yellowknife, NT
Aug 29 - Yellowknife, NT
Aug 30 - High level, AB
Aug 31 - Edmonton, AB
Sept 1 - Kenosee Lake, SK
Sept 2 - Fargo, ND
Sept 3 - Chicago, IL
Sept 4 - Barrie, ON

[valleyboy]

Damn for all the ground traveled you won't see much country at less that 100 Km/hr - You won't cross 6630N unless in an aircraft out of YK -

[PropToFeather]

There's almost zero room to squeeze in any tourist-ing in that schedule. (Other than scenic Winnipeg and Yellowknife, I suppose). If you have a few more days, I'd stretch the Ontario portion to maybe two days (there's some decent plane and scenery spotting on your route), and, if you haven't been, add another two days to the US portion, and actually go see the sights when you're there.

If you want to get into the technical arctic, and you do know someone who works out of YK, see if they can score you a back seat on a load going up north? If those days when you get there aren't busy, there may be spare seats which won't eat too badly into payload, and then you can check that off your list.

[Donald]

You need to drive the Dempster to Inuvik!

[John Bull]

Boredom Tour 2016?

You are leaving it late in the year for northern touring. The best time is late June. By the 31 August there is a definite nip in the air. North of Edmonton the trees will be changing already.

My mother used to call girls who were ugly, "plain". Or, more ominously, "plain, but she has lovely skin". She usually used this to try and interest me in the daughters of her friends who had a hard time getting visitors. Most of the towns you've listed are quite plain, but have some of the most beautiful skin on the planet!

Donald has it right. The Yukon's Dempster Highway is what you want. Just make sure you have good quality tyres and at least two (preferably four) mounted full size spares; you'll need them. Don't go with just a compact spare.

Liard River Hotsprings, Whitehorse, Dawson City, are nice stops. If you had more time Skagway is an interesting drive as you come into town (passport required). Northern B.C. and especially southern Yukon are spectacular. All a little further than you were planning, but at least you won't find them attractive only in the rear view mirror.

[Jimmybuffet]

Sault to Winnipeg in one day? That's 14 hours with no pee or food stop. If your looking to see the country, Superior North is a great place to start seeing the beauty and not have to speed through it. Tbay to Sault is less exciting, be better to leave Tbay at 6 am, gain the hour and still get to Winnipeg by 12:30. My thoughts...

[Cessna 180]

I flew there in a single to do my time building at the same time as you're going last year. Sure was chilly. Bring a jacket. Lots of cool stuff to do up there. Visit the bush pilot monument.

[futboler14]

Sept 1 - Kenosee Lake, SK

Make sure you check out the outdoor water slides. Its been years since I've been there, but I remember the 'scenery' was good.

Just south of Kenosee is Carlyle, and it has a drive in movie screen. Don't see many of them around anymore, I imagine its still open? You can see it from the highway anyways.

If you're looking for a drinking hole, 'The Bar Bar' is supposed to be good, but the Ex probably still works there, so I've never been back.

[New_PIC]

Sault to Winnipeg in one day? That's 14 hours with no pee or food stop. If your looking to see the country, Superior North is a great place to start seeing the beauty and not have to speed through it. Tbay to Sault is less exciting, be better to leave Tbay at 6 am, gain the hour and still get to Winnipeg by 12:30. My thoughts...

Yes, that can be a long road, in good weather. I drove it the other way a couple years ago when, for parts of that stretch, it was raining so hard I could barely see the road in front of me.

[eggy]

Agree that the road from Sault to Thunder bay is great. The Bushplane Museum in SSM is cool and you gotta stop to see the pictographs in Lake Superior Provincial Park!

[valleyboy]

All my years spent north of 6630 August was always considered the best month in the "high"arctic. One can't consider YK really north in the true sense of "north" YK is still close to 1800 nm south of the pole so ya I guess in southern regions such as YK summer could be better in July but August is the true summer of the high arctic and the time of the year when the tundra and surrounding land is in full bloom. I have driven to YK several times and let's say 28 hours of non stop driving gets you to YK from wpg and another 22 hours gets you to TO as mention before a blistering pace for sure.

[MrWings]

I don't get the Alberta portion of your trip. It looks like from Calgary, you are planning on the Icefields Parkway to Jasper (nice drive). But from Jasper you go to Edmonton on your way to High Level. Unless you have a reason to be in Edmonton, there are quicker ways from Jasper north. Maybe you are visiting or picking someone up.

[Mr. North]

Hit the Dempster in Aug/Sept. you won't regret it. The highway continues on past Inuvik, might even reach Tuktoyuktuk by now!

[rigpiggy]

a mare usque admare, usque ad mare.