The Dempster
Highway officially opened in 1979 linking Inuvik with southern
communities. It is the only gravel highway connecting Inuvik
to Whitehorse, Yukon some 1253 km away. The highway is open approximately
June 10 to October 14 in the summer, and December 15 to April
30 in the winter.
The highway
closes for approximately 6 to 8 weeks in the fall when the Peel
and Mackeznie Rivers freeze and again in the spring when they
thaw.
Ferry
service operates on both the Peel and Mackenzie Rivers.
The Peel River ferry operates on demand from 9:00am - 1:00a.m.
The Mackenzie River ferry operates every hour on the hour
from the Inuvik shore from 9:00am to 12:00am.
During
the winter (January to April), Inuvik is connected by winter
ice road to Aklavik (112 km) and Tuktoyaktuk (194 km)
away. In the summer and fall, air service or boat can only access
these communities.
Inuvik
operates on Mountain Standard Time, the same time
zone as Alberta.
For more information on the Dempster Highway 25th
Anniversary click here.
