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One of my road trip dreams is to drive up to Deadhorse AK. Along the way (okay, it's a 750 mile side trip, each way) I am considering driving up to Inuvik NWT. From Inuvik there's an ice road that follows the Mackenzie River up to Tuktoyaktuk NWT, or simply, Tuk.
To drive an ice road - I think it would be a very cool thing to do!
Has anyone here driven an ice road? From what I have read so far, it seems that properly trained civilians can do this.
Last edited by echo7tango; 12-14-2015 at 12:03 PM..
One of my road trip dreams is to drive up to Deadhorse AK. Along the way (okay, it's a 750 mile side trip, each way) I am considering driving up to Inuvik NWT. From Inuvik there's an ice road that follows the Mackenzie River up to Tuktoyaktuk NWT, or simply, Tuk.
To drive an ice road - I think it would be a very cool thing to do!
Has anyone here driven an ice road? From what I have read so far, it seems that properly trained civilians can do this.
You don't even have to go that far north. The question is, what are you going to do when you get there? It's not like there are a lot of facilities.
Driving an ice road loses a lot of it's appeal quickly. It's sort of neat/weird for the first 20 minutes, after that it's just another drive at 15 mph. You have to really watch your speed though because of the bow wave. The weight/speed of the vehicle push onto the ice and displace the water/ice and you have a pressure wave preceeding your vehicle down the road. The faster you go, the bigger it gets and weakens the road.
You will really need to do your homework on this one. Driving in Northern Canada and Alaska in the winter adds a whole bunch of extra challenges. As far as driving to Deadhorse, the oil companies don't want you on the road. Don't expect anyone to bend over backwards to help you if you run into trouble. When it is minus 50 trouble has a habit of finding you at the worst time.
I have driven on an ice road a few times. It is actually fairly easy to drive on as it will mainly be flat and smooth. Though there can be dips which can catch you off-guard if going to fast. In those parts, the ice roads will be easier to drive on than the non-ice.
Inuvik NT is a 3,100 mile drive from my home. I am seriously considering this drive for next month -- for me that means as of right now my chances of going are roughly 10%, and I am excited and want to see how to make it work. Not a full-blown relaxing vacation, but a 2,400 mile quick (ish) sprint to Whitehorse YT, and then slow down a little, with the primary objective being the ice road to Tuk.
From Whitehorse YT:
- a 300mi jaunt to Alcan Border AK to simply tag the AK border (US-CA border) and get pictures of course
- from Alcan Border AK, it's 1,000mi up to Inuvik NT via Whitehorse YT
- the 90mi ice road to Tuk; may need to go there and back to Inuvik NT in the same day, not sure yet if I'd stay in Tuk; that'd mean leaving Inuvik NT at first daylight and return possibly in the dark (0900-2100 sunrise/set, mid-Mar)
- then a 3,100mi sprint back home fron Inuvik NT
For the mileage summary that is:
- 1,900mi of 'quick sprinting' on US interstates to/from US-CA border = 32hrs at 60mph overall safe avg speed of nonstop driving (only fuel, bathrooms, meals); with 4 drivers at 6hrs on, 18hrs off each
- 3,700mi of 'quick sprinting' in Canada = 93hrs at 40mph overall safe avg speed of nonstop driving
- 1,300mi of slightly slower going, not a sprint but still pressing on to the ice road; maybe no night driving
- 180mi of ice road between Inuvik NT and Tuk NT
Now that I put that together, wow that's a little daunting. Doable but daunting.
Still would have to do a lot of research. Weather, road conditions and sustainable average safe speeds in BC, YT, NT. I will need ULSD - Ultra-Low Sulfur Diesel for my 2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee. IIRC it requires not more than 15PPM sulfur. Gotta check the owner's manual, and I may be able to go higher than 15PPM under certain conditions (DPF, e.g.). Have to make sure ULSD is available.
Later, for another trip and if I were to do this one, I'd do the Al-Can at a more leisurely pace and go up to Prudhoe Bay AK. But the ice road to Tuk closes next year when the new road is completed, so I'm running out of time for this particular stretch of ice road.
One of my road trip dreams is to drive up to Deadhorse AK. Along the way (okay, it's a 750 mile side trip, each way) I am considering driving up to Inuvik NWT. From Inuvik there's an ice road that follows the Mackenzie River up to Tuktoyaktuk NWT, or simply, Tuk.
To drive an ice road - I think it would be a very cool thing to do!
Has anyone here driven an ice road? From what I have read so far, it seems that properly trained civilians can do this.
Will your vehicle go 750 miles between fill ups? as gas stations are few and far between even on the main road (Which arent the ice roads)?
Is your car fully equipped to traverse 750 miles of ice?,studded winter tires with chains available would be my thinking and of course the car be fully stocked for food in case of a breakdown.
be aware on most of those back roads you wont see another vehicle for days,They are also poorly marked if at all. and cell phone connectivity can be virtually zero in many places. Sounds like an adventure but as you point out proper training and preparation is the key.
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