Arctic Winter Explorer: Ice Road to the Arctic Sea

Duration: 8 Days | 7 Nights
Destination: Whitehorse - Dawson City - Eagle Plains - Inuvik - Tuktoyaktuk - Aklavik (Yukon and Northwest Territories, Canada)
Departure & Return Locations: Whitehorse Airport / Whitehorse Airport (includes the Inuvik - Whitehorse flight)
Skill level: Easy / Beginner | Group size: 4 - 16 participants

Departure dates - Winter 2027:
19 Feb - 26 Feb 2027 (Whitehorse - Inuvik)
26 Feb - 05 Mar 2027 (Inuvik - Whitehorse)
12 Mar - 19 Mar 2027 (Whitehorse - Inuvik)
19 Mar - 26 Mar 2027 (Inuvik - Whitehorse)
The itinerary runs in reverse on every second departure, starting with the flight from Whitehorse to Inuvik and travelling south.

Travel overland from the Pacific to the Arctic on snow-covered highways and roads built of ice, following ancient wildlife corridors and the trading routes of First Nations peoples, Klondike Gold Rush prospectors and North-West Mounted Police patrols. The route crosses some of the most varied country in Canada: the young, jagged Tombstone Mountains of the central Yukon, the far older Ogilvie Mountains that escaped the last Ice Age, then open tundra beyond the Arctic Circle where the Richardson Mountains - the northern tip of the Rockies - come into view before the road drops into the vast Mackenzie River Delta.

From Inuvik, the "Place of Man", the tour reaches two communities that can only be driven to in winter: Aklavik, the town that refused to move and adopted the motto "Never say die", where you will visit the grave of the Mad Trapper of Rat River; and the Inuvialuit village of Tuktoyaktuk on the Arctic coast, where you can dip a toe in the frozen Arctic Ocean and share a traditional lunch in a local home. Northern Lights are a regular bonus on clear nights in Dawson City and along the Dempster.

Day 1: Arrive Whitehorse
Meet and greet at Whitehorse Airport and transfer to your downtown hotel. Your guide reviews the itinerary and your winter equipment at a group meeting this afternoon, and offers a city highlights tour taking in the SS Klondike National Historic Site, the Old Log Church and the Log Cabin Skyscraper. The rest of the afternoon and evening is free for last-minute shopping.
Overnight: Whitehorse

Day 2: Whitehorse - Dawson City
Before the late 1950s the only way to Dawson City was by paddlewheeler; today the 550 km is covered in a few hours along the Yukon River valley. Morning coffee stop at Braeburn Lodge, famous for its enormous cinnamon buns, then north on the Klondike Highway through Carmacks, Pelly Crossing and Stewart Crossing, with views of the Five Finger Rapids and a stop at the Tintina Trench lookout across the Yukon interior to the Ogilvie Mountains. After check-in and a bite to eat, keep an eye out for the Northern Lights, which are often seen right over the town.
Overnight: Dawson City

Day 3: Dawson City
Home of the world's greatest gold rush, when some 50,000 gold seekers arrived in 1898, Dawson City is now a national historic site of unpaved streets and wooden boardwalks. Parks Canada has restored many original buildings including the Palace Grand Theatre, the Commissioner's Residence and the cabins of Jack London and Robert Service. Drive up Bonanza Creek to Discovery Claim, where gold was first found in 1896, and the Dredge No. 4 National Historic Site. The evening is free to explore Dawson's small but authentic bar scene and hear tales of the far north from long-time residents.
Overnight: Dawson City

Day 4: Dawson City - Eagle Plains
An early start onto the Dempster Highway, completed in the late 1970s and still the only public road in North America to cross the Arctic Circle. Today's drive is the most scenic of the trip: the jagged peaks of Tombstone Territorial Park to the west, then the sweeping vistas of the Ogilvie Mountains. Watch the roadside for foxes, caribou and the occasional wolf, with a picnic lunch along the way. Eagle Plains - a modest hotel, fuel station and highway maintenance base, the only settlement for roughly 300 km in either direction - feels like an oasis on arrival in the late afternoon.
Overnight: Eagle Plains

Day 5: Eagle Plains - Inuvik
First stop is the Arctic Circle crossing, marked with a celebratory glass of champagne. Cross the Richardson Mountains and the Peel and Mackenzie rivers to the Gwich'in community of Fort McPherson, a former Hudson's Bay trading post and resting place of the RNWMP "Lost Patrol" for whose corporal, Dempster, the highway is named. Inuvik was built by the Canadian government in the 1950s when nearby Aklavik was found to be sinking into the delta; its name means "Place of Man" in Inuvialuktun. Short orientation tour on the way to the hotel, then time to explore the town on foot.
Overnight: Inuvik

Day 6: Inuvik - Tuktoyaktuk - Inuvik (L)
Where the Mackenzie River meets the Arctic Ocean the road turns north-east and follows the coast to the village of "Tuk". Near town rise the first of several pingos - hills of solid ice heaved up by the annual freeze and thaw, the tallest over 100 m. Local guides lead a tour of the village: the historic Our Lady of Lourdes schooner, traditional sod houses and churches, the former DEW Line early-warning site, and the chance to dip a toe in the Arctic Ocean. You are then invited into a resident's home for a traditional lunch and a display of Inuit clothing. Return to Inuvik in the late afternoon.
Overnight: Inuvik

Day 7: Inuvik - Aklavik - Inuvik
After breakfast, drive the winter ice road across the frozen Mackenzie River and delta to Aklavik, founded on the Peel River in 1918 at the foot of the Richardson Mountains and the most westerly community in the NWT. Home to both Gwich'in and Inuvialuit peoples, many of its 735 residents still hunt, fish and trap. Aklavik was the trapping, trading and transport hub of the delta until Inuvik was built to replace it - but the residents refused to relocate and proudly call it "the town that wouldn't die". Return to Inuvik in the afternoon.
Overnight: Inuvik

Day 8: Inuvik - Whitehorse
Transfer to Inuvik Airport for the southbound flight. Tour services end on arrival at Whitehorse Airport; add an extra night in Whitehorse or connect to your onward flight.

Tour Price
• Price shown is per person, twin share (double room), for the Winter 2027 departures listed above.
• Single room is available as an option above.
• Canadian GST of 5% is additional and will be added to your invoice.
• Children 7 - 17 years receive 25% off the adult rate; minimum age 7 years.
• Rates are valid for departures to 26 March 2027.
• Ask us about pre- and post-tour accommodation in Whitehorse and add-on tours such as aurora viewing, dog sledding and snowmobiling.
• All prices displayed are subject to availability and can be withdrawn or varied without notice.
• Prices are guaranteed once the booking is confirmed by us and paid in full by the due date.
• Depending on your needs and group size (individual, couple, family, group) we will provide the final pricing for your tour.
• Itinerary is subject to change.

Inclusions:
• 7 nights hotel accommodation: Whitehorse (1), Dawson City (2), Eagle Plains (1), Inuvik (3)
• Traditional lunch and display of Inuit clothing in Tuktoyaktuk
• Professional guiding and all overland transportation for the entire tour
• City sightseeing tours in Whitehorse and Dawson City
• Inuvialuit community tour in Tuktoyaktuk and visit to Aklavik by ice road
• Arctic Circle ceremony
• Flight Inuvik - Whitehorse
• Whitehorse and Inuvik airport shuttles (04:00 - 21:00)
• Emergency equipment including first aid kit and satellite telephone

Exclusions:
• International and domestic airfares to and from Whitehorse
• 5% Canadian GST
• Meals and beverages other than the lunch in Tuktoyaktuk
• Outdoor winter clothing (rental available - ask us for rates)
• Travel insurance (required)
• Airport taxes and charges
• Personal expenses such as telephone calls, room service and laundry
• Gratuities for guide and driver
• Anything not specifically mentioned in the itinerary

Please note:
• Due to the nature of this tour, last-minute changes to the itinerary are possible and are at the discretion of the guide. Ice-road travel depends on conditions.
• Group tour deposit of 10% is due 14 days after confirmation; final payment 30 days before departure.
• Supplier cancellation fees apply: 10% any time after invoicing, 25% from 60 - 30 days before departure, 60% from 29 - 7 days, 100% within 7 days.
• Departures require a minimum of 4 participants. Book early - each departure is capped at 16.
• Comprehensive travel insurance is strongly recommended.

Please refer to our Standard Booking Conditions for booking terms and conditions.