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Nahanni Range Road to Tungsten NWT
Yukon Territory & Northwest Territories
Also see my page dedicated to the South Canol with pictures from our numerous trips on this favourite route of ours.
12 September 2007
The Simpson Lake Yukon Gov't campground (km 81 on the Campbell Hwy) was a pleasant beginning to our day. The start of the Nahanni Range Road was only 25 km north of the campground.
Information sign at the start of the Nahanni Range Road
This sign, at the start of the road, turned out to be an accurate sign.
Sign at the start of the Nahanni Range Road
Today, blue skies and good gravel road greeted the truck. We felt enthused as this was the first real blue skies we had this trip.
Clear blue skies can be amazing in the north in the autumn. The air has a sweet scent that fills the lungs and the world just seems to be a better place!
Nahanni Range Road
The first 80 km provided reasonable road conditions and nice scenery.
We didn't know yet that the best was another 50 km ahead.
Nahanni Range Yukon gov't campground sign, km 84
The campground was in the middle of a large
forest fire that burned about five years ago.
Even so, it would have been a good
overnight spot.
Campsite at Nahanni Range Yukon gov't campground
Campsite at Nahanni Range Yukon gov't campground
Hyland River from the Nahanni Range campground
It was only midday so we carried on after lunch. Didn't know where we'd be tonight.
Hyland River where it intersects the road at km 110 (mile 68)
This warning at km 134 should be taken seriously ...
Warning sign alongside the road
We carried on past the sign, fully understanding the risk of traveling on remote roads in the north. Of course, we were prepared to take care of ourselves for an extended period if necessary -- had fuel, food & water and a good first aid kit, plus way too many tools to repair the truck should something break.
Further along the road, the blue skies and clear day provided perfect picture opportunities. My little Canon A70 point & shoot did a good job.
Lake along Nahanni Range Road
Looking south over a lake along the Nahanni Range Road
View moving northeast towards Northwest Territories ...
Looking northeast towards our destination
Overall, the road was in good condition. This area had been freshly graded.
View looking west as we head towards the Northwest Territories
After leaving the valley floor, the road climbed towards the Northwest Territories.
Looking back at the Yukon
The road narrowed as it climbed. On one side of us was a wall and on the other side was a severe drop with no roadside barrier. Steve inched the truck along as we didn't know if there would be oncoming traffic around any of the corners.
Small lake near the highest point along the pass
We wondered where the border between Yukon and Northwest Territories would be. A "Notice to Hunters" was the only marking.
Sign marking the boundary between Yukon and NWT
The sign below gave several warnings:
downhill (graphic), DEADEND AHEAD
300-400 FT, and KEEP RIGHT.
We were not sure what was ahead so crept slowly up to the edge. We had little choice but to move forward as there was no place to turn around with a fifth wheel behind us.
Turns out the sign should have said "90 degree left turn and if you don't make the turn you're going to drop over a vertical bank that drops a long way".
Sign -- DEADEND AHEAD 300-400 FT - KEEP RIGHT
I took video of this experience, so wasn't able to take a picture. There was a checkerboard sign as we approached the corner, visible in this 36-second video. Apologies for the low-res video ... I was using my small Canon digital.
Continuing along, the scenery was spectacular. I couldn't believe the colours!
Looking towards the Northwest Territories and the Ragged
Mountains
We drove to the end of the road at the tungsten mine.
There isn't much to see from the end of the road ...
End of the road at Tungsten
We heeded the "No Trespass" signs and turned back.
A few kilometres of backtracking and we found a fine spot to set up camp.
If you look again at the fourth picture up, you'll recognize the spectacular
backdrop of the Ragged Mountains ...
Boondock site alongside the Nahanni Range Road, near Tungsten
The evening was very quiet, with a few planes flying overhead. A couple of workers from the mine came along, on their way to retrieve a moose they shot the night before. They told us the planes were flying between Tungsten and Macmillan Pass, where there was another mine (end of the North Canol Rd). They also told us not to wander too far without reflective gear as some hunters liked to shoot into this valley from the road above (the road we drove in on), and they thought some of the hunters wouldn't expect to see two humans and a dog out for an evening stroll and might assume we were something else in the dusk. So they thought it best we be brightly decorated.
We didn't meet anyone else that night; nor were we used for target practice.
Total of 170 pictures today ...