A Guide to the Dempster Highway

    You need to cross both the Peel and Mackenzie Rivers by ferry to reach Inuvik, and both ferry crossings are free. Posted below are the opening and closing dates of the two ferry services on the Dempster Highway for the years 2004-2011. The NWT no longer publishes these dates - as of January 2019, they just give a 15-year average: June 2 to October 28 for the Peel River ferry and June 2 to October 25 for the Mackenzie River ferry.

The ferry Abraham Francis crosses the Peel River at Km 539, near Fort MacPherson.

• 2004: June 2 - October 25
• 2005: May 25 - October 25
• 2006: June 2 - October 26
• 2007: June 2 - October 20
• 2008: May 25 - October 27
• 2009: June 1 - November 5
• 2010: May 24 - November 3
• 2011: June 4 - November 8

The ferry Louis Cardinal crosses the Mackenzie River at Km 608, near Tsiigehtchic.

• 2004: June 4 - October 20
• 2005: May 27 - October 29
• 2006: May 31 - October 28
• 2007: June 2 - October 21
• 2008: May 30 - October 23
• 2009: June 3 - October 26
• 2010: May 27 - October 28
• 2011: June 3 - October 30

For more information about ferry crossings, ice roads and road conditions in the Northwest Territories, see the NWT Road Conditions page.

NWT Road Map (pdf, 4.4 MB)

Click on the Google Earth images below to go to the interactive location in Google Maps, to continue your exploring.