Canol Road, Yukon Info

After Riding the Great Divide in 2005, I had to find another long, remote stretch of dirt road to ride the following summer. After some digging around on the internet, I came across the Canol Road in Yukon Territory Canada. This road was originally built at the end of World War II for an oil pipeline that would run from Norman Wells in Northwest Territory to Whitehorse, Yukon. Not long after it was constructed, the war ended and the pipeline was pulled up. Now all that remains is a dirt road that passes through the untouched wilderness of NWT and Yukon Territory. The road is divided into two sections, with the town of Faro between the two, a perfect place for a resupply. The North Canol Road runs from Norman Wells to Faro, but it is only considered rideable for 60 miles North of the Macmillan Pass. Beyond that the road deteriorates and there are several large rivers to ford - some requqiring rafts. The South Canol Road runs between Faro and Johnsons Crossing. The total ridable section of Canol Road is approximately 350 miles.

One potential route would be to start in Whitehorse, ride to Carmaks, then to Faro, and fly in to an airstrip at the Godlin Lakes, North of Mac Pass. Another would be to fly into Norman Wells, then fly south to the airstrip. When I was researching the trip, Stan Simpson of Ramhead Outfitters was charging $1400 to take two passengers and bikes from Faro to the lakes. He was charging $1000 for a flight from Norman Wells. Ursus Aviation or NWT had similar pricing.

Links coming soon!