The DIRT
Name: The Nahanni Range Road
Duration: 1 day to get in and out
Rating: Class 2
Accomodations: Camping
Distance: 197 km one way, 394 km return trip
Location: Yukon and North West Territories
Photo by Sue Thomas
The Nahanni Range Road is a remote road that starts in the Yukon and ends in the Nortwest Territories. The road is 194 kilometres in distance and is a dead end road. The surface is gravel and can be challenging in inclement weather conditions.
Photo by Russel Higginson
The Nahanni Range Road was built in 1960’s to service a mine and associated town called Tungsten. There is some confusion as the town is also called Cantung is many references. The mine shut down and reopened in 2003 and is currently being worked. The town site is no longer needed and most of it has been torn down now. Caution should be taken as the industrial traffic may be encountered on this road and as it’s so remote and seldom travelled, you will not be expected by trucks and workers of the mine.
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Photo by Sue Thomas
The road begins off of the Robert Campbell Highway and heads east. A logical spot for most folks to spend a night prior to heading up the Nahanni Range Road is the Simpson Lake campground. This campground is on the Robert Campbell Highway about 25 kilometres from the entrance to the Nahanni Range Road. There is another campground at kilometre 84 on the Nahanni Range Road and is aptly named the Nahanni Range Campground.
The Nahanni Range Road is VERY remote, we urge you take all precautions needed when travelling it. The scenery can be quite beautiful and the road conditions can be excellent, this can change in an instant. Unseasonal snow, slick roads, oncoming traffic from the mine, steep cliffs with no guard rails should all be expected and planned for. It is not uncommon for folks to make a ride in and out in one day (388 km’s) but we would suggest that you take some time and enjoy the northern solitude that this road has to offer. Mostly due to the fact the road is a dead end, The Nahanni really provides a remote wilderness experience, we’d encourage you to spend a night or two and enjoy the wilderness.