SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE - There are only a handful of roads in the world with names and reputations that ring in the imaginations of travellers.

The United States has Route 66, Cape Breton has the Cabot Trail, Toronto has the 401, and B.C. has the beautiful but deadly Sea To Sky Highway.

Perhaps the most challenging part of driving the Dempster is resisting the urge to stop and photograph the scenery. This mountain was just too much. - Brodie Thomas/NNSL photo

But only one highway has a name and reputation that possibly outweighs all of the above: The Dempster.

Northerners might take it for granted, but the Dempster is one of those must-drive tourist attractions that draw travellers from around the world. It is the only road in Canada that crosses the Arctic Circle (unless you count the Mackenzie ice road). It winds over mountain ranges, through river valleys, and into the flat Mackenzie Delta. Few roads offer so many landscapes in a single drive.

Calling it a highway is a bit of a stretch. The speed limit may be 90kph, but unless you count the first five paved kilometres outside of Dawson City, it is a better-than-average gravel road.

To hear some MLAs in the assembly, you might think the Dempster is falling apart. But after driving the entire highway during the last weekend in June, I can tell you the Northwest Territories is doing a much better job of maintaining its share of the road than the Yukon government. Perhaps it is because of the steady questions from David Krutko and Robert Mcleod that Delta residents enjoy the best part of the Dempster.

My journey on the road began on a Friday morning after my fiancée and I decided to make the trip to Dawson City. Our three-day weekend was taken up by two full days of driving.

The road is wide enough for two vehicles to pass at all times, but most people tend to drive in the centre on the straight-aways. It helps you to keep your distance from the soft shoulders. Also, traffic is so scarce on the road you can drive four hours without encountering another vehicle.

In good weather it is possible to safely travel at the speed limit of 90 kph. We were driving a massive Dodge truck with no weight in the back, so I kept the truck at 70 kph or 80 kph for most of the journey. You need to slow to 50 kph or 60 kph when passing oncoming traffic. We also had to pull over several times to let 18-wheelers go by. These massive trucks seem to defy the laws of physics as they rattle down steep inclines and negotiate sharp turns.

Driving the road is an adventure. Each turn brings greater and more dramatic scenery as you drive south. Most tourists start at the south end and drive north, which can be a bit of a letdown in terms of dramatic mountain views. We had it good going south from Inuvik. But as the scenery grew more dramatic (I won't say better because the Delta has a stark beauty all its own), the roads grew worse. You notice a difference as soon as you cross into the Yukon. Instead of fresh gravel you encounter hard packed clay with sharp rocks jutting out. The clay is comparable to pavement until you hit a patch of rocks. It is no wonder that blowouts are so common on the highway.

Around Eagle Plains the road really starts to deteriorate. It is like driving on a washboard in some places. Fresh gravel can make for slower driving, but at least it is smooth and easier on your tires.

Near Engineer Creek we encountered a pick-up truck and trailer overturned in the ditch. There was no way of telling if we were first on the scene so we pulled over to check for injuries. There were jerry cans and sleeping bags that had fallen out of the back still on the ground. From the road I could see a small shoe just inside the cab. My heart leapt into my throat when I saw this. Another few steps and I could see that there was no foot inside the shoe. The truck was empty. We continued on our way at a much slower pace.

If you ever plan on driving the Dempster, I suggest you bring a good selection of music with you for the long trip. The songs of Steve Earle were ringing in my ears as I rolled towards Dawson City. So many of his lyrics seemed to be written especially for our trip. One line from his classic song 'Nowhere Road' kept coming back to me each time I recovered from another white-knuckled decent down a steep hill.

"It's just a road. It ain't no highway."