Day 8 – Eagle Plains to Tombstone Mountain – 298 km (185 miles) – 8 hours
Read our “Summary of the Dempster” post for an overview of The Dempster!
We departed Eagle Plains amidst all the mosquitos and got on the road south. It was a bit overcast and we had a tiny bit of wildfire smoke. There had been a small wildfire just south of Eagle Plains a few days previous but then the rains came and help dissuade it. But the Klondike Highway further to the south had a variety of wildfires and of course, Alaska had their bunches of fires. The drive south from Eagle Plains is along a ridge for about 100 km. The views are usually terrific but with cloudy and smokey skies the views were diminished. We did see tracks along the road for quite a distance and upon further examination it appeared to be moose tracks, several moose, and fairly new like in the past 12 hours.
The Eagle Plains plateau goes on for what feels like forever and ever and ever with a rough road but eventually we drove down the Seven Mile Hill and back to the road along the Ogilvie River and eventually Engineer Creek. The Ogilvie River bridge is where the two rivers converge with the natural iron red water of Engineer Creek.
The landscape began to change and after a few hours we were in the Blackstone Uplands area north of Tombstone Territorial Park and then into the park. We passed by Tombstone Outfitters which is in the park and offers hunts for grizzlies, moose, caribou, and dall/fannin sheep.
Back to Tombstone Campground where we stayed on the way north. We love this place.
Campground: Tombstone Campground
Location: Yukon
Site: 16 (back-in)
Cost: $20 (CAD)
Services: dry camping
Comments: A beautiful campground with an idyllic setting offer great sites with privacy and even some by the Klondike River including our site this time. We thoroughly enjoyed are stay here and would certainly come back again.
Many of the sites are reservable and the others are first come first serve. Our site this time was first come first serve. The campground did not fill up that night and was quiet and peaceful. We had a nice campfire by the river and enjoyed the evening.
There are a number of large sites which can fit big rigs and even some pull thrus along with riverfront sites. All sites offer great views in a lovely setting.
There is an enclosed area for tenters to have meals, an amphitheater, ranger programs and there is always free firewood. YAY! And yes there was a water boil advisory when we were there.
Our motorhome faired better than most probably due to the fact that we didn’t hit the mud and rain and also because Norm spent all winter prepping the vehicle for the massive beating it was going to take. Our license plate got hit by lots of rocks and got all bent up too. We weren’t done with the Dempster yet so we will wait until Dawson City to try and clean the motorhome.
We are nearing the end of The Dempster and a bit sad but we thoroughly enjoyed our adventure.
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