Mackenzie and Yellowknife Highways?

[kkt]

I'm planning a trip from Seattle to Yellowknife for early June.  Anyone been on the Mackenzie and Yellowknife Highways recently?  Is it reasonable to plan on making 90 to 100 km/hr along them most places?  Most places I'll plan on staying in campgrounds.  Do I need reservations for campgrounds then?  If it turns out the campgrounds are full, would pitching a tent at the side of the road be dangerous or get us in trouble with the law?

[agentsteel53]

I'm planning a trip from Seattle to Yellowknife for early June.  Anyone been on the Mackenzie and Yellowknife Highways recently?  Is it reasonable to plan on making 90 to 100 km/hr along them most places?  Most places I'll plan on staying in campgrounds.  Do I need reservations for campgrounds then?  If it turns out the campgrounds are full, would pitching a tent at the side of the road be dangerous or get us in trouble with the law?

I did the paved part of that trip in Sept of last year.  All the roads from Edmonton to Yellowknife as a straight shot north are paved and in excellent condition.  I was doing about 170 km/h without any problem.  (legal disclaimer: I do not recommend it.  speed traps are operated by bison.)

you can see what to expect in some photos here.  Apart from the leaves being more green in June, I'd imagine the road condition would be the same.

https://www.aaroads.com/blog/2011/10/03/northern-canada-sept-11-part-i/
https://www.aaroads.com/blog/2011/10/19/northern-canada-sept-11-part-ii/
https://www.aaroads.com/blog/2011/12/05/northern-canada-sept-11-part-iii-8/

I do not know about campgrounds, or about pitching tents.  I slept in my car in the parking areas and nobody bothered me.  

edit: I didn't realize the Mackenzie continued forward as a dirt road to the west of where the Yellowknife splits off.  I was on that road for maybe half a mile.

[Stephane Dumas]

Check also for the construction of the Deh Cho bridge, who'll replace the ferry crossing the Mackenzie River
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deh_Cho_Bridge

[kkt]

Thanks for the info!  Yes, I read that the Deh Cho Bridge was under construction, but won't be done in time for us.

[JREwing78]

(legal disclaimer: I do not recommend it.  speed traps are operated by bison.)

  Also, there's a lot more of them (and moose) than Mounties.

[dmuzika]

I'm planning a trip from Seattle to Yellowknife for early June.  Anyone been on the Mackenzie and Yellowknife Highways recently?  Is it reasonable to plan on making 90 to 100 km/hr along them most places?  Most places I'll plan on staying in campgrounds.  Do I need reservations for campgrounds then?  If it turns out the campgrounds are full, would pitching a tent at the side of the road be dangerous or get us in trouble with the law?

You might need reservations for some of the Alberta campgrounds located next to the major towns (High Level, Peace River, Grande Praire) if you're looking for more amenities (showers, etc.) more due to high oil activity than tourist traffic.  I took the route a number of years ago and there are other smaller campgrounds.  You can order a free copy of the Alberta Campground Guide through http://travelalberta.com/Trip%20Essentials/Vacation%20Guides.aspx (covers the Alberta portion of the Mackenzie Hwy).  The NWT published their road and campground guide at http://www.iti.gov.nt.ca/publications/2009/TourismParks/Road%20Guide_web.pdf.

[oscar]

I also suggest getting a copy of, the Milepost guide to Arctic highways.  The 2012 edition is out, and I got my copy from Amazon today.  The Milepost will have detailed logs of both highways, as well as the route to NWT through northern Alberta, which will indicate official and unofficial campgrounds along the way.