Inuvik-Tuktoyaktuk Highway

Highway 10 is Canada’s newest highway and your fastest ticket to the Arctic Ocean, running 137 kilometers of gravel from Inuvik to Tuktoyaktuk through landscape that looks like another planet. Opened in 2017, this route replaced the seasonal ice road with year-round access to ‘Tuk,’ where the Mackenzie Delta meets the Beaufort Sea. You’ll cross endless tundra, pass massive pingos (ice-cored hills), and experience the kind of emptiness that makes you understand why early explorers went mad up here.

Any vehicle can make the run—it’s maintained gravel suitable for rental cars, though high clearance helps with washboard and potholes. The real challenges are logistics: fuel in Inuvik, carry extra food and water, and prepare for weather that can shift from calm to violent without warning. Summer brings 24-hour daylight and mosquitoes that’ll drive you insane, while winter offers northern lights but requires serious cold-weather prep. The reward is standing on the shore of the Arctic Ocean, further north than most Canadians will ever get, earning membership in an exclusive club of overland travelers who’ve touched the top of the continent.