Frontier Trail — Fort Simpson to Blackstone Territorial Park

Most people roll through Fort Simpson gassing up for the Liard Highway and never look west. The Frontier Trail does the opposite — it pushes into the Deh Cho uplands toward Blackstone Territorial Park, following a mix of resource access roads and old seismic lines through spruce forest and muskeg. The route skirts the Liard River valley escarpment and drops into river bottom country before climbing back onto the plateau. Watch for the section where the road pinches down to a single track with standing water on both sides — that’s where rigs without lockers start getting honest about their capabilities.

This is legitimate remote driving. No cell service, no services, no rescue coming quickly if you snap an axle. A properly equipped truck with a locker, recovery gear, spare fuel for 300-plus kilometres, and a sat communicator is the minimum. High water season (May–June) turns the muskeg crossings into wheel-swallowing traps — aim for July through September when the ground firms up. You’ll have Blackstone Territorial Park’s riverside campsites almost entirely to yourself. That isolation is the whole point.