Award-winning journalist Stephanie Wallcraft is hitting the road in an Escape 19 with her daughter to complete their Parks Canada Xplorers collection. Follow along, and watch for her stories on Driving.ca after the journey!

Greetings from the North! I’m Stephanie Wallcraft, a professional automotive and road trip travel journalist, and I’m taking a 19-foot Escape Trailer through Northern British Columbia, the Yukon, and (if conditions allow) past the Arctic Circle and up to the Arctic Ocean. Why are we doing this? For the past 10 years, my daughter and I have been visiting Parks Canada sites across the country and collecting the medallions from their Xplorers program for kids. This road trip is the last one, where we’ll gather these from two national parks, five national historic sites, and one national landmark to complete our collection of more than 100! This time around, our journey started in Edmonton. The first couple of days have seen us camp in Dawson Creek, starting at Mile 0 of the Alaska Highway as we’ve traveled it all the way through Northern BC to arrive in Whitehorse. We discovered a beautiful first-come-first-served campsite at Summit Lake Campground in BC’s Stone Mountain Provincial Park, and we also stopped for a soak in the Liard River Hot Springs. From here, it’s time to Xplore and get to know the Escape Trailer. I hope you’ll follow along!

We’ve spent the last three days exploring The Yukon in this Escape Trailer and visiting Parks Canada places along the way!
 
Our first stop was in Whitehorse to visit S.S. Klondike National Historic Site, one of Canada’s last remaining steam-powered paddlewheel ships that shuttled passengers and cargo along the Yukon River. The ship is currently closed to the public due to a multi-year restoration project, but the staff have set up an educational escape room that’s a lot of fun!
 
Next, we headed west to Haines Junction to visit Kluane National Park. This spectacular park and the provincial, and state parks that surround it collectively protect the largest non-polar ice field in the world. The campground here at Kathleen Lake is quite rustic as frontcountry campgrounds go with no services and no running water, but the beautiful glacier lake surrounded by towering mountains is breathtaking and absolutely worth the trip.
 
And finally, we’re in Dawson City, the famous home of one of the last great 19th-century gold rushes. The entire town here is designated as a national historic site. It’s the second-largest in Canada and the only site where the designated historic complex is still a working town. There’s plenty to explore here, from government buildings to saloons and even the impact of the gold rush on the Trʼondëk Hwëchʼin First Nation that already occupied these lands when thousands of colonizers descended on them. Plus, just a few minutes outside of town, one of the massive gold dredging and harvesting machines can be explored via a guided tour at Dredge No. 4 National Historic Site.
 
Now, the most challenging part of our journey begins as we attempt to reach the Arctic Ocean by driving the Dempster Highway. I hope you’ll follow along!
Well, we did it — we survived the Dempster Highway!
 
This road is thrilling, stressful, exhausting, unbelievably scenic, and challenging in every sense of the word. But after an 1,800-kilometre return trip, just one flat tire (thankfully — one couple we met had three!), and a couple of restless nights, my daughter and I can now say we’ve touched the Arctic Ocean and seen the pingos for ourselves.
 
What’s a pingo? It’s a land formation unique to the tundra. Ice builds up underground and pushes the land upward into hills that dot the landscape. The pingos outside Tuktoyaktuk are part of Pingo Canadian Landmark, the most remote destination in Parks Canada’s Xplorers program. (There are no activities or souvenirs for this one. You go just to say you made it. We bought a sticker to add to the map where we display our Xplorers medallions.)
 
I’m genuinely impressed with how well the Escape Trailer held up. (And they’re not paying me to say this. I’m driving this trailer as part of a traditional, unpaid review.) A few minor things shook loose, which if you’ve driven the Dempster you know is entirely to be expected. But the main systems all held up flawlessly, and the cabinets didn’t fling open even once despite some violent rattles. That happens in other RVs on far less difficult roads than this! (That’s not to say you’d have the same experience, though. I was driving very cautiously.)
 
I’ll have much more to say about this in my full article at Driving.ca. For now, we’re back in Whitehorse and the trailer is all cleaned up and ready for the next stage of our adventure.
Our adventure continues as we make our way south! The last few days have been spent travelling from Whitehorse down to Prince Rupert, BC. 
 
This stretch has mostly been driving, though it’s been wonderfully scenic and there have been a couple of noteworthy stops. We had a wonderful stay at Water’s Edge Campground on Dease Lake on Highway 37. The views from this off-grid campground are spectacular. (And while there’s no cell service anywhere on Highway 37, Water’s Edge has great WiFi!)
 
And if you’re looking for a great bite to eat, stop for gas and lunch at Bell 2 Lodge. We were blown  away to find such delicious sandwiches, salads and coffee out here in the wilderness.
 
Haida Gwaii has been on my bucket list for such a long time, and I can’t wait to explore. Stay tuned!
We made it! After more than 8,000 kilometres across northern BC and two territories, we visited seven Parks Canada sites and completed the Parks Canada Xplorers program!
 
Our final stretch saw us cross on the seven-hour ferry ride from Prince Rupert to Haida Gwaii. Unfortunately, the weather didn’t cooperate, and our planned boat excursion into Gwaii Haanas National Park Reserve was cancelled. We made it close enough to see the park from the ferry, so I think it counts.
 
And our last Xplorers visit was to Fort St. James National Historic Site. We walked through the historic buildings, many of which are original and well over 100 years old, and watched the famous chicken races!
 
This 10-year journey has taken us to over 100 Parks Canada places in all 10 provinces and two territories. We’ve learned so much about this beautiful country we call home and make lifelong memories. Thanks very much to Escape Trailer for being part of our final Parks Canada Xplorers road trip!