So I received my latest copy of Overland Journal the other day. It had an article of a trip I've been planning where I would drive Seattle up the Alcan hwy thru Whitehorse, Dawson andacross the Mackenzie and on into Inuvik(way above the arctic circle). This trip has been i nthe plannign stages for quite some time. Like the folks in the article, I would do it mid March before the thaw so to take advantage of smoother ice and snow covered roads.

So...would you trust your Land Rover to do it? I got mine partly to test it to see if it would be the right vehicle. So far I'm undecided to take it on such an adventure.

2004 Disco. cold weather package (Duh...)
24,000 miles.
2" OME
Pro Comp treads
Snorkle

Will be getting an Adventure Trailer soon.





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In your case I would think your Disco would be fine. It doesn't have too many miles. However, I would strongly recommend going with another vehicle just in case.

I'm planning a trip to the Yukon and Alaska next August. I'm trying to convince some friends of mine to go with me and bring another vehicle. Hopefully, it will all pan out.

 

As well as mine has been doing in these temperatures I'd do it. But not alone.

 

Shoot Scott Brady an email and ask him. He's thehead fredof Overland Journal and Expeditionswest.com. He had a 2000 Discovery II and just picked up a 95 Discovery I.

He's an extremelynice fella and I'm sure he'd give you possitive feedback. Contact him via the expeditionswest.com site or look him up on his forum at expeditionportal.com.

Tell him Christophe sent ya.

If anyone would have a qualified answer for you, it would be Scott.

Me personally? I have a DII and I've driven that route to Alaska many times. I've driven up to the north coast 3 times. The earliest I've done it was late March, but in a particularly poor weather year. The "adventurous" time to go is pre-March, but you better have your act tight. The more enjoyable time of year would probably be late Sept/Aug. I've done it in a variety of vehicles including a modest Toyota Tacoma like Scott's before he tweaked his into the impressive machine it is in the mag. I would take my DII, but it would make me very nervous to do so. I'd certainly drop $2000 into my current rig to make it tip top, even though it is already in great shape. I did have a break down in '01 outside of Fort Nelson and had to wait 5 days to get a part for a Ford Explorer. Imagine trying to get a Rover part and finding a mechanic capable of installing it. Yikes.

And don't make the mistake everyone seems to make, which is to go to such a killer place as Alaska/Yukon/NWT and NOT GET OUT OF THE DAMN TRUCK!!!!!!!! I'd much rather skip the drive up past the Brooks and just spend more time exploring the area OUTSIDE YOUR RIG!!!

 

All you need to be concerned about would be proper tires, change all fluids before the trip, perform a serious battery test, Rover factory batterys don't hold up well and wouldn't want it to fail out in the middle of no where.
That truck is more then capable of that trip on a bad day.

 

I tend to agree with mike, but so much depends on the condition of your rig. I have been diligent trying to get/keep my DII in tip top shape. These boards are a testiment to the high failure rate of LR trucks. Drive shafts, CV joints, electrical gremlins, gaskets, water pumps, and all sorts of things seem to fail with alarming regularity. I can tell you first hand, you DO NOT want to be stranded on some of these roads. Going in March...you definately DO NOT want to be stranded.

If you have questions about the route up there, feel free to let me know and we can exchange emails.

 

I say it depends on how long you've had this vehicle, how it was maintained andand how well you know it. If it's been trouble free and well kept, I say why worry??? on the other hand, if you haven't had it long enough to know it well, and it's one of the bad ones in the way that all that can go wrong did.... Do not venture too far.

And if you do, bring enough oil and coolant to top it off should you need to.

Bon voyage!

 

Here is a link showing some trips in the arctic circle . The majority are members from our club. Land Rover Adventure Association Of Ontario.
http://www.landroveradventure.com/
Cheers

 

Dude, you bought this vehicle to do just that, didn't you? You have extremely low miles, a great lift, good tires, and the best year.

As Mike stated, check all fluids, bring extra, and I would personally buy a new battery and bring it along as a spare if needed.

Now get out and drive the Disco there!


Sheeeesh

 

Agreed.

I admire you all for taking trips like that and can only dream of doing one similar in my Disco.