The crossing…

Not so long ago, driving the road between Edmonton and Yellowknife meant crossing the Mackenzie River by ferry in summer and by driving on an ice road during the winter months. It would be hair raising to cross before the river froze solid, and again when the ice was thawing and breaking up.

From what I’ve read since my trip, during these times the only way across the river was by air travel, and the cost of goods in the North went up significantly since everything had to be flown in.

Imagine being one of the first to cross after the freeze, or before the thaw.

Luckily there’s now a beautiful bridge in place - the Deh Cho Bridge: Deh Cho being the Dene word for this river system. The name of the river was changed to the Mackenzie River way back in the 1800’s, with the bridge now being formally known by the river’s Dene name.

The bridge was only completed in 2012 so you’d really have needed to plan your travels before it was built.

I was in total awe of this gorgeous bridge spanning this river, standing tall above the frozen waters. I imagine it would be a stunning sight during a snow storm or shrouded in fog, at sunrise and sunset.

The bridge spans 1.1km across the river, and when I crossed, was restricted to one lane. You can imagine waiting for traffic to cross from the other side took a little while, especially when reduced to 30km. The wait provided a good opportunity to hop out and take a couple of photos.

The river itself is 1,740 kms long, although when you include all its tributaries it has a total length of 4,241 km. It starts at the Great Slave Lake and empties into the Arctic Ocean. It’s the longest river system in Canada and the second largest drainage basin of any North American River, after the Mississippi. (thanks Google for that information).

On my way back to Edmonton it was easy to see where the ice was thinning and some spots the surface had already thawed, making it impassable without the bridge.

On my way back to Edmonton it was easy to see where the ice was thinning and some spots the surface had already thawed, making it impassable without the bridge.

The bridge itself is a work of art to my mind, and I would have liked to have had an extra day or so to explore under and around it properly. It’s definitely on my list of places to re-visit, especially being the only road back to Yellowknife from Edmonton.

I look forward to seeing it again :)