Chris Westfall Reaches Arctic Ocean on 11,700-mile Motorcycle Adventure

After 40 days and nearly 12,000 miles on the road, Fayette County resident Chris Westfall has returned from the motorcycle journey of a lifetime, reaching the northernmost point accessible by road in Canada.

Westfall departed June 3 and traveled 11,724 miles through eight U.S. states and four Canadian provinces and territories before arriving in the remote village of Tuktoyaktuk, Northwest Territories, on June 21 — the summer solstice.

The timing allowed him to experience the Arctic’s famous “midnight sun,” when daylight lasts around the clock and the sun appears to move across the horizon rather than dipping below it.

While in Tuktoyaktuk, Westfall waded knee-deep into the icy waters of the Arctic Ocean, where much of the surface remained frozen. One of the most memorable moments of the trip was camping along the shore of the Arctic Ocean.

During the adventure, Westfall spent 37 days riding, logging 204 hours and 46 minutes on his motorcycle. His route covered New Mexico, Colorado, Wyoming, Montana, Alaska, Washington, Idaho and Utah, as well as the Canadian provinces and territories of Alberta, British Columbia, Yukon and the Northwest Territories. He crossed four time zones and reached latitude 69.45 degrees north, nearly 200 miles north of the Arctic Circle.

Despite traveling through some of NorthAmerica’s most remote regions, the trip was remarkably smooth. Aside from a temporary fuel shortage in Eagle Plains, Yukon, Westfall avoided significant weather, wildfire and mechanical issues.

Although the journey was physically and mentally demanding, Westfall described it as “the experience of a lifetime.”