Page 5 - RV Yukon

Km 1755
Icefield Ranges
Viewpoint of Mount Logan,
Canada’s highest peak
Km 1903
Alaska/Yukon Border
Km 968
BC/Yukon
Border
Km 980
Watson Lake
Watson Lake, a
major staging point
during highway
construction,
is a full-service
community today
Km 1002
Cassiar Highway Junction
Km 1120
Continental Divide
A low ridge separates
two of the largest river
drainages on the continent
Km 1152
Swan Lake
Viewpoint overlooking the
granite remains of an ancient
land known as Quesnellia
Km 1329
Mount White Viewpoint
Beginning of the Southern
Lakes region, home to more
than a dozen major lakes
and the headwaters of
the Yukon River
Km 1393
Yukon River Bridge
The start of the Yukon River,
a major transportation
route and food source
since the last ice age
Km 1428
Fish Lake Road
The road to the Pueblo
copper mine, where a
1917 cave-in buried
nine men 300 feet
below ground
Km 1489
Mendenhall Valley
In 1903, steamboats
travelled the Takhini to
deposit Kluane-bound
goldseekers at the
Mendenhall River
Km 1487
Takhini Valley
Fires in 1958 reduced
the valley’s spruce forests
to ash, to be replaced by
the aspen and willow
seen today
Km 1505
Champagne/Shadhala-ra
Access road
Km 1413
McCrae Construction Camp
Km 1100
Rancheria Lodge
Km 980
Watson Lake Signposts
Km 1548
Canyon Creek Bridge
Km 1649
Soldier’s Summit
Km 1566
Mount Hubbard
Viewpoint
Km 1642
Kluane Lake
Km 1684
Destruction Bay
Named for the wind that
blew down structures put up
by the army during highway
construction in 1942
Km 1701
Burwash Landing
Established in 1903, this
prosperous little settlement was
an oasis in the wilderness for
those building the highway
Km 1726
The Ku (Chum Salmon Place)
Fishing camp
Km 1732
Lieutenant Small Memorial
Roland Small was one of five
fatalities suffered by the US Army
18th Engineers during
construction of the highway
Km 1873
Beaver Creek
Permafrost before Beaver Creek presented the
greatest challenge to highway construction
Km 1454
Takhini Crossing
In the 1800s, coastal Tlingit
followed the Takhini River to
a large salmon fishing camp
just west of here to trade
with Yukon First Nations
Km 1352
Marsh Lake
Km 1579
Haines Junction
Km 1244
Teslin Lake
Km 1420
Whitehorse
Km 1244
Teslin/Deisleen Aayi
Km 1295
Canol Road Junction
Km 1296
Johnsons Crossing
Photo © YG
Photo taken at Soldiers Summit km1649
YA, Aubrey Simmons Fonds, 82/192 #10
First built in 1903 on the wagon road between
Whitehorse and the northern goldfields
A large US military camp in 1942, complete
with theatre, stores and a recreation centre
The first of the highway lodges to serve
travellers on the pioneer highway after WW II
In 1942, a simple sign pointing
home to Illinois spawned an
ever-growing forest of signs
Map & information courtesy of YG Tourism
Where east and west
construction units
met to officially open the
Alaska Highway
Alaska Highway
Distance: 882 km / 548 miles
Watson Lake to Beaver Creek
Highlights:
•
Stone Mountain Park
•
Muncho Lake Provincial Park
•
Liard River Hot Springs
•
Watson Lake Sign Post Forest
•
Teslin & Teslin Lake
•
Marsh Lake
•
Whitehorse & Miles Canyon
•
Kluane National Park
Built in 1942 as a military access road,
the highway stands as a tribute to the
determination and resourcefulness of
the tens of thousands of men and
women who have worked on it, not
only during the construction, but
through the constant upgrading of the
highway, and the maintenance that has,
often against enormous odds, kept it
open year-round since it was built.
Start your Yukon scenic drive along
the Alaska Highway in Watson Lake
and visit the town’s world-famous
Sign Post Forest. Next stop is Teslin,
home of the Inland Tlingit people.
A popular destination for fishing
and boating, this scenic lakeside
community has a proud artistic and
cultural heritage.
From Teslin, visit Yukon’s capital,
Whitehorse, known as the Wilderness
City for good reason. Surrounded
by forests and mountains, the Yukon
River flows through downtown
Whitehorse and trails crisscross
the city. Visit the S.S. Klondike on
the waterfront, MacBride Museum,
Beringia Centre and galleries
showcasing the work of Yukon’s
talented artists.
Beyond Whitehorse, the Alaska
Highway parallels the majestic outer
rim of Kluane National Park from the
mountain village of Haines Junction
to Destruction Bay, Burwash Landing,
ending its Canadian journey at
Beaver Creek. Offering spectacular
glacier flightseeing, hiking,
horseback riding, wildlife viewing,
canoeing and river rafting.
Robert Campbell Highway
Distance: 584 km / 362 miles
Watson Lake to Carmacks
Gravel roads wind through an
untouched wilderness landscape.
Suitable for truck and camper
travel but not recommended for
motorhomes and RVs.
The Campbell Highway begins in
Watson Lake at the world-famous
Sign Post Forest and travels north to
Ross River and Faro and eventually
ends at Carmacks where it connects
to the North Klondike Highway.
Dempster Highway
Distance: 736 km / 457 miles
North Klondike Highway Junction to
Inuvik, NWT
Highlights:
•
Arctic Circle
•
Tombstone Interpretive Centre
•
Tombstone Territorial Park
•
Inuvik, NWT
The Dempster Highway, Canada’s
only all-season public road to cross
the Arctic Circle, is among the
world’s most unique driving routes.
Starting near Dawson City, this 736
km unpaved two-lane highway
traverses northern Yukon all the way
to Inuvik, NWT.
A scenic drive up the Dempster
Highway begins with a visit to
Tombstone Territorial Park and
the new interpretive centre where
naturalists offer walks, travel
information and wildlife viewing tips.
Tombstone is a haunting landscape
remembered for its jagged peaks and
colour-stained hills.
Rich in wildlife and bird activity, the
Ogilvie and Richardson mountains
are home to moose, sheep, grizzly
bears, wolves and the Porcupine
caribou herd.
“The Dempster” as it is known locally
is lined with plenty of pullouts, day
hikes and roadside diversions. This
historic highway crosses the Arctic
Circle and traverses the Continental
Divide three times. In mid-August,
the vegetation begins to change
colour, igniting a crimson parade
that turns the tundra into swaths of
scarlet and gold.
With limited services, two ferry
crossings and long stretches across
open tundra, the Dempster Highway
is an adventurous driving experience.
Travellers are urged to be prepared
for contingencies and are advised to
carry spare tires and allow for delays.
Silver Trail
Distance: 111 km / 69 miles
Stewart Crossing to Keno City
Highlights:
•
Binet House (Mayo)
•
Keno City Mining Museum
Explore the silver mining heritage of
tiny Keno City.
Once a thriving mining district,
the Silver Trail is peppered with
fascinating history and inspiring
scenery. A perfect side trip en route
to the Klondike, the Silver Trail scenic
drive winds its way to Mayo passing
through moose habitat and offering
beautiful views of the Stewart River.
Mayo Landing was established in
1900 as the port for silver-lead
shipments from the Yukon’s Keno
District. Sternwheelers loaded with
ore plied the Stewart River until the
1950s. Today, Mayo is a regional
centre and a staging point for many
Yukon wilderness trips.
At the end of the Silver Trail is Keno
City, Yukon’s colourful frontier
mining town. Visit Keno City
Mining Museum, Keno City Alpine
Interpretive Centre and drive up
Keno Hill for panoramic views from
the signpost.
Hiking and biking trails abound
along the Silver Trail, and you’ll spot
marmots, pikas, birds, butterflies and
wildflowers in accessible alpine areas.
Count on spending an extra day to
explore the hidden treasures of the
Silver Trail.
Historic Points of Interest along the Alaska Highway
5