The Alaskan Highway-Fort Nelson to Dawson City

Leaving the bison behind, we were excited to get on the iconic Alaskan Highway (also known to some as the Alcan). We started counting wildlife sightings. After the bison herd in Fort Liard had at least 7 youngsters and roughly 30 adults, numbers dropped. Fort Nelson to Muncho Lake, we saw 6 beautiful black bears and one moose and have not a single picture to show.

Once we got on the Alaskan Highway, we were firmly back on pavement. The windy, mountainous road was a fun change from the lowlands and Boreal Forests of the lonely gravel Liard Trail. It was also wild to see so many campers of all shapes and sizes. This is a popular route and the week included Canada Day (July 1st), a civic holiday. We were unable to get a campsite in the territorial park at Muncho Lake but scored a terrific fishing campsite along the rushing Trout River. Dan even noticed tiny ripe wild strawberries growing along our Maddie walk–some sweet, some not so much.

We had gone from the Northwest Territories back into British Columbia when we hit Fort Nelson and now we are entering the Yukon Territory where the experience is “Larger than Life”.

Liard Hot Springs was our next stop and it is truly a “bucket list” destination. A beautiful hot spring oasis complete with a cool boardwalk to access the springs. The boardwalk keeps the fragile wetlands safe from human footsteps on the walk while the springs are surrounded by an architecturally pleasing staging area. In the spring pool there is the hot end, which is very hot, and cooler but still warm pools below which are fun to paddle around. We spent an hour relaxing in the warm, pleasantly slightly sulphureous waters. What a beautiful experience. And, a side benefit was the new copper patina our silver jewelry was sporting1 It actually does look interesting, and it will wear off.

We continued on to Watson Lake, and had fun exploring the Signpost Forest. Pictures area better than words. We know what we will add when we come this way again!

Continuing north, we had a fun little wooded board walk hike out to Rancheria Falls. This is a really cool spot where there are a couple of falls joining together, all accessed by this long boardwalk trail.

And, to mark Canada Day, we took a picture of a bear!

Our campsite at Marsh Lake gave us access to a beach which Maddie really appreciated. That and the ground squirrels and other little forest friends in our campsite. The weather had been threatening and the rain finally came through overnight.

We blew through Whitehorse stopping only for groceries and diesel with the hopes of spending more time there on the way home. I had hoped to hike and explore more but it was a drizzly day and Dan sensibly pressed us onward. He made it up to me by stopping at Braeburn for a cinnamon bun the size of my head. We have joked that we will be eating that cinnamon bun all the way to Alaska. They also had gigantic dog chews (bison hooves) the size of Maddie—she took a pass on these, phew.

Twin Lakes was a beautiful camping experience and we spent much of it paddle boarding. We could spend a month here. The road north became difficult gradually and then suddenly with increasing potholes, twists and turns and then turning to dirt and highway construction – which slowed us down considerably. Kudos to the road crews for all that they do to keep the highways as open and safe as possible.

The roads had been pretty good up to here, even the Liard Trail was ok. Our experience is that the Yukon roads are some of the roughest around. They are working hard on them but expect to reduce your speed and plan for the bumps. After all, you are in the Yukon where everything is Larger than Life!

Next stop, Dawson City. We camped at Klondike River Territorial Park across the highway from the Air Strip. The next morning our trip into Dawson City was like a step back in time with an old Klondike style grocery. We did a few loads of laundry, dumped and refilled with water and diesel, and got ready for The Dempster Highway.