Among the most legendary roads in the world is the Alaska Highway! Built in just eight months in 1942 to connect Alaska to the rest of the US, it winds through over 2,500 km (1500 miles) of untouched wilderness, from Dawson Creek in British Columbia to Fairbanks, Alaska, passing through the wild and remote Yukon Territory. Our plan is to drive it in its entirety! So, here we go on a memorable road trip along the Alaska Highway in our expedition Jeep! But for now, several days on the road and many adventures lie ahead before we reach Whitehorse, the first stop and capital of the Yukon.
Wednesday, June 29, 2022
A road trip on the Alaska Highway begins in Dawson Creek. It’s nearly 500 km (300 miles) from Jasper National Park. Heavy rain and industrial developments line our route, a stark contrast to the pristine wilderness we grew used to in Alberta’s national parks: oil, shale gas, coal mining, overexploitation of wood. We’re now seeing a much less glorious side of Alberta.
We find a free campsite deep in the woods, choose a sunny spot, set up the tent, light a fire, and take a lukewarm shower. We enjoy delicious burritos by the campfire. Then we roast marshmallows. A perfect evening, just the way we like it!
Thursday, June 30
We have left the mountains and are back in the plains of Alberta. The big nearby city is aptly named: Grande Prairie. We spend most of the day there: ordering and applying stickers on the Jeep, giving it a thorough wash, and stocking up on groceries. We can feel that we’ve left the mountains; it’s now stiflingly hot. In the early afternoon, we hit the road again, and, a few hours later we finally reach Dawson Creek! This is where the legendary Alaska Highway begins. It’s a big moment for us to pose with the Jeep in front of the iconic Mile 0 sign. Our road trip on the Alaska Highway can finally begin! We’re off on a 2,500 km journey to the end of the world!
After a long afternoon and evening of driving and some difficulty finding a spot for the night, we end up in the town of Fort St. John, where we spend a restless night in a park, surrounded by some partygoers.
Friday, July 1
It’s Canada Day! For us, it’s a day on the road. And what a road! Straight, empty, and lined with stunning scenery. Here, no more tourist buses or rental RVs. We’ve left the classic tourist trail behind. Mountain landscapes replace the prairies. We’re entering the northern part of the Rockies. The road becomes wilder, and the wildlife encounters multiply: an owl perched on a power line, three black bears by the roadside, a moose crossing in front of us (our first moose – no photo, unfortunately!), and even a caribou! Each sighting is a thrilling and magical moment that brightens our journey.
Amidst all these animals, we then make a stop in Fort Nelson, a small town on the Alaska Highway. We fill up on gas and water, grab some Wi-Fi, then head out again to meet some friends further down the road.
With all these stops, we arrive at our camp spot around 8 p.m. But, at these latitudes, it never really gets dark, and we can set up and cook in daylight. We reunite with our Swiss friends, whom we met in Banff, and spend the evening by the campfire, waiting for night to fall. It eventually gets the better of us: we go to bed at midnight under a still-bright sky.
Saturday, July 2
Dream spot. In a riverbed. Particularly pleasant warmth. Bright sunshine. What if we took a break and spent the day here? For the first time on our trip, we decide to do nothing, simply. No driving, no hiking, nothing. Just relax. The day is spent sunbathing, dipping our feet in the icy water, and relaxing, ending with an evening by the campfire with friends. Simply perfect.
Sunday, July 3
After this restful break, we’re eager to hit the road again! We pack up early because we have a goal today: to see wild animals! Early morning is the best time for that. Quickly, our drive through the northern boreal forest turns into a full-on wildlife safari: three moose, several porcupines, bighorn sheep, black bears, and even bison! The kilometers fly by without us even noticing, with one amazing sight after another.
But our road trip on the Alaska Highway is suddenly interrupted. After two hours of driving, a roadblock stops us. We learn that the road is closed due to heavy rains that washed away the roadway (media photo)! What a nightmare! And it’s not like there’s another route… Construction crews are working around the clock to build a detour, but the road isn’t expected to reopen until tomorrow. We’re now stuck in the middle of nowhere, near a campground, surrounded by RVs and trucks that have been here for four days. Luckily, we’re near Liard Hot Springs – so we take full advantage and spend the whole afternoon there!
On the wooden footbridge leading to the hot springs, a big surprise: two moose grazing, just a few meters away! We have plenty of time to observe them. A real treat! We’ve been hoping to see moose since we started this trip, and we’ve already seen seven in just three days on the Alaska Highway!
But our evening near Liard Hot Springs turns into a nightmare. Mosquitoes, tons of mosquitoes. And of course, nowhere to escape: we have to cook and eat outside, entirely at their mercy. By 5 p.m, we’re eating, standing, quickly, constantly moving. By 5:30, we retreat into the tent for the rest of the evening – or at least we try, as some of the relentless ones manage to sneak in. The night is going to be long.
Monday, July 4
What’s worse than being stuck in the middle of nowhere because of a landslide? Being stuck in a mosquito-infested spot! The night was terrible. When we wake up, no relief – the tent mesh is literally covered in mosquitoes. Gross! They’re all there, watching us through the net, ready to pounce the second we step outside 😱 We feel like we’re in a remake of The Walking Dead. So, we pack up the tent in record time and get out of this cursed place as fast as possible.
The Liard Hot Springs campground and its overflow area are packed with people. More and more trucks and travelers are stuck due to the landslide. We hear the road might reopen in the evening. But no way are we spending the whole day here, getting eaten alive. So, we backtrack about 50 km to Muncho Lake and set up by the lake, where we find some relief.
This little detour costs us dearly: we have to refuel at the Muncho Lake campground, where we find the most expensive gas so far (hold onto your hat) at 2.79 CAD per liter! Ouch. At 5 p.m, we try our luck, fingers crossed and sweating. Will we have to endure another night of horror? No! The road is finally open. What a relief! 😌 A detour has been built through the woods and across rivers in just four days to bypass the damaged section. We can finally resume our Alaska Highway road trip!
Eager to put as much distance as possible between us and the mosquitoes, we drive nonstop for over three hours to Watson Lake, the last major town before Whitehorse. Dusk is the best time for wildlife sightings – we see 11 bears along the road, both black and brown! Plus, bison! We also enter the Yukon and cross the 60th parallel!
We arrive in town around 10 p.m under a still-blue sky! No way are we sleeping in the middle of a field, at the mercy of mosquitoes, black flies, and other pests. We park at the visitor center, surrounded by other travelers.
Tuesday, July 5
Our morning in Watson Lake is spent chatting with other travelers, visiting the visitor center and its museum (and bathrooms 😀), and wandering through the town’s famous Sign Post Forest. In 1942, during the construction of the Alaska Highway, an American soldier suffering from homesickness put up a wooden sign showing the way to his hometown in Illinois. Since then, travelers from all over the world have done the same! Today, over 90,000 signs are recorded – it’s a true maze.
At the visitor center, we get some bad news about our route: wildfires are raging throughout the Yukon, and some roads are closed – including the one leading to Dawson City in the North! The problem? in the Yukon there are few roads, so if things don’t improve, we’ll have to take a major detour through the US. As we drive toward Whitehorse, five hours away, we can actually see parts of the forest burning.
If yesterday we saw 11 bears on the road between 5 p.m and 9 p.m, today, in the middle of the afternoon, we see… one! Not the most productive wildlife day 😅
Just before reaching Whitehorse, the capital of the Yukon, we find a beautiful lakeside spot for a peaceful evening and a good night’s rest! Tomorrow, we’ll finally arrive in Whitehorse. But the Alaska Highway, which has amazed us so much, does not end there. We’ll be leaving it for a few days to explore the Yukon, this wild province of the Canadian Far North. We can’t wait to discover the Yukon’s wild landscapes and its rich Gold Rush history, between Whitehorse and Dawson City.
