Is it really necessary to say that we are about to fulfill one of our biggest dreams? Traveling to Alaska! And even more incredible: we arrived in Alaska by road, all the way from Montreal, after two months of travel. Simply unbelievable. And for our first few days, we aren’t starting just anywhere: we’re heading to Fairbanks!
Sunday, July 17, 2022
Today is a big day! No, a huge day! Why? Because we are hitting the road to Alaska. Alaska! Just saying the word makes our eyes sparkle with excitement. After two months of traveling through Canada, the most mythical state in the United States (at least for us :D) is finally within reach! The border is right there, behind those mountains. And to get there, we’re not taking the easiest path: we’re driving the Top of the World Highway. How cool is that?
After our amazing adventure on the Dempster Highway to the Arctic Ocean, we leave the lovely town of Dawson City. A river crossing on a ferry, one last beautiful view of Dawson City, and then we are already in the mountains, facing a grandiose landscape (the usual Canadian routine after all 😉).
Around a bend, there it is! The northernmost border post of the United States. Needless to say, it’s not very crowded. The customs officer who welcomes us is serious but friendly. After a quick check of our passports, already stamped at Niagara Falls customs a few weeks earlier, and of our license plate, she lets us into the States 😎 5 minutes top chrono! We have one month to explore Alaska before our three-month visa expires. We should be fine.
At the border, we act serious. But as soon as the customs are out of sight, we go crazy in the car. We are in Alaska. Wait, I’ll repeat, just to savor this phrase better: we are in Alaska! Never would we have thought one day we would set foot in this magical place. Full of joy and excitement, we almost miss the welcome sign. Quick U-turn to immortalize this moment of pure happiness.
The Top of the World Highway winds through mountain passes, valleys and along wild gold-bearing rivers, leading us to Chicken. What a funny name for a town! We stop there for 10 minutes to figure out the price of gas. So, is it more expensive or cheaper than in Canada? After some conversions between gallons and liters, and US dollars and Canadian dollars, the verdict is: way cheaper! With that good news, we head to the intersection of the Top of the World Highway and a road we know well: the Alaska Highway! After leaving it in Whitehorse, here we are again! Without hesitation, we get back to old habits: endless straight lines.
In the late afternoon, we find a nice spot by a river. The weather is good, the sun is out. We heat up 2 liters of water and enjoy a sunny outdoor shower, always a real pleasure. We soak in the view of the riverbed, almost dry, and the Alaskan mountains. Beautiful!
In the evening, a Toyota camper with French plates shows up. Fellow French travelers! It takes us 15 minutes to chat and 20 minutes to get invited for a drink by Marie-Claude and André. We spend a wonderful evening discussing travel stories and exchanging tips. A beautiful encounter! Hope to see you again on the road! 🙂
Monday, July 18
A few kilometers of straight road, and we arrive at Delta Junction, which marks the end of the Alaska Highway! More than 2,200 kilometers (1,350 miles) since its starting point in Dawson Creek. Okay, purists will note that technically we skipped a section between Whitehorse and the US border, since we went through Dawson City farther north. But don’t worry, we’ll cover that part on our way back from Alaska 😉 It’s also in Delta Junction that we spot the Alaskan pipeline for the first time, running from Prudhoe Bay on the Arctic Ocean to Valdez on the southern coast, a distance of more than 1,200 km (750 miles).
From Delta Junction, we push north for about 150 kilometers towards Fairbanks. Along the way, we spot two moose and, on a different note, several fighter jets training from the Air Force base near Fairbanks.
Fairbanks is Alaska’s second-largest city, after the capital Anchorage. We are super excited to get there, especially me: Fairbanks has lived in my imagination for many years, as the starting point of Christopher McCandless’s adventures in Alaska. Despite his tragic end, he inspired my desire to travel through his story told by Jon Krakauer in Into the Wild. He embodied freedom, a thirst for adventure, a desire to follow one’s dreams, to be close to nature, and to break free from an often-oppressive society. I read and reread that book, never imagining I would one day stand in Fairbanks, which had seemed so distant and unreachable. Today, it’s no longer just a story, we’re living our own adventure and fulfilling our dreams.
Chris McCandless lived for several weeks in an abandoned bus, Bus 142, nicknamed the Magic Bus. Difficult to access deep in the wild, it became a pilgrimage site for many hikers, and some, poorly prepared for the harshness of Alaska, found death trying to get there. To prevent further tragedies, the bus was relocated to Fairbanks in 2020 and is now housed at the University of Fairbanks. Standing in front of it was a powerful emotional moment.
A few days later, we are in Healy, the starting point of the Stampede Trail. In a restaurant in the town, the replica of the Magic Bus used to make the movie Into the Wild is on display. Inside, silence reigns. Photos and excerpts from McCandless’s journal are displayed on the bus frame, including a note he wrote shortly before his death. It’s very moving.
But let’s get back to Fairbanks! In town, we explore Downtown. It’s Monday, everything’s closed and empty. Pioneer Park, a reconstructed gold rush village, is also deserted but very cute. Just outside the city, we make a stop at Creamer’s Field, a refuge for many birds. At the moment, we are lucky to spot numerous Canada crane. We end our visit to Fairbanks with a stop at a local fast-food joint, where we order… two burgers!
It’s 8 p.m, and we decide to head back toward Delta Junction. We’re hoping to spot some wildlife, and evening is a great time for that. Along the way, we make a quick stop in the village of North Pole, the village of Santa Claus! We don’t stay long, as it feels like a total tourist trap. Plus, they keep a few reindeer in an enclosure…
We drive from 8 p.m to 10 p.m and spot… absolutely nothing! Not a single moose or bear tonight! Oh well, that’s the unpredictability of wildlife, and what makes each encounter so magical.
Tuesday, July 19
Today looks rainy, which is a shame because we are heading out on the Denali Highway, a track famed for its breathtaking views accross the Alaska Range. It’s a little-used secondary road, and for good reason! While the first part is fairly well-maintained, the second half is seriously rough. Still, the entire route is incredibly wild, with hardly any buildings except for a few cabins. Despite the rain and clouds, we manage to take advantage of a few clearings to admire splendid views of the mountains.
We spend the day driving, admiring and scanning the endless landscapes. Our persistence pays off when, late in the afternoon, we finally spot a moose grazing in a pond. The secret to spotting wildlife? Never give up! 😋
By evening, we approach the end of the Denali Highway. We find a secluded wild camping spot off the road, tucked into nature. The view over the valley and surrounding mountains is breathtaking. It’s chilly, but it doesn’t stop us from spending the evening outside, cooking delicious burritos.
Before going to bed, we make a wish: we ask for clear skies tomorrow so we can glimpse the highest peak in North America—Mount Denali 🤞🤞 Indeed, tomorrow, we’re setting off to explore one of the most beautiful national parks in the United States: the incredible Denali National Park! 🏔️
