Jenny's Mountain Adventures: The Alaska Highway

Ready to hit the road!

The Alaska Highway. The words alone conjure up visions of pioneers, gold miners and adventurers exploring the "Last Frontier." It was built by the Americans in only 9 months during World War II in order to connect Alaska to the rest of the USA and the last section of the road was finally paved in 1992! Although it is a much smoother drive today than in past years, it is still a bucket list drive for road-trippers from all over the world because of the scenery, wildlife and remoteness.

I had a summer placement in Whitehorse, and couldn't wait to drive the route. My mom kept dropping not so subtle hints about how interested she was in joining me. Sharing the drive and having someone to talk to, as well as getting some quality mom time sounded like a great idea, so we made plans to drive up together over the Canada weekend. I met my mom in Edmonton and we spent the first evening making our way to Grande Prairie, AB on the straight, wide, divided highway. It was easy driving and gave us a good starting point for our next day where we would cross into British Columbia to start the Alaska Highway at Dawson Creek.

First stop in Grande Prairie at the scenic Canadian Motor Inn

Day 2 started early so we would have plenty of time to make it the 825 km to Muncho Lake, where we had a motel booked for the night, as well as do some sightseeing along the way. We tried to find some breakfast in Dawson Creek BC, but everything was closed! We had forgot to account for the time zone change from Mountain time to Pacific. After a few pictures with the Alaska Highway signs, We continued on to Taylor, then Fort St. John, again finding everything closed for the Canada Day Long Weekend. Town was deserted. Eventually we gave up on a nice sit down breakfast and just grabbed some sandwiches from Starbucks.

The Alaska Highway begins!

There wasn't too much to see as we continued north from Fort St. John to Fort Nelson, but once we turned west we started getting into the Northern Rockies and some of the Northern Rockies Provincial Parks. We stopped in Stone Mountain Provincial Park for a short stretch to investigate the lakes and hoodoos. The northern rockies aren't as big as their southern cousins, but they are beautiful nonetheless. The highway followed rivers through the mountains and forest and we caught a glimpse of 2 bears and 2 moose on our way to Muncho Lake. The road had narrowed to one lane each way, but there was very little traffic on the road. Most of the vehicles we saw were transport trucks, campers or trucks pulling trailers!

Stop for cinnamon buns at Tetsa River

Stone Mountain Provincial Park

We arrived at Muncho Lake (population 19) with time to do some exploring. We hadn't been able to get a room at the Northern Rockies Lodge (popular place to stay and for dinner), but mom had been proactive and already had a reservation at Motel Double G just south of the lake. I recommend that you book in advance, the place was totally full and there weren't many other options nearby! However, there are plenty of campgrounds along the route and the Muncho Lake Provincial Park had beautiful sites right on the lake.

Road trip buddy and road trip mobile at Muncho Lake

Float planes at Northern Rockies Lodge ready to head out to the fishing lodges

We went up to the Northern Rockies Lodge to check it out. It caters to people who are going out to fishing lodges or hunting trips. We thought about eating at their restaurant which had a big dining room in the log-cabin-esque lodge, but it was very pricey. Instead, we returned to our motel and went with the "special" for $18. We joined the other guests, motel owner and his friends for a huge supper of potato salad, sausage and mac and cheese, followed by a massive slice of coconut cream pie.

Cabins at the Northern Rockies Lodge

The highest gas prices on the highway - Muncho Lake BC

Not many choices for dinner at the diner in Muncho Lake!

Day three on the road was just over 700 km of driving to reach Whitehorse. This was the most scenic part of the drive. We had breakfast at the motel and I received the biggest breakfast sandwich I had ever seen in my life. The girl in the kitchen brought it out with a huge smile and one of the owners relatives was waiting with a camera to take a picture of my face when I saw it. I could only eat half.

We only drove about an hour before stopping at the Liard Hot Springs in Liard Provincial Park. This is a do not miss if you are on the Alaska Highway. The springs are a short walk up a boardwalk through wetlands and looks like a little oasis in the forest. It feels like something out of Narnia, or what Scandinav Spa in Whistler is trying to accomplish. It was $5 per person for a day pass. If I was camping, I would suggest staying at the provincial park and taking advantage of the hot springs in the evening you arrive and the morning before hitting the road. There are two pools of different temperatures, carved out of the surrounding banks. They are very clean with a gravel bottom and lots of submerged benches to sit on. If you follow some of the small streams that branch out from the pool, you can swim through the forest where branches and ferns overhang the water creating a green tunnel. It was magical.

Liard Hot Springs

Enjoying the beautiful Liard Hotsprings in Northern BC

Mom having a relaxing soak after two long days of driving. One more to go!

The next stop of interest was the first border crossing into the Yukon Territory! The road actually crosses back and forth from BC to the Yukon multiple times in between Liard Hot Springs and Teslin! We had to stop at the big signs for a photo op.

We made it to the Yukon!

Welcome to the Yukon

We saw a ton of animals through this section of highway including 3 playful bear cubs, one of whom sprinted into the road and I had to slow way down to avoid hitting. A lone bike-packer stopped to chat with us in the middle of the highway to ask if we had seen the mother bear. We hadn't so couldn't be sure what side of the highway she was on as the cubs ran back and forth. He had his bear spray handy. As we got closer to Whitehorse, we started to see more bike-packers on the mostly deserted highway. Approaching Watson Lake, there was a herd of bison on both sides of the road. Frequently they stop traffic by wandering out into the highway, but they let us pass this time!

Bison at the side of the road near Watson Lake, Yukon

Watson Lake was the next stop on the trip. Its main attraction is the signpost forest which has thousands of licence plates and street signs, highway markers - stolen most likely!

Sign Post forest in Watson Lake

We drove through Teslin, the first nations community that marks the furthest upstream the Chinook Salmon travel from the Pacific Ocean, over 2000km, to spawn! From there, it was only 2 hours to Whitehorse, 2200 km from my starting point in Red Deer.

Final destination, Whitehorse!

Once we arrived in Whitehorse, my mom and I spent a few days checking out some of the historic and natural sites before my dad flew up to meet us, golf clubs in tow. While I worked, he managed to take second prize in the Annual Golf Tournament! Between shifts, we went fishing, sampled local restaurants and drove to the radio tower on Canyon Mountain for a hike to the summit.

The Alaska Highway continues for another 900 km past Whitehorse to reach Fairbanks, Alaska. That will be a road trip for another time. I hope to do the drive again with more time to stop and check out more of the parks along the way before venturing into Alaska to explore. There is so much beautiful, wild country in Canada's north that most people never get to see. It is most likely some of the most pristine wilderness left in the world!