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With swirls of steam rising and the crystal-clear water of Liard Hot Springs embracing me, I know there’s no more soothing antidote to my long day’s drive. What a reward! Soaking up its heat, in this oasis in the forest alongside this historic roadway is a little bit of magic that no-one driving the Alaska Highway should miss.
One of the attractions while driving the Alaska Highway is the Liard River Hot Springs. Photo: Destination BC/Andrew Strain
Certainly, the Alaska Highway is one of the world’s most amazing constructed wonders, bulldozed and blasted through Canada’s remote British Columbia and Yukon into the USA’s Alaska in 1942-43.
In its day, its construction was equated, in terms of challenges, to the building of the Panama Canal.
Built in a mere eight months, it was a joint US-Canadian imperative conceived as a direct result of the Japanese bombing of Pearl Harbour on December 7, 1941.
Afraid the Japanese would invade Alaska, President Franklin D. Roosevelt and Canadian Prime Minister Mackenzie King agreed a highway would be design-built to carry munitions and men to America’s northernmost state, through Canada’s British Columbia and Yukon Territory.
The dirt road from Dawson Creek (BC) to Delta Junction (Alaska) via Whitehorse, (Yukon) coursed 2,288km (1,422 miles), built by more than 17,000 civilians and army personnel.
Today, road improvements have trimmed the length to a still-respectable 2,224km (1,382 miles).
Happily, there was no Japanese invasion and today, the recreational Alaska Highway awaits.
It’s one of the world’s most spectacular recreational road trips.
Whether you choose a motorcycle, RV or car, stunning natural scenery awaits and then there’s the possibility of seeing the Yukon Northern Lights and plenty of wildlife viewing.
One of the stops while driving the Alaska Highway: A tent under the Northern Lights on Summit Peak Trail. Photo: Destination BC/Andrew Strain
The Alaska Highway celebrated its 75th anniversary of its construction in 2017.
1Driving the Alaska Highway
Female moose grazing alongside the Alaska Highway. Great photo ops, but take care driving! Photo: Eric Fletcher
Oh, and never, ever (please!) get out of your cars to photograph, feed or (horrors!) pat wild animals.
Habituation of animals to human contact and food always ends poorly.
In Canada, we say “a fed bear is a dead bear” so please, however cute the critter, leave it be.
Mother Nature may delight you with a display of Northern Lights.
Aurora Borealis’ spectacular shimmering drapery can be white, green, magenta, and crackle with other-worldly sounds.
Check in Whitehorse, Yukon, if you want a side trip to stay in a wilderness cabin and aurora watch.
Whitehorse reportedly has the largest number of aurora guides in Canada.
2Services along the Alaska Highway
A typical fuel, restaurant, and lodging spot along the Alaska Highway, Sasquatch Crossing’s claim to fame is a sighting of Canada’s elusive “Big Foot”. Photo: Eric Fletcher
We like to look for non-chain accommodations so we support local families so for instance, you might try the Woodlands Inn in Fort Nelson, where comfy rooms, laundry facilities, a good restaurant and lounge await.
Alaska Highway road trip tip: Make reservations ahead of time, including for RV Rental. Rental of RVs can be done in Whitehorse, Yukon or in British Columbia.
3Getting to the Alaska Highway
If you’re driving the entire stretch, you’ll either approach from Dawson Creek (Mile Zero) in northern BC or else in Fairbanks, Alaska.
The two times my husband and I have driven the Alaska Highway, we’ve approached from Dawson Creek.
Windigo on our car at Mile “0” of the Alaska Highway in Dawson Creek, BC. Photo: Eric Fletcher
Dawson Creek is a must-see and frankly, that’s because of the history of the highway to see at the Alaska Highway House.
And who doesn’t want to get that primo photo souvenir of a picture at the Alaska Highway’s Mile Zero?
Also, provisioning is excellent in town: lots of shops for food and last-minute items.
2- Fort Nelson Historical Museum
Curator of Fort Nelson’s Heritage Museum, Marl Brown, is a character full of stories of the Alaska Highway. Photo: Eric Fletcher
Fort Nelson Historical Museum just west of Mile 300 makes my list primarily because of Marl Brown, curator.
A bone-fide Alaska Highway character if there ever was one, this locally renowned, bearded tale-teller will captivate you as he spins stories of the Highway, the North, and his fantastical collection of cars.
Fitting, for an Alaska Highway museum, don’t you think?
Don’t miss touring the buildings on-site, including a trapper’s cabin and seeing the astonishing collection of memorabilia (including an albino moose) plus a black-and-white video of how the Highway was built in ’42/43.
Stretch your legs and go on a very easy hike in town, at the Demonstration Forest.
3- Muncho Lake Provincial Park
Alaska Highway road trip delight: Left to right: A couple in a canoe on Muncho Lake, A floatplane on Muncho Lake . Photos: Destination BC/Andrew Strain
Muncho Lake Provincial Park is home to one of Canada’s famous turquoise-blue lakes and what’s absolutely fabulous is that the highway runs alongside it. (Milepost 463 marks the viewpoint of the lake.)
Sure there are fabulous hikes here for every level of hiker. But also, for those who simply want to chill at Strawberry Campground or picnic, lake-side, you’d be hard-pressed to find a prettier spot.
Yearning for luxury? Stay at Northern Rockies Lodge, which offers flightseeing trips, too, so you can be wowed by northern BC’s landscape of mountains, forests, rivers and always, that sinuous highway from aloft.
4- Liard Hot Springs Provincial Park
Liard Hot Springs Provincial Park at Milepost 496 gives you the best soak you’ll likely have in these natural pools ringed by the silent forest.
Go early in the morning for the quietest time – this is a popular spot and if you’re travelling in the high season, you’ll likely have lots of company.
A boardwalk trail allows easy access to the pools whose temperatures range from 42° C to 52° C. Camping available.
Wildlife tip: Locals know to watch for and dodge Bison (mistakenly commonly called Buffalo) around here and, in nearby passes, maneuver around Stone Sheep enjoying the road salt.
5- Signpost Forest
Yukon Border at Milepost 603. Continue west to Watson Lake (Mile 635) where you’ll see the Signpost Forest where, since 1942, roadies have brought and placed here signs from all over the world.
Whitehorse, Milepost 918, is Yukon’s capital city. It was a favourite of that Northern Canadian wannabe, Englishman Jack London, author of White Fang and The Call of the Wild who like many other souls, sought his fortune in the 1890s Klondike Gold Rush.
7- Yukon Beringia Centre
Visit Yukon Beringia Centre showcasing life as it was 4,000 years ago when eohippus the ancient horse, woolly mammoths and more strolled about.
Paddle the Yukon River, visit the longest wooden fish ladder in the world, visit Parks Canada’s National Historic Site, the SS Klondike, one of the steamers that plied the water here.
8- Kluane National Park
View of terminal moraine being exposed by a receding glacier. Kluane National Park icefields with Kluane Glacier Air Tours flight. Photos: Katharine Fletcher.
Consider hiring a plane to buzz over the icefields of nearby Kluane National Park’s glaciers where, from above, you can lose yourself in the sight of seas of ice-draped ranges and swirling moraines.
Before leaving Whitehorse, pop into Mac’s Fireweed Books to catch the vibe of town and get maps and local lore.
A country with stunning landscapes of mountains, waterfalls and lakes, Canada has a huge selection of natural landmarks. With a rich history and vibrant...
