Our apologies for the delay with this post — we ran into some technical difficulties with our blog site, but we think we are back in business!
In our previous post, we visited Prince Rupert, BC, and then traveled up the remote Cassiar Highway. After leaving Northern British Columbia, our group of 6 entered the Yukon Territory and of course we had to pose for pictures. Howard has now been to every Canadian province and territory, so that in itself was a mini-celebration.
We left the Cassiar Highway and joined the Alaska Highway (midway through its route) near the town of Watson Lake, which is near the BC border and sits right on the Alaska Highway. Some of you might recall that when we traveled to Alaska 3 years ago, we put a custom-made sign in the Signpost Forest.
This year we added a new sign (and Howard and Jacky had one as well).
The Signpost Forest began during World War II when the Alaska Highway was being built. A homesick soldier, tasked with making road signs, made one sign indicating his hometown of Danville, Illinois. Other soldiers added their own signs and the tradition continued well after the highway was built. Today there are literally thousands of homemade, custom-made, and repurposed signs in the Signpost Forest, so we had fun exploring this small section of town.
The Alaska Highway took us next to Whitehorse, the capital of the Yukon Territory. We enjoyed a great dinner at Big Bear Eatery after a long day of driving.
Next day we visited the Yukon Wildlife Preserve, which cares for animals that have been injured or cannot be released into the wild. We enjoyed walking about 4 miles through the preserve (though you can take a bus tour). Highlights included the caribou, mountain goats, and foxes.
After all that walking, we relaxed at the Eclipse Hot Springs, with its hydrotherapy pools, steam rooms, and saunas. Most of us even attempted the cold plunge, with its shocking temperature (37-41 degrees Fahrenheit), immediately after being in the hot spring. We relaxed and walked out rejuvenated (very few pictures because they don’t allow cell phones in the facilities).
Dinner at the campground was followed by s’mores (we have to do that at least once per trip).
After a morning of errands and laundry, we ventured south of town to Miles Canyon, a beautiful stretch of the Yukon River made famous during the Klondike Gold Rush. Though tamer than it used to be because of dams, the river still demonstrated incredible power. We enjoyed a windy and scenic hike along the canyon rim.
We tried to view the Whitehorse Rapids Fishway (aka the Fish Ladder), but no Chinook (king) salmon had yet come through. This is the longest wooden fish ladder in the world, helping the salmon bypass the Whitehorse Rapids Dam along the Yukon River. Whitehorse is the final stop for the longest freshwater salmon migration on the planet. Every summer, king salmon travel over 1,800 miles up the Yukon River from the Bering Sea to lay their eggs where they were hatched. We missed it on this trip, but if you’re in Whitehorse in August, definitely stop by this very cool (free) location.
Awakening to rain (pretty much our first of the trip), we took our time heading out. John and Sharon began to travel back down the Alaska Highway, starting their journey home. The other four of us continued heading west, past the rain, and into Kluane National Park, which borders Wrangell-St. Elias National Park in Alaska and contains Mt. Logan, Canada’s tallest peak.
We left the Alaska Highway to head south on the Haines Highway, stopping for the night at the Kathleen Lake Campground, the only developed campground in Kluane National Park.
While the sprinkles continued off and on, we were still able to enjoy a beautiful walk from the campground to the lake, surrounded by stunning mountains all around.
We didn’t see grizzly bears during our time in the Yukon Territory, but it was still a wonderful journey to this area far from home. (Next post will take us back to Alaska in search of more grizzly bears!)
Always fun to see where you’ve been!
Kim