THE YUKON - British Columbia: Including the Alaska Highway - page 658

From Whitehorse, it's an easy day's drive north to Dawson City, where you should plan
to spend at least one full day visiting the Dawson Historical Complex National Historic
Site and exploring the nearby Gold Fields, where you can try gold-panning.
The Yukon is a destination in itself, with some excellent packages offered by the local
airline, Air North (867/668-2228, www.flyairnorth.com ) , that include airfares from the
southern gateways of Vancouver, Edmonton, and Calgary, as well as accommodations and
the option of traveling one-way in a rented campervan.
The Southeast
The Alaska Highway (Alcan) crosses into the Yukon some 1,000 kilometers (620 miles)
northwest of Dawson Creek, then ducks back in and out of British Columbia a couple more
times before crossing into the Yukon again and reaching the highway town of Watson Lake.
Over the years, the Alaska Highway has been shortened by straightening some sections
and cutting out big bends completely. Mileage posts in British Columbia have been replaced
to reflect these new distances, but those on the Yukon side haven't—so you'll see a
40-kilometer (25-mile) discrepancy beyond the border.
WATSON LAKE
This is the first town in Yukon Territory for all drivers heading north from British Columbia.
Even though it's not pretty, it's a welcome sight after the several hundred kilometers on the
Cassiar Highway or the all-day ride from Fort Nelson on the Alaska Highway.
Watson Lake was created to serve one of a string of airfields constructed across northern
Canada in 1940, and its existence was ensured when the Alaska Highway was routed
through to service the airfield. Today Watson Lake functions as the hub of a large area of
southern Yukon, southwestern Northwest Territories, and northern British Columbia. With
a population of 1,500, it's the third-largest town in the territory.
MM Signpost Forest
The famous Signpost Forest originated in 1942 by a G.I. working on the highway who,
when given the task of repainting the road's directional sign, added the direction and
mileage to his hometown of Danville, Illinois. Since then, more than 40,000 other signs
have been added to the collection with town signs, license plates, posters, pie tins, gold-
panning pans, mufflers, driftwood, even flywheels stating where the contributor is from and