Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
a fleet of vehicles in Whitehorse. If you're planning on renting a vehicle in Whitehorse,
check mileage allowances. Unlike elsewhere in Canada, companies do not include unlim-
ited travel.
If Alaska is your final destination, you need to decide whether to take the Alaska Highway
straight through to Alaska or continue north to Dawson City and then continue along the
Top of the World Highway, which loops back down to the Alaska Highway at Tok (Alaska).
The latter option adds less than 200 kilometers (120 miles) to the distance between White-
horse and Tok, while taking in Dawson City, a must-stop on any Northern itinerary. The
entire loop, beginning and ending at Whitehorse, is 1,480 kilometers (920 miles).
This section covers the direct route to Alaska, along the Alaska Highway to Beaver
Creek. The total distance to the border is 460 kilometers (187 miles). Haines Junction is the
only town of any consequence en route, beyond which the highway parallels Kluane Na-
tional Park.
Whitehorse to Haines Junction
It's an easy 160-kilometer (100-mile) drive to Haines Junction from the capital. The scenery
doesn't really become memorable until the highway closes in on Haines Junction, when
the Kluane Icefield Ranges and the foothills of the St. Elias Mountains start to dominate
the view; when it's clear, Mount Hubbard (4,577 meters/15,000 feet) looms high and white
straight ahead.
Government campgrounds between Whitehorse and Haines Junction are located at Kilo-
meter 1,543, Kilometer 1,602, and Kilometer 1,628.
Established in 1942 as a base camp for Alaska Highway construction, this town of 800 is
the largest between Whitehorse and Tok and is the gateway to Kluane National Park, the
most accessible of the Yukon's three national parks. It's also the first town north of Haines
(Alaska), and so sees a lot of traffic from the ferry passing through.
Sights
At the village square near the intersection of the Alaska and Haines Highways, a grotesque
sculpture of mountains, mammals, and humans has been placed. Ironically, it's part of a
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