Yesterday I did the drive I had been nervous about ever since I planned this trip. At Whitehorse you have to decide whether to stay on the official Alcan or head north on the Klondike highway through Dawson City. Seeing Dawson City was a priority, but it also meant either driving 6 hours back to Whitehorse or driving a tough road.
The tough road is the Top of the World highway, only open in summer, and mostly unpaved. It connects Dawson City in Yukon territory (Canada) with Tok, Alaska. The books and everyone else warns you, it’s a tough drive. Miles and miles (185 miles to be exact) of potholes, dirt, gravel, frost heaves, dust, and often hardship. It is not for the faint of heart and it takes 5-7 hours because it’s 185 miles of going slow to avoid destroying your entire suspension. Then there’s the narrow, winding road with no guard rails and steep drop offs. The day before I left, a lady said she would never go there again because it was so terrifying.
What I imaginied was sections barely wide enough for a vehicle going around hairpin turns with a sheer drop on one side that would mean certain death.
It’s not nearly that bad, but you do have to drive slow and be 100% aware and attentive for the entire drive. Yes, its dirty and bumpy and you WILL destroy your suspension if you don’t pay attention at all times to every nuance of the road in front of you. Yes, much of the road has a posted speed limit of 50 and a real speed limit of 25-30 (unless you want to get towed). As for narrow? Nope, mostly a nice wide road with plenty of room. Steep drop offs and hairpin turns? Not really. Yeah, some areas I guess would qualify but I have driven highway 1 in California and other mountain roads…this was light in comparison.
The sad part is that the views for miles, the other reason this road is famous, were obscured by the smoke from a wildfire somewhere in Alaska. I did see some views, but it was a little disappointing. I guess I will just need to drive it again someday 🙂
What I did see was still beautiful. The landscape of the high tundra is very different and so therefore captivating (when I could look up from the road).
The highest border crossing in the US
I saw one animal up there, a caribou female laying in the bushes. But, 10 miles before Tok you rejoin the Alcan…and a moose bull literally jumped out in front of Rosie! I had to slam on the brakes to avoid hitting him. He trotted up the road a ways and then off to the left side. While stopped, I noticed his lady moose off to the right looking spooked.
There’s not much to Tok, but there was something I absolutely had to see…a not-to-be-missed attraction. Muckluck land. It’s, well….see for yourself, just don’t take it seriously, it’s not that kind of place.
Seriously…I can’t do the place justice with a few pictures. It’s bizarre, it’s fun, it’s my kind of thing to see. Classic road trip stop!
Another interesting place is Chicken, Alaska. It’s the first town you see in Alaska on this highway.
