Yukon Ho!

[Jamrock]

So many people have boring, mundane lives. I meet them all the time. It is good to see people actually getting up and doing fun stuff like this.

Life is short. We need to make the most of the time we have.

Big up!!!

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[Beau Nugget]

“So many people have boring, mundane lives. I meet them all the time. It is good to see people actually getting up and doing fun stuff like this.

Life is short. We need to make the most of the time we have.”


You’re absolutely right. This makes me remember a conversation with a guy I know. When he essentially told me he hopes to make it out to Colorado again before he dies ( he’s about 60 and healthy). We live in KS. We Could be there in about six hours. What the hell are you talking about? Just go!!

 

[azjl#3]

Sorry to hear of the smoke. We plan the trip next year in a 28 ft RV with a friend in his 28ft trailer. Not going to tow the jeep unfortunately. More Denali, Kenai, Talkeetna. Hope to fish for King, Hope the fires simmer down, they can go for years.

 

[Left Field]

Great pics and love the story. I will be following this thread along. We have planed this same adventure twice....


We have tried to drive to Alaska in 2022 and 2023, both times family needs pulled us back home.

In 2022, we were 350 miles north of the Canadian/Washington boarder and our son called and said that he was home from depolyment and that he had about three weeks, before he was gone for another year. We turned around as it had been over a year since we had seen him and he is often in dangers way.

This year our other son required som surgery, that caused us to cancel our Alaska trip. We are now scheduled for 2024. My wife's parents were recently involved in a car accident that is causing them long term health issues. Her parents are in their low eighties and will most likely end up living with us sooner than later. We have our fingers crossed that it will not impact us until after 2024. My wife is currently running them to medical appointments three to four times a week and their ability to drive is going away. Not gone yet, but they are close to.

We had similar concerns, we have two freshly adult kids starting their own careers and both my wife and I have fathers who are 95 and 99. The two dads are each getting around ok but at this point the flu or a misplaced banana peel could mean a quick end.
The whole trip went assuming that at any point we might have to ditch the Jeep and fly back to the lower 48. But figured we at least had to try and we are thankful that it worked out. Hopefully you can find a stable window to make your trip but in the meanwhile you are doing what is most important.

Probably mentioned it before but tell your son we are grateful for his service, it is not taken for granted.

LF

 

[Left Field]

incredible adventure......
some day i hope to visit alaska. My dad was a truck driver, and hauled heavy machinery up there when the pipeline was being built. some of his pictures are pretty cool.

Your dad probably had some pretty memorable stories from that era. The tremendous design and construction effort in building the pipeline is evident through much of the central Alaska region. The hotel we stayed at in Valdez appeared to be a former pipeline worker barracks and you could still sense the intensity of that period by its pre-fab utilitarian design.

 

[azjl#3]

https://fire.airnow.gov/

 

[Left Field]

Lol I thought this was a dirty movie review. That trip would be a dream. Alaska is on my bucket list.

Ha - It took me a minute to get your comment

But you wouldn't have to be completely off base. You can probably guess the highest paying profession in Dawson City in those days...

LF

 

[Left Field]

The trip back to Dawson City was pretty much a straight shot - stopped at Inuvik for fuel, then again for a meal and fuel at Eagle Plains. That made for a 13 hour day getting us in to Dawson City at around 8:30 PM. We pulled up to the Bonanza Hotel on the east side of town. The jeep was heavily coated gray-greenish with the road dirt and calcium chloride. There is a self-service car wash behind the hotel where we dropped 10 Loonies for 20 minutes and got it mostly cleaned off. The full clean will have to wait til home.

We were thinking about heading downtown to stay as the Bonanza hotel office was closed, however they had a white-board outside the door with self-serve instructions for late check in. The rooms were clean and reasonable so we aired our tires back to pavement pressure and called it a day.

The next day the Jeep needed an oil change so we inquired about local service. Currently one shop operating (NAPA); we stopped by and they were swamped. Next opening for an oil change? 5 weeks. Fortunately had brought along a full oil change kit, went to a gravel pit on the outskirts and changed it. The NAPA folks were happy to take our used oil and dispose of the old filter and containers.

We then headed SE down the Klondike Highway to Carmacks and turned E on the Campbell Highway towards Watson Lake. This was picked as an alternative to re-joining the Alaska Highway which we had traveled earlier. The road was mostly gravel but largely smooth and wide enough to comfortably meet a vehicle every hour or two. More black bears along the road than cars. A few hours short of Watson Lake we stopped at a beautiful and largely empty territorial campground at Frances Lake for the evening. Set up my tent on the beach around 11:00 PM and watched the sun slowly move to the horizon as I crawled in for the night.

Packing up the next morning we drove the last few hours in to Watson Lake where we bought fuel and re-stocked our groceries. Crossing the Alaska Highway, we headed south on the Cassiar highway to Deese Lake. A few miles south of town the Lions Club campground was home for the next two nights. Right along a river and with decent sites and pit toilets.

We had recommendations to take an out-n-back trip to Telegraph Creek west of Deese Lake and we were not disappointed. Roughly 70 miles each way, moderately narrow gravel with light traffic. As we neared the town the road became increasingly scenic and then eventually turned into a narrow shelf road along a cliff, with a single step off the road being hundreds of feet down to the roaring Stikine River. We paid attention for any oncoming vehicles as it was not a good place to back up very far. We arrived in town late afternoon and missed the museum hours but discovered the town restaurant located in an old Hudson Bay Trading Post building.

The owner and her daughter treated us to a fantastic meal of homemade lasagna, fresh out of the oven. They suggested we give ourselves a walking tour of the town, a good portion of which is a ghost town.

Most of the abandoned houses look like they'd been lived in til the early 70's.

I'd like to get back to Telegragh Creek and spend a night giving more time to check out the museum, meet a few more of the locals and explore the area. River tours are an option too as that was the original way the town was accessed.

We got back late to the Lion's campground and next morning continued to Meziadin Junction, picked up some fuel and headed west on another side trip, this time into Stewart, BC and Hyder, AK.
This area is home to the Salmon Glacier. Along the Salmon River is a fenced off tourist overlook area for watching grizzlies fish in the river. We were there prior to the salmon run and it was quiet so we headed up the road to the glacier.
We had to stop prior to reaching the glacier as the road was still blocked by snow, but still some great views as we enjoyed sunshine and a picnic lunch.

Stewart and Hyder are a bit strange regarding the border crossing - leaving Stewart BC on the short road into Hyder AK (a dead end road that actually terminates back in BC) there is no US border/customs office. Doing a u-turn in Hyder back into BC requires stopping at the Canadian border office with the usual questions - like where have you been, how long and what did you buy. Kind of made me smile.

We made our way back out to Meziadin Junction, topped up with fuel and headed south to Smithers, BC. Smithers provided an excellent meal at the Alpenhaus and a welcome hotel bed and shower at the Fire Weed Inn, clean and reasonable. It was a bittersweet arrival as it largely marked the terminus of our adventure and the beginning of a straight-shot towards home.

Took a picture of the trip odometer as we pulled in the driveway:

British Columbia, Yukon Territory, Alaska and NW Territory and a month to explore were both epic and humbling to realize how much they have to offer and how much remains to be explored.

A few things we learned from Alaska friends and along the way:

​

> Most important: Be flexible in your travel plans - roads, weather, vehicle issues, closures or any number of things will require you to adjust as you go.​

​

> Don't pass a gas station without topping up. Numerous times we'd arrive at a station and find that the owners were away for the day, they had no electricity, the tanks were dug up, etc. Gasbuddy.com was a good source for finding gas stations. We always made sure of the next fuel stop and also an in-range backup in case the first one was not available. There was never a a place where our 300 mile range was not completely adequate. If you are good with 87 octane or diesel, no need to carry extra fuel if you pay attention to your planning.​

​

> Bring binoculars and a real camera with a telephoto lens. Keep the camera out for quick access.​

​

> Get a Canada phone/internet plan - mobile phone access can be pretty limited but the occasional ability to check for lodging, weather and road conditions is indispensable.​

​

> Be extra alert during dawn and dusk lighting conditions. The low light angle can make visibility of road conditions and wildlife more difficult.​

​

> Frost heaves on the road can result in a violent and unexpected ride; some potholes can be big enough to destroy tires and rims. The road shoulders can be very soft and can unexpectedly pull one off the road. We saw numerous late model vehicles being towed after damage or abandoned after leaving the road abruptly into unforgiving terrain.​

​

> If you travel during insect season - mid-June through August - bring bug spray with at least 40% DEET. Not much else is effective.​

​

> If camping, carry plenty of water and/or a water filter. Many of the campgrounds do not have potable water in both Alaska and Canada.​

​

> Mid-May to mid-June is in some ways a sweet spot for travel, particularly to the inland areas. Although the temperatures are not quite peak yet, it is near minimum for precipitation and insects.​

Already scheming for the next trip and looking forward to hearing reports from any upcoming northbound travelers. ?

LF

 

[wibornz]

We had similar concerns, we have two freshly adult kids starting their own careers and both my wife and I have fathers who are 95 and 99. The two dads are each getting around ok but at this point the flu or a misplaced banana peel could mean a quick end.
The whole trip went assuming that at any point we might have to ditch the Jeep and fly back to the lower 48. But figured we at least had to try and we are thankful that it worked out. Hopefully you can find a stable window to make your trip but in the meanwhile you are doing what is most important.

Probably mentioned it before but tell your son we are grateful for his service, it is not taken for granted.

LF

Thank you. Our son is trying to come home next month the first time in six or so years. Yet the world events may get in the way. He makes great sacrifices for our nation and 99% of the population have no idea the level of commitment that is required of some of our sons and daughters.

We should be able to make it in 2024. My wife is taking care of her parents right now pretty much by herself. She has three other siblings and they have been told, that we make cancel our winter travels to the southwest, but they will have to figure it out for June, July and August. After all, the reason we bought the Jeep was to take a trip to Alaska. About three years before I retired, I stumbled upon this Youtube video



I was like hey honey check this out. We watched the video and I was like this is what we need to do in retirement. We had been Jeep owners, SxS, dirt bikes, atvs and so on. Avid off roaders.

My wife was all in. We set up an investment account and started stacking money away to buy the Jeep. The rest is history. 55 badge trails, thousands of miles on other trail all over the US, Canada and Mexico. 110,000 miles of Jeep adventures since spring of 2019.

Alaska will happen!

We will finish what we started

 

[brennaman]

There was a restaurant in Hyder that had great seafood, I wonder if it is still there. The kitchen is in an old school bus. The wife did the cooking, and the husband and son were commercial fishermen. When they came in with their catch, the wife would cook it up for you. It was great food. Did you happen to see if it was still open?

 

[BDinTX]

Amazing trip and excellent write-up! Looks like such an adventure! Thanks for taking the time to document it so well.

 

[Left Field]

There was a restaurant in Hyder that had great seafood, I wonder if it is still there. The kitchen is in an old school bus. The wife did the cooking, and the husband and son were commercial fishermen. When they came in with their catch, the wife would cook it up for you. It was great food. Did you happen to see if it was still open?

We had hoped to have lunch in Hyder and searched the entire village both on Google and by driving around for anything open. It is possible we missed it, but we ended up making our own lunch that day.

Covid and the Canadian border closures were pretty hard on the Alaska restaurants, gas stations and hotels. Lots of nice looking establishments that have weeds growing in the parking lots and a closed sign across the door. Hopefully as visitors start to return some of them can re-open again.

 

[WIJLU]

What a fantastic write up and excellent pictures, too. Thank you so much for sharing your story and some sound advice / suggestions for those of us who dream of making a similar trip ourselves!!

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