“USA 🇺🇸 Canada 🇨🇦 ~Scenic Drive from Chicken and Back in The Yukon via Top Of The World Highway!”

• August 5, 2023
• By Pen
• 0 Comment

We took off from Chicken the next morning, early, before 9AM, but would decide later, still not early enough!

We would also be driving into smokey haze from all the fires Canada has had. (350 of them that I heard about), but that number was some time ago. We have no current fire info, to date, but road signage reports “expect delays.”

We would eventually catch up to the culprit of the smoke, but the fire was out. We did not have any delays, due to fire on this leg.

The Top Of The World Highway is a gravel/dirt/washboard mess, as well as the entire approach from Chicken, AND the entire approach TO Chicken. There is, however, a 10-mile stretch of beautiful pavement entering or returning from Canada; depending on which way you choose to come over this border crossing. (pavement is on the Alaska side) We did it backwards from what we hear many people do, as most come up to Alaska via TOTW to Tok for their entrance into Alaska, from the lower 48.

What we did, originally, upon our first arrival into Alaska, was the Alaska Highway (AlCan) all the way to Tok. (Would not have wanted to miss that beautiful experience, for the world)!

So If You Ever Plan on RV-ing to Alaska 

After our border check with Canada, it was right back to the washboard dirt road. We never saw a “Top Of The World Highway” sign. I hear this stretch of road is on the Canadian side. From Chicken, towards the border and TOTW maps, indicates Taylor Highway.

Now that we have driven both, main border crossings, I know for certain, the end of the AlCan and all of the TOTW, are equally bad roads to travel on, not to mention the bad roads to get to TOTW and back down, after Dawson City; to at least Pell Crossing, are terrible roads, due to construction and major pot holes.

The AlCan: from Destruction Bay to Tok:

225 miles of bad road
6 hours

and

For driving the Top Of The World Highway (TOTW), via Chicken, TOTW, through Dawson City, and through Pelly Crossing:

340 Miles of bad road and almost three hard driving days.

The road condition difference, between the two routes are; we just traded paved frost heaves and potholes; (AlCan) for dirt/gravel washboard, and some potholes; (TOTW)

It’s not easy; whichever route you take, to drive in or out of Alaska, via Canada, so do both, if you have the time and want to visit Dawson City in the Yukon.

Both routes take you through Tok. “All roads lead to Tok.” It’s a great drive through for travelers. Fuel, food (Fast Eddie’s) a Three Bear grocery, and our favorite for our first trip through; resting up at Tundra RV Park, for Glamping in the woods.

We always get where we are going, eventually, so it’s all good, but it takes so many more hours to do so, than I scheduled for. We knew the state of Alaska to be enormous, so there would be many hours applied to driving, for our three-plus months we have enjoyed in Alaska, but we did not know the roads would be quite as bad as they truly are, adding sooooo many more hours to the driving. Then of course, summer is the short season for road construction, so there are those torn up roads, with delays, and pilot cars. We are grateful for the road work, but covid caused them to be at least two summers behind on repairs, and it really shows. That’s all I’m trying to say.

During our two-hour wait, in line for the ferry into Dawson City, I put dinner together (tacos).

We Made It to Dawson City!!

…which is an awesome place to see in person! We had an 8.5 hour day over TOTW, including a two-hour wait at the George Black Ferry crossing. Yes, a requirement to get over the Yukon River, into Dawson City. The Canadian Government provides this ferry operation; free of charge.

We only WISHED the road conditions were good enough for a three-hour drive! Ha!

NOTE: TOTW Highway is a seasonal road. We hear a grater gets the road ready for use for travelers, in the spring. It probably is somewhat better, for awhile, after the grater does its thing.

George Black Ferry 

While we waited for our turn, on the West Bank side of the river, in line for the Ferry, we watched as the varying sizes of RVs; loaded and unloaded. I think the ferry can take up to 75’

We were the only three-axle class A, during this time, in line. The rest of the rigs were two-axle class A’s, or truck and trailer set-ups. One line was for regular cars, the other was for RV’s. There is a third line for commercial vehicles, busses, and medical vehicles.

One RV was allowed to load with each ferry crossing, and they were loaded on the right side, then they filled the rest of the spaces with car size.

When we rolled up, they positioned us smack dab in the center of the ferry, with Jonah still towing behind us. They only could add two more cars; The Whale living up to her name.

I was only concerned with the hitch, as we loaded and unloaded from the ferry, but no drag and all was great. The captain and crew do this all day long, every day, so I  felt confident in their abilities. It was a smooth ride and no issues. 

We rolled off the ferry onto soft dirt/sand and drove through town to get a feel for the road sizes; (dirt roads). We always hope for a sign to give directions to our campground. I had an address, but no clue which way was “fifth street.”

This Is So Interesting

So what happens in the winter months, once the ferry quits running, due to freezing.

Here is a picture of where we just crossed, by December of 2024.

Looks like the building of the “Dawson City Ice Bridge” on the Yukon River is underway. I imagine those hardy folks living on the West Bank will be glad to be able to get into Dawson to buy some fresh milk.

Last year (2023) the river didn’t fully freeze, so the folks living on the West Bank couldn’t drive into Dawson to get groceries, or other supplies, all winter long.

Dawson City 

Dawson City was bigger than I thought it would be. We had zero wifi, while in Canada. We already wasted money on SIM cards in Canada (MyRogers) on the way up. They did not work, once we left the city of Cochrane, where we bought them.

Our “house” internet that works like a champ in the lower 48, failed in Canada and Alaska, though we were told they would work, when we bought it (T-Mobile Gateway). So we have been, and are, without electronic maps, and phone, when in Canada, other than SOS use.

We had purchased Starlink, back in April, in preparation for our Alaska trip, but that company failed us, big time, and we sent everything back and had to fight to get our entire $600 back! Nightmare!

Anyway, we ended up asking where the Gold Rush Campground was from a person on a bike. He was helpful and we were pointed in the right direction, in town.

We checked in and got in to our spot, and finally could relax. Jonah is so filled with dust, it would take getting our compressor fired up to blow her clean again; inside and out. Glacier dust is different than any other kind of dust. It black, and so tiny and fine, and gets into everything!  

We had one full day, here in Dawson City, so we needed to get Jonah cleaned up to drive, first.

Enjoy Scenic Photos From Our Drive Day from Chicken, Alaska, Over The Top Of The World Highway and in to Dawson City 

It might be hard to see in photos, but we drove for a couple of miles, where we saw so many trees that had broken tops. We are guessing a major windstorm blew through and broke the trees like they were matchsticks. We have never seen anything like this, before. 

For about ten miles, on the Alaska side of the border there is pavement, with only a few bad spots.  It was such nice break from the washboard of the Taylor Highway. It did not last, though. Crossing the Border into Canada, the Top Of The World Highway is all dirt and washboard

Made it to the pullout, just before the border, from Chicken, on the Alaska side

 I did think these scenes from the pullout were the prettiest of the entire drive from Chicken.

Next blog is of our time in Dawson City, Yukon