“Canada 🇨🇦 Part 1 of 2 ~Driving the AlCan / Alaska Highway! Days 1-3: June 2nd through the 4th, 2023”

• June 4, 2023
• By Pen
• 0 Comment

Departing Dawson Creek, British Columbia, to begin the Alaskan Highway ⬇️

Get your cuppa somethin and enjoy! This is three days worth of travel days, in the vast wilderness!

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I made no plans of where we would boondock, along the Alaskan Highway, but I knew we will find places when we are tired, and done, at the end of each day.

The total number of miles that make up the Alaskan Highway are: 1,390, or close to it. I’ve seen many numbers, but will get an actual mile total from The Whale, when we reach the true end; in Delta Junction.

Starting Mileage on The Whale from Dawson Creek Milepost “0” in British Columbia:
56,466

Ending Miles at Milepost at Delta Junction Alaska Highway Alaska 

57,976

THE day has finally arrived, and it’s been a long time coming! Initially, nearly a week of steady travel, North, through Canada, but moreover, 40 years of a dream come true to RV to Alaska, just like my grandparents did in the late 70’s, in their Motorhome, towing their ‘72 VW Bug! Back then, the entire AlCan was gravel.

…,,We came up through British Columbia, then through Alberta, back into British Columbia and now, we will soon hit-up the Yukon, Next!

This first day of six, on the actual Alaska Highway, total, will be a hard push, to get a lot of miles under our belt.  We had good weather with sunshine and a full tank of diesel. Jonah had a full tank, too and a decent spare tire, just in case.

We did not have wildfire concerns, nor flooding at this time, but a cold weather snap has hit the Great North, or so we hear.

We have lots of daylight in a 24-hour period, already, and by the time we get to Alaska, we will have very little dark hours, steadily, till we have 24 hours of daylight. It’s why they call it “The Land of the Midnight Sun.” Fortunately, The Whale has factory black-out shades, so we are set!

While on this road-trip, we will have zip for a WiFi signal, though we can call out in an emergency with our Canadian SIM card from “Rogers.” No signal in most areas is the norm, no mater what service you have. We hear Verizon does pretty good, but in the Yukon, I’m not sure, about them, even.

Once we arrive in Alaska, we get to play for 2.5 months!
An absolute dream come true!

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Day 1: June 2nd

Dawson Creek’s Norther Lights RV Park To Tetsa River Lodge To North of Summit Creek British Columbia 

We were up with the sun and hitting the road! We have MANY miles ahead of us and we want to stop at several locations along the way. Today, we began the drive on the Alaska Highway (AlCan)

Beginning Mileage on The Whale from Mile “0” at Dawson Creek read: 56,496

We ended our drive day, after 8 hours. We had stopped one time, after hour three, and Daryl took a Power Nap. Today was our only push day, on our journey, to reach Alaska.

Tomorrow, we get to make three fun stops and do more than just drive, like today, with only one stop for cinnamon rolls and then, of course a fuel stop. Our tank on The Whale was above half and it cost $350 CAD… something like $260 US, but, that was to be expected.

We had clear skies, when we left the Dawson Creeks / Northern Lights RV Park and we saw a Moose within 15 minutes!
Then, after only 50 miles or so, surprisingly the skies went smokey. For a long time we drove. We had passed the previous wildfire devastation, from a few weeks back, and at first, we thought those fires were still smouldering, or something; though reports from another driver the day before, said all was clear, when they went through; so, that couldn’t be it….

We continued to see Bears. Lots of Black Bears. Even some of this winter’s Cubs, with their Mamas. So stinkin cute! I didn’t get good pictures of all of them, but had fun, trying.

We stopped at Fort Nelson to fuel up. I asked the clerk in the store, if there was a new fire. He said he thought so, because the skies were clear, till this morning. He knew nothing more.

We had no WiFi signal, not even in Fort Nelson, which is a small town, yet still AlCan remote, (don’t buy a MyRogers SIM card for Canada-complete waste of money) so I couldn’t look anything up on the Canadian website.

Our eyes were burning a little and our throats were a a bit scratchy. Not good, but what can we do? The pleasant distraction is watching the sun reflecting its light on the lake, as evening nears.

In spite of the heavy smoke, we got lots of wildlife views, throughout our day.

Our Wildlife Sightings:
Dawson Creek to Summit Lake

1 Moose
3 Deer
1  Mongoose
12 Black Bears (4 Cubs)

We reached Tetsa River Lodge, and stopped to get the ever famous homemade Cinnamon Rolls! We got them to go, because we were very close to ending our day at Summit Lake, not too much further. We also got a few extra for breakfast!

HISTORIC MILE 375 ALASKA
HIGHWAY

“Tetsa River Lodge and campground has been serving travellers for over 40 years.
The Andrews family of Ben and Gail continue this legacy; being the third generation. Many changes have come to pass with grounds and building improvements, but the cinnamon buns still hold their own as a “must have.”

Ben’s Artisan meats now are a close second, as they are all made by hand on premises with incredible care and attention to excellence. We are pet friendly and offer a quiet, peaceful and rustic setting for those wishing to enjoy what beauty this area has to offer.

If you are looking for a stay in a cabin that is self sufficient and allows you to cook and do your own thing…this is the place for you.  Our cafe does not offer full meals but serves a wonderful breakfast and has a variety of meats, bread and the daily homemade soup.”

There is a pull-through driveway, with some pull-over room, making it doable for big rigs. It was a busy stop, with many RV types, coming and going.  

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…….And we made it to the Lake!

We found a big pull-off spot for the night, with a beautiful view of Summit Lake. The downside; it was a brake-check stop for semis, but we know, soon, the truck activity will lessen, as the evening comes on, and it will be very quiet and peaceful for sleeping. We will also be leaving, early in the morning.

We dove in to our Cinnamon Rolls, and they were, in fact, as good as we heard they would be! The Lodge is very cozy and inviting; nicely done. We also bought some of the Jerky and Summer Sausage. Double Yum!

After warming up some dinner, and enjoying the quiet, sans the occasional car, rv, or truck going by, I processed my pictures from the day, took a nap, then got my nose in to a good book, while watching for Bears, out the window, of course. It becomes habit by this point.

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Photo Dump Day 1:

Enlarge pic to see Moose

This is the newly built bridge, near Dawson Creek, after decommissioning the original one

The cubs are harder to spot. They are so tiny, the grass hides them. Just look for the black spot(s) in the grass

Deer… we weren’t sure at first, either!

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Day 2: June 3rd ⬇️

What a fun day we had! The scenery and the wildlife! OH MY WORD! It is really hard to take it all in and believe we are actually seeing what we are seeing! Rugged. Wild. Remote. It’s everything and more than we had hoped for!

Our Wildlife Sightings: Summit Lake to Watson Lake 

   1 Porcupine
2 Moose
1 Golden Eagle
47 Wood Bison (adults)
12 Bison Calves
1 Black Bear

We were pleased to notice, upon arising in the morning, the smoke had improved. It was still there, but not as bad as when we went to bed.

We left around 6:30AM and we were looking very forward to our day. We had several fun stops to make, and more wildlife viewing to be had.

Our first stop was to view Muncho Lake! We didn’t actually stop, though. The non-smokey skies, turned right back to smokey, again, so we did not get to see Munch Lake in its normal pristine state.

This area was beautiful, still, and the AlCan winds around the lake for quite a ways, with plenty of photo ops. (even if there is smoke)

Next stop will be Liard Hot Springs Provincial Park

This is not to be missed!  It is right off off the AlCan, and across from the park entrance there is plenty of parking, and room for big rigs.

There is a changing room at the hot springs, too. This visit cost us $5 CAD each, but good for the entire day. We only needed an hour. The nature walk from the parking lot, through the campground and their entry, through a VERY elaborate hot wire defense system in place was interesting. This system is in place, to keep the wildlife out of the campground. Leaving the campground, at the other end, the same type of electric fence system is in place.

After leaving it, we were out of the campground, and walking the boardwalk to the natural hot springs. Wildlife roam free at the hot springs area.

The hot springs complex is of national ecological significance and is well known for its natural setting in a lush boreal spruce forest. The park is such a popular stop over for tourists that the campground fills up early each day during the summer months.

Liard is also open year-round. There is a hot spring open to the public called Alpha pool with water temperatures ranging from 42°C to 52°C. Facilities include a change house and composting toilet. A boardwalk, which leads to the hot spring pools, passes through a warm water swamp and boreal forest that supports rich and diverse plant communities as well as mammal and bird species.

Visitors are required to stay on the boardwalk at all times in this area so as not to disturb the sensitive habitat. Watch for moose feeding in the warm water swamps. Due to the lush plant life influenced by the warmth of the springs, the area was originally known as the “Tropical Valley.”

We’ve been in many hot springs (including in Tibet), but this hot spring is not a man-made pool with hot spring water pumping into it. This is an actual spring, we got to enter and sit in and soak, as it flowed. Very special!
AND it was very hot!

We had more great conversations with other travelers in the hot springs. One couple, in particular, were from Washington State. They were even very familiar with my hometown of Newberg, Oregon, too. I love a good “small world story!”

Today, we saw so much wildlife, once again. Not the number of Bears, as yesterday, but today was “Wood Bison day,” for this area.

We also left The Northern Rockies of British Columbia and made it the the Yukon!

Underway again, from the hot springs, and this time, we continued on, to our final stop of the day; Sign Post Forest ⬇️

I had our personalized sign made months ago and it was fun adding it to the millions of others, from those who came before us.

We found a spot for our sign … a little low, but better than getting our ladder out and putting it up so high, nobody can read it.

We are on this row, with the big San Diego Sign

How Sign Post Forest Began:

Private Carl Lindley, of Company D, 341st Army of Engineers, was injured while working on the Alaska Highway, near Lower Post, B.C. He was taken to recover at an aid station in what is now Watson Lake, a few miles over the border into the Yukon. While there, Lindley was given light work duty, repairing and repainting directional posts. Of his own accord, he added one for Danville, Illinois, where he was from.

To read the rest of the information about this unique place:

 https://www.travelyukon.com/en/get-inspired/sign-post-forest

We walked around for a little while, to look at the many contributions over the years.
All too soon, it was time for us to think about continuing on, with our day.

While parked in Watson Lake, Daryl took his Power Nap. After that, we topped the tank up with fuel, and drove on. We never did see a lake, though it’s a minute away from the Sign Post Forest, according to a map I printed.
We didn’t try very hard, either, as it was starting to rain, anyway.

It was high time to find another boondocking spot for the night. It had already been an 8.5 hour day, including all the stops.

Right away, we noticed a change, having entered the Yukon, before Watson Lake. We weren’t seeing many pullouts, like we had been all day, at least for a while. We drove another hour, before we found a very large area, down a hill, off the highway. It was perfect and worth the wait.

Within the hour, we were joined by another Alaska-bound couple, from Texas. Daryl invited them over.

We visited for about an hour, or so. Very fun. The gentleman had driven the AlCan a few times. He mentioned there are very few RVers on the road, now, compared to previous trips at the same time of the year. Interesting. I’m sure the price of fuel is part of that reason, because we have friends who wanted to go this year in their RV, but fuel prices were too high at this time for them, so they decided to go next year. We get it!
It’s awful to spend such money on fuel.

Our Wildlife Sightings:
Just beyond Summit Lake to just beyond Watson Lake:

   1 Porcupine
2 Moose
1 Golden Eagle
47 Wood Bison (adults)
12 Bison Calves
1 Black Bear

Photo Dump Day 2:

The Wood Bison or Mountain Bison, is a distinct northern subspecies or ecotype, of the American Bison. Its original range included much of the boreal forest regions of Alaska, Yukon, western Northwest Territories, northeastern British Columbia, northern Alberta, and northwestern Saskatchewan. 

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Day 3: June 4

Watson Lake area to Whitehorse ⬇️

This morning, the sky was perfectly blue; clear and sunny! Wow! How refreshing.
We had learned from a Canadian couple, at Liard Springs, there were no new fires, but winds shifting, had brought back the smoke.

We lingered an extra hour this morning, probably feeling a little road-weary. While we have covered a lot of ground, we have many more to go!

Off we went, to cross the continental divide. What we encountered was fog. Also, very cold temperatures. I’m only guessing, at just above freezing, because, no snow. Thankfully, no precipitation of any kind, so we could continue our journey.  There were still patches of snow on the ground, here and there, with some ice around creeks.
The thick fog, though, in a heavily populated wilderness, full of wildlife? Oh my!

When the fog would clear for only periods of time, we always saw wildlife, so we know we missed a lot of sightings, when in the thick of the “soup,” and grateful none were on the road!

We actually saw our first Wolf in the wild. Completely black, with a few white spots. So big! So beautiful. Almost at the same time, I saw a huge, golden-colored Grizzly! It was on Daryls side, so no picture. Drats!
The Grizzly was easily, almost the size of Jonah, our Volkswagen Bug! I am being completely serious. I won’t forget that sighting for the rest of my life!
Also, on Daryls side, he saw another Wolf! It had more brown colors on it.

Our Wildlife Sightings: Watson Lake to Whitehorse 

5 Rabbit
1 Grizzly Bear
2 Wolf (one black/one brown)
2 Black Bear (baby cub)
1 Red Fox

Thankfully, the fog finally cleared around Teslin Village. It also got warmer, as we neared Whitehorse.

The Yukon does not have as much signage, as we had seen before, but still plenty, and we knew the next stop for us would be Whitehorse, where we would end this drive day, earlier than the other days.

The Alaska Highway has been mostly good, with some gravel patches, due to needed repairs. We have seen the two landslide areas; both repaired, but no blacktop. The beaver dam that broke and caused huge flooding over the highway this year (around Milepost 900) has been repaired, and is pretty smooth, but also no blacktop. 

We have seen no construction, which meant no delays, or single lanes with pilot cars or flaggers. We’ve had zero WiFi signal, so I was secretly hoping the road crews moved on to Destruction Bay, for much needed repairs, there! Ha!

We have heard the road is VERY bad, between Destruction Bay and Tok, and to prepare for 5 mph driving, for a long way!

For now, I want to just think about something else, like watching for wildlife!

We pulled off in a rest stop for Daryls Power Nap. For the first time, while on the road (AlCan) we turned on the generator to get some major heat going on in The Whale! It felt so good. We do have a dash heater, up front, but in such a big rig, and 30 some degree temps outside, it doesn’t do much.

I have a Sherpa Blanket, for just this occasion. I think I’ll wear it for the rest of the drive. If we were really desperate, we can always turn on the generator while driving, and fire-up the heaters to stay warm that way.

We made it to Whitehorse, capital of the Yukon

Thankfully, I had decided to get us a reservation at the Hi Country RV Park in Whitehorse, whilst still in Dawson Creek; while we still had WiFi.
IT WAS A VERY GOOD PLAN!

I’m so happy we decided to do this. We have full-hookups, 30 amp, and are off the road from driving for awhile; and though just a one-night stay, I’m hoping to have enough wifi to get photos uploaded and this blog posted. Oh, and hot, long showers, running the dishwasher and getting a load of laundry done.

How I love my home-on-wheels!

Nice, forestry setting, with remnants of WWII.
We recommend.

Photo Dump Day 3:

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Next Blog will be part 2 of 2: driving the Alaskan Highway.

Our next campground will be in Tok, Alaska, where we will hopefully have good WiFi for my final blog, after completing this major portion of the AlCan.

We had planned to arrive on June 7th, but I already contacted the campground and ask that they hold our reservation, in case we are late arriving, as we have no idea how long it will take to get there from Destruction Bay, due to the highway being in such bad shape. To be honest, I’m a little nervous. It would be a long drive day, even if the road was to be decent, so we will pull-off and boondock for the night, if it gets too stressful, and break it up in to two days, if need be.

To Date: 

We haven driven over half way to Alaska, so far.

We are averaging 47 mph and are getting 8 miles per gallon. We have a 150 gallon diesel tank, but fuel stops happen each time at, or near the 1/2 a tank point, regardless.

Finding fuel on the AlCan is not difficult, even if you are a smaller rig, or truck with trailer, and need to fill, more regularly.

In spite of our “not so lucky with all sunshine and blue skies,” because of smoke and fog and rain, the impact of where we are, and what we are doing and seeing, trumps perfect weather for better photos, any day, while traveling the AlCan.

Spring comes later, way up North, so we expected some colder weather and rain. Our focus is to be in Alaska for its short summer months. It’s all about the experience, and making memories. Nothing is better than that.

We are feeling very accomplished. The miles are the same, but not the hours, according to maps. It’s way more hours, averaging 47 mph, taking naps, fueling up and stopping to play.

Even though we have an Atlas and Milepost book, I’ve never cracked either one, once, while on the AlCan. It’s a straight shot highway; no rights or lefts to take, unless you want the side trips, for hiking, and exploring, further. We happen to be very satisfied with what we are finding right along the way, but that’s just us. We have no WiFi, and we are finding our way, just fine, so far. Good signage.

NOTE: The lack of WiFi is challenging at times, for sure; not for directions, but just for blogging. My blog post is not where I want it to be at, for my last photo dumps. It’s all I could do, given the signal we have, and the many hours dedicated to it, to get it this good 🤣  Also, forgive any typos or other formatting issues, till we are not so busy and I can edit, more.

British Columbia

Yukon Territory