Alaska-Canada Highway
After nearly two days aboard the state ferry, we returned to dry land for the last leg of our journey. We still had 750 miles to drive before reaching Anchorage, and would have to make our way through British Columbia and Yukon Territory to get there.
Laura takes a break along the Haines Highway
Haines Highway
Located at the north end of Lynn Canal, Haines was founded as a Presbyterian mission in 1880 on the site of a Chilkat Indian village whose name, Dei Shu, means “end of the trail”. This name resonates today, as the highway out of town follows the course of a native trail over Chilkat Pass, one of only two road links between Southeast Alaska and Canada. Often called the Haines Cutoff, the highway was built in 1943 as a military bypass to the Alaska-Canada Highway.
Three Guardsmen Mountain, near Chilkat Pass, BC
After disembarking from the M/V Matanuska and grabbing some coffee in town, we began Day 12 by proceeding north along Alaska Route 7 through the Alaska Chilkat Bald Eagle Preserve. After about 40 miles, we crossed the border into Canada, and proceeded the remaining 100 or so miles through British Columbia and Yukon Territory. Along the way, we skirted the Tatshenshini-Alsek Wilderness Provincial Park and Kluane National Park and Reserve before reaching the end of the road at Haines Junction, YT.
- Click here for more photos from the Haines Highway
Alaska Highway
Stretching from Dawson Creek, BC to Delta Junction, AK, the Alaska-Canada (ALCAN) Highway was built during World War II to provide a supply route to the Pacific theater, and to link the airfields of the Northwest Staging Route for Lend-Lease aircraft transiting to the Soviet Union. The United States bore the entire cost of the project, which was built mostly by the US Army between March and October 1942. Originally extending 1,680 miles, the highway had been rerouted and shortened to 1,422 miles by 1946, and now extends only 1,390 miles. The road was renamed the Alaska Highway in 1943, and opened to the public in 1948.
Bridge over the Tanana River, near Tok, AK
We traveled along the Alaska Highway for nearly 300 miles, from Haines Junction, Yukon Territory, to Tok, Alaska. Both towns began as construction camps in 1942, growing up around the intersection of the few highways which traverse the region. After contending with the interminable frost heaves (uneven pavement caused by ice expansion) and construction delays, we were relieved to finally arrive at the Westmark Inn Tok, where we enjoyed the largest margaritas either of us have ever consumed. Not surprisingly, we slept soundly that last night on the road, before resuming our journey the next morning.
- Click here for more photos from the Alaska Highway, Tok Cutoff & Glenn Highway