Natural Beauty and Animal Viewing
Article and photos by John and Doreen Berg
Snow capped
mountains, rushing swollen rivers, emerald green lakes, partially covered with
frosted blue ice and numerous roadside animal sightings were to be the
highlights of our Johnny Horton "North to Alaska" adventure.
When one thinks about driving the Alaska
Highway, visions of motor homes chugging along the road with many pulling an
extra vehicle, is the common denominator.
We elected to discover if the journey would be as successful using our
2006 Chevrolet Silverado 4x4 truck. This
provided us with an option for back road travel. While we did not have the convenience of
dragging our home behind us, we felt from a cost point, it was cheaper and made
for a more relaxed, flexible drive. We
used the tailgate for picnic lunches. We
had an excellent two-way fridge in the backseat of our crew cab and took it
into our hotel accommodations, making breakfast in the morning. This cut the cost of our vacation by having
only one meal a day in restaurants. From an economic budget perspective, we
deemed the use of our 4x4 truck was a huge success. For us, a motor home rental or a used motor
home purchase was too costly. Furthermore
we were not left with a huge investment parked in our yard begging to be used
again. We found it easy to locate very
adequate hotel/motel accommodations and concluded that our gas mileage savings
off-set motel/hotel expenses. A further
plus was that our truck 4x4 provided us with easy and safe access to more
remote spots. Our trip provided a nice
balance of outdoor activities, animal sightings and off-road driving. For
us, the holiday without a
motor home was a wonderful success.
Our May 15th to
June 4th time line frame proved to be an excellent choice. Except for the first few overcast or rainy
days we encountered beautifully clear sunny days and cool nights. We were too early to experience the distracting
annual insect hatch and the daunting annual summer tourist influx! The Alaska Highway was in excellent condition
with few winter frost heaves and cleared roadside right-of-ways for easy sightings
of numerous roadside animals. There are wonderful spots along our route and we
particularly enjoyed the Stone Mountain and Muncho Lake areas with beautiful
white-blue ice retreating and dramatic towering mountains shimmering in the
brilliant sunlight. The North Country
was welcoming the birth of spring as we cruised along the Alaska Highway.
Initially we
planned to include a Chetwynd family visit and then begin our Mile Zero Alaska
Highway trip at Fort St. John. But as
events unfolded, our Mile Zero start became Chetwynd and Tumbler Ridge.
Larry and Penny,
brother and sister-in-law, rolled out the red carpet. Leisurely paced mornings began with morning
coffee followed by scrumptious breakfasts.
Day One saw three of us drive to the nearby Windmill Electric Station
which has more than 30 windmills perched atop Bear Mountain. Speaking of bears, our first of many black
bear sightings happened on the return from the mountain and Mr. Bear co-operated
by hanging roadside long enough for us to capture excellent photos.
Northern spring mornings
arrive early and our experience was no different with the brilliant sun pouring
through the travel trailer's windows forcing an early departure from our cozy
bed. Shortly after a hearty breakfast we
drove to visit Kinuseo Falls. A feature of the falls is its 60 metre height
making it higher than Niagara Falls. From
the viewing platform you could feel the raw power of the spring runoff as tons
of frothing water thundered into the river below.
KINUSEO FALLS IN FULL FLOAD
We stopped at Jade
Lake and decided to hike to a fossil find.
While the trail was clearly marked it was steep in spots and not sure
how far, so most family members elected to return to the parking lot while
Neveah (Larry and Penny's granddaughter) and I hiked further but after half an
hour or more decided to return before the search and rescue team was sent out. After
a tailgate lunch we returned with stops at Tumbler Ridge and at a trail sign,
outlining a hike to view dinosaur prints. Tumbler Ridge proved to provide ample
opportunity to embrace the outdoors.
All too soon our family visit and gourmet
meals came to an end. Our Alaska Highway Mile One departure day featured heavy
rain and a two centimetre snow warning for the Fort Nelson area. Penny wisely suggested we delay a day but we
felt a need to be on our way and thought, “What's a mere two centimetres of snow!” How wrong this thought turned out to be!
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| WITHIN AN HOUR THE ROAD WAS CLOSED |
Rain followed us
to Fort St. John where we picked up some groceries and were soon traveling
north. By the time we reached Wonowon we
were encountering snow! As we traveled
toward Pink Mountain the snow intensified and the road conditions became
treacherous. Finally, we decided to call
it quits and returned to Fort St. John.
A stop at Wonowon confirmed our decision when checking with a truck
driver he too was turning back and informed us that the road was temporarily
closed near Pink Mountain as a freight truck had overturned. That evening we were a bit discouraged and
concluded that if the weather didn't improve we would select a more southern
route and return home early.
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| ONE OF MANY TAILGATE LUNCHES FOR TWO! |
The next morning
we woke to sunshine and clear skies! And
this weather was to continue for the remainder of our holiday! Having learnt our lesson our next step was to
consult the Fort St. John tourist bureau to obtain a current road report for
Highway 97. They reported that road
crews were busy clearing the highway and we followed their advice to delay our
departure until noon. Our previous day's
trials had taught us to respect northern weather conditions. Much to our delight road conditions proved to
be excellent with bare pavement and with snow roadside. The only visual reminder of yesterday’s storm
was the tractor trailer upside down in the ditch. The drive to Fort Nelson was pleasant which
comprised an early stop to enjoy our homemade bunwiches interspersed with photo
stops of scenic sections.
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| GRANDEUR OF ALASKA HIGHWAY |
We left Fort
Nelson early for a brief drive to Liard Hot Springs where we planned a two
night stay. The drive was truly a North
American Serengeti game drive! Right on
the outskirts of Fort Nelson we encountered our first animal sighting, three
caribou grazing. Throughout the drive we continued to glimpse numerous black
bear, more caribou, mountain sheep and several bison herds munching fresh
willow shots and new grasses. With
little traffic it was convenient and safe to park roadside obtaining wonderful
animal photos. The sundrenched snow
capped mountains and raging river runoff were an added bonus to our day's
drive.
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| BULL BISON SHEDDING HIS WINTER COAT |
As well as
enjoying the many animal sightings we stopped at such historic establishments
as Tetsa River Campgrounds to enjoy their famous signature homemade cinnamon
buns. The delicious buns are now baked
by a third generation Andrews. Next stop
was Toad River Lodge which looked inviting with new cabins facing a picturesque
lake. After viewing the 6 800 caps
attached to the restaurant's ceiling we hit the road again arriving at Liard Lodge
late afternoon.
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| DID YOU COUNT THE HATS? |
After registering and
depositing our luggage in the room, we grabbed our swim gear and walked the
short distance to enjoy a hot soak in the Alpha Pool. In the evening we watched the bison herd
wander past the lodge as they munched the tender new grass shoots. It was a novel experience, in the late
evening, to sit reading near the window without the aid of an electric light
bulb.
The next day we
visited nearby Smith River Waterfalls and Whirlpool Canyon before returning to
the lodge for lunch and an afternoon soak in the hot pools. Liard Lodge was ideal as a place to relax and
walk directly across the Alaska Highway to experience and enjoy the natural hot
springs spa. The 42 to 52 Celsius degree
water bubbles from one end of the springs and flows into pools providing an
outdoor spa for people to soak and relax.
We strolled along a wooden walkway that meanders through a swampy
area. We searched for the possibility of
a moose sighting but alas we had to settle for a viewing of a variety of bird
species. We agreed that our Liard Hot Springs
experience was a trip highlight.
Planning to reach
Whitehorse the next day meant an early morning departure. Very quickly we encountered bison herds and
in fact traffic was stopped for a few minutes as an old bull and a few cows
slowly wandered across the highway! Our
earlier black bear spottings had been so numerous that today's sightings only
warranted a "There's a bear," comment and a brief glance! We were "beary" spoilt. A grizzly bear and cub did generate interest
and an attempted photo through the windshield with the mother threatingly
standing on her hind legs. Fortunately
she lost interest and raced into the roadside timber area. We stopped for breakfast at Kathy’s Kitchen
in Watson Lake and then went to the Visitors’ Center viewing a video on the
building of the Alaska Highway in 1942.
We walked to see the famous signposts before heading on to Whitehorse.
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| BEAUTIFUL WHITEHORSE WITH IT'S HIKING TRAILS |
Whitehorse boasts
a vibrant tourist infrastructure with a welcoming Main Street ambiance, coupled
with great restaurants, a fantastic tourist center, nearby hikes and numerous
museums and a restored paddle wheel steamboat.
Leaving the tourist center with a city map and numerous brochures
supplied by the exuberant helpful staff, we decided to use Whitehorse as our base
and spend four nights exploring the many tourists' attractions being offered,
plus providing us with a more intimate understanding of the workings of a
northern community.
Blessed with
gorgeous sunny days we donned our summer clothing and spent our time hiking
well-defined local trails, visiting the excellent museums and wandering through
the interpretive center capping the busy day with an authentic Mexican dinner!
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| TRAIN TRIP WAS A TRIP HIGHLIGHT |
A highlight to our
Whitehorse visit was a day bus/train excursion to Skagway, Alaska. The White Pass and Yukon Route of 1898 is a
rare story in the world of railway constructions and was built as a result of
the human stampede caused by the discovery of gold in the late 1800's. Over the years the narrow gauge railway has
been kept busy transporting war supplies, ores and today's payload of
tourists. Many travellers arrive in Skagway's harbour by
cruise ships and elect to take the popular train trip.
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| BUSY BUT WELL ORGANIZED |
The bus departed
Whitehorse at eight in the morning and our first stop was at historic Carcross
a picturesque village and home to the Carcross/Tagish First Nations. Carcross was first named Caribou Crossing for
the caribou herds that swam across the narrows between Bennett Lake and the
Nases Lakes. Like all tourists we
photographed some of the Yukon's oldest buildings in Carcross dating back to
1898. We entered a few to browse the
souvenirs and purchase a coffee. We remounted
our bus and enjoyed scenery on the drive to Fraser, BC. Upon our approach I counted 21 parked coaches
with more arriving. The parking lot and
railway platform looked like total chaos with countless hundreds of smiling
tourists disembarking from the train cars searching for their bus to return to their
cruise ship in Skagway. When the time
came for us to board the train, I thought we would be running, pushing and
scrambling to gain a preferred right side for the best view! This proved not to be as the train's loading
and unloading systems were cleverly organized.
We were assigned a car and since there were few people on our bus we found
ample available space in our designated car, a pleasant surprise compared to
some of our earlier world travel experiences.
Leaving Fraser
behind for our 27.7 miles trip to Skagway, expectations were high and we were
not to be disappointed. As the train
twisted along its narrow gauge track we were treated to a yawning chasm of
gaping gorges and beautiful waterfalls crashing from glaciers. A much photographed steel bridge constructed
in 1901 was the tallest cantilever bridge in the world. Its usage was discontinued in 1969.
A black cross at
Mile 10.4 marks the final resting place of two railway workers and their
horses, buried under a 100 ton rock.
Their deaths in 1898 were the result of a blasting accident. All too soon we were passing the maintenance
sheds and rolled into the Skagway station. Our exhilarating train trip was over.
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| SKAGWAY , ALASKA THE END OF OUR TRAIN TRIP AND A CRUISE SHIP DESTINATION |
Armed with a city
map and inside information supplied by our motor coach driver, we set off to
capture Skagway's touristy atmosphere with the main street featuring a wide
variety of shops, three or four selling diamonds, and numerous
restaurants. As there were four cruise
ships in port, approximately 7000 tourists provided a brisk business for the
shops, restaurants and tour agencies. With
our limited two hour time in Skagway we browsed a few shops and decided to sample
a locally brewed beer. Finding no space
downstairs, we wandered to an upstairs room and played a game of shuffleboard
before heading back to explore the Skagway harbour and a walk back to the train
station to locate our bus for our return trip to Whitehorse to complete a brief
but enjoyable introduction to Skagway, Alaska.
Again, we enjoyed
the drive with panoramic views, a stop at Fraser to pick up passengers and to
clear customs. We've now returned to
Canada! It was a full but relaxing
worthwhile day trip concluding with an evening meal at the excellent Klondike
Rib and Salmon Restaurant, housed in the two oldest buildings still in use in
the Yukon’s Capital. Doreen had oven
roasted veggies with mashed potatoes and bannock and I had elk stroganoff with
sourdough and a Caesar salad. We enjoyed
the restaurant's ambiance and food while re-living the day's many highlights. The White Pass train day excursion proved to
be another trip highlight.
The following
morning saw us being on our homeward journey.
Arriving in Watson Lake we again visited the signpost display and
attended an evening Northern Lights Show.
Our plan was to
return via the Cassiar Highway # 37 stopping overnight at Stewart and possibly
Smithers. The morning drive was pleasant
with excellent road conditions encountering few vehicles. We stopped at the Beaver Dam Restaurant for
breakfast and were informed the Cassiar Highway was flooding and closed to all
traffic. No wonder we hadn't encountered
trucks! One needs to check road
conditions before departures. Again we were reminded that the north's weather
conditions can be more severe than the coast. It was a two hour return drive back to the
Alaska Highway and then south to Fort Nelson where we once again stayed at the Shannon
Motel. That night we decided to travel
directly home via Whistler and not wait for the Cassiar Highway to re-open. As
we later discovered this was a wise decision as the Cassiar stayed closed for
several more days.
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| ROAD HAZARD NOT OFTEN MENTIONED. HIT BY A CARIBOO |
For us the Alaska Highway’s appeal was its
breath-taking scenic vistas and its fantastic road side animal viewing plus the
visits to historical towns. Our road trip took in only a small portion of the
many locations leaving more for a future visit!
We certainly enjoyed our experience plus found lodging, food and fuel
easy to obtain. A trip we recommend for
others to explore.
General Information
Accommodations:
Our accommodations were budget, central,
quiet and clean. Prices are Canadian
dollars plus 15 % in taxes must be added to the price. The hotels/motels,
unless noted, provided television, coffee makers, refrigerator and internet.
1)
Fort
St. John
a.
Blue Bell Motel, 9705 Alaska Road,
Telephone: (250) 785-2613,
c.
Reservations: 1 866-833-2121
d.
Description:
Basic motel but was clean and well appointed, bed was comfortable. Motel
was close to stores and restaurants.
Easy to access the Alaska Highway from motel.
2)
Fort Nelson
a.
Shannon Motel, 5473-50th
Avenue south, P.O. Box 480, Fort Nelson, BC, V0C1R0
b.
Description:
Located next to the Alaska Highway on a lateral road. Although an older motel it had excellently
appointed rooms with separated sitting area.
Friendly helpful managers. Rooms have been recently refurbished. Excellent value and our favorite
accommodation.
a.
Liard Hot Springs Lodge, Mile 497 Alaska
Highway, Liard River, BC
b.
Telephone: (250) 776-7349
c.
Reservations:
1 866-939-2522
d.
Description:
The Liard Hot Springs Lodge and campgrounds are ideal for visiting the
hot springs. Liard River Hot Springs
Park is the reason to relax and utilize the lodge’s comfortable basic
rooms. Rooms lacked televisions, coffee
makers and refrigerators. A Wi-Fi system
was being installed. The lodge’s
restaurant provided wholesome home cooked meals. This was relatively an expensive basic lodge,
but the only lodge accommodation located near the popular hot springs.
4)
Watson Lake, BC
a.
Air Force Lodge, Watson Lake, BC
b.
Telephone: 867-536-2890
c.
Description:
Air Force Lodge is a restored pilot headquarters used during the
construction of the Alaska Highway and W.W.II.
The Lodge is quiet and spotlessly clean.
The lodge is similar to a hostel with shared washrooms and showers. The basic rooms were comfortable with
televisions only. Complimentary tea and
coffee were always available in the reception area. Helpful friendly management. Excellent value at $75.00 for a single person
and $85.00 for two people.
5)
Whitehorse, Yukon
a.
Stop In Family Hotel, 314 Ray Street,
Whitehorse, Yukon
b.
Description:
Hotel was reasonably priced, clean and comfortable and has been recently
renovated. Our room was well appointed
with a comfortable queen bed plus table and chair set. We received good service at reception desk. The hotel’s Indian Restaurant was not open as
the chef was holidaying in India.
Lodging is expensive in Whitehorse so we found The Family Hotel to be
good value. The hotel is centrally
located, close to tourist bureau and excellent restaurants.
c.
Restaurants in Whitehorse we enjoyed.
Klondike Rib and Salmon Bake
2116 2nd Ave.,
Whitehorse, Yukon
Telephone: (867) 667-7554
This restaurant was busy with a casual restful ambience. Service was excellent with fresh and
flavorful food. The varied menu featured seafood dishes.
Sanchez Cantina
211 Hanson St.
Whitehorse, Yukon
Telephone: (867)
668-5858
The
popular restaurant featured authentic Mexican food with a varied menu. Small restaurant, brightly decorated with Mexican
ambiance.
Gasoline Prices -The Alaska Highway
Gasoline
was readily available along the highway and in the towns. The price was a high of $179.9 per liter at
Coal Lake with $149.9 per liter being the most common price.
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| MOTHER BEAR AND THREE CUBS. |
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| STONE SHEEP |
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| OUT OF MY WAY |
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| SKAGWAY LOCAL BREW AND MY NEW HAT |
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| BISON MOVING TO SLEEPING AREA |
