Top of the World Highway

From Chicken, AK, to Dawson City, Yukon Territory

This post will be mostly pictures of our trip across The Top of the World Highway which runs from Chicken, Alaska, across the border with Canada, and down to the famous little town of Dawson City, Yukon Territory.  We pushed off early--about 7:30 a.m.--so as to get a jump on traffic either going to Dawson City, or coming the opposite direction.  The highway is strung across the hilltops and ridges rather than running along riverbeds and streams down in the valleys, and it is therefore perched along some pretty high places with major drop-offs on either side of what is a mostly narrow road.  The surface was almost completely dirt and gravel--a map showed the portion from the border to Dawson City as paved, but it was pretty much all unpaved.  Our coaches didn't get too dusted up, but boy, our cars were sure covered in fine clay colored dirt!  And the fine little dust did manage to drift into the coaches--you could feel it on every surface!!

That's Ritchie's coach putting up a dust cloud!  You can see how narrow the roadway is!

We could see lakes, ponds, and river beds below us

A river winds along the valley floor

We could often see mountains way off in the distance

 The wilderness that is much of Alaska and the Yukon Territory was certainly very evident as we drove across the "top of the world".  Unfortunately, we didn't see any wild life! 

A fork in the road about 8 miles west of the Alaska/Canadian border!



The highway goes up and down hills--that's the road off to the left!

Ray let Ritchie get on up the road some to try to avoid eating too much dust!

A highway maintenance yard up ahead

The Alaska Odyssey caravan leaves Alaska and enters the Yukon Territory

Still up on the high ground above the rivers and streams that feed the Yukon River

More dust and gravel!

The views were panoramic but void of snow covered mountains

Eventually, we ran out of ridges and began the descent into the Yukon River valley

That's the mighty Yukon River coming north from Whitehorse

And suddenly, there was Dawson City just below us!

The Top of the World Highway ends across the river from Dawson City--only way across is by ferry!

Ritchie's Camelot House is "on the river"!

And that's the far shore ferry landing at Dawson City!

Many thanks to Tam Murley for all of these photos!!!  We made the journey without incident--and while we are happy to have done it, we won't be seen on this highway again!!  Once is enough!