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INTO THE WILDS: The ferry that takes you across the Yukon River is just part of your northern adventure—as is observing majestic moose and other wildlife.

A GROWING FOREST: Watson Lake’s Sign Post Forest has more than 61,000 signs. —photos courtesy Duane and Lynda Pilson

In this day and age there aren’t too many places left on the North American continent that still have the same aura of mystery as travelling to the Yukon, Alaska or the Northwest Territories. Since there is so much to see and do in these areas, it is impossible to do them all justice by covering all three of the areas mentioned.

If we look at Alaska being the final destination of this adventure, it is impossible to not include the Yukon in your northbound adventure plans, since you’ll have to travel through the Yukon Territory to get to Alaska, if travelling by land.

We have travelled to Alaska eight times over the past 11 years, organizing and leading seven RV caravans during this time. We will try and give you information which will increase your level of enjoyment by pointing out some of the best things to do and see.

Don’t worry about the weather, the roads, the type of RV you own, special clothing you might need, groceries or the insects as I will cover these issues during the course of this and the next three articles. Rather, focus your attention on the history of the various areas you will be travelling through, the hundreds and hundreds of photo opportunities you will experience, some of the most fantastic scenery you will ever see, the many opportunities you will have to view wildlife in its natural surroundings, and the unique experiences you will have interacting with the people you will cross paths with during your travels.

Starting point: Mile 0
Your adventure will hopefully start at the beginning, Dawson Creek, B.C., which is located at Mile 0 of the Alcan Highway or, as it is called today, the Alaska Highway. Dawson Creek is a modern community which not only boasts being the start of the Alaska Highway, with its historical involvement with the building of one of the 20th century's engineering marvels, but also its modern shopping experience with stores, such as Wal-Mart and Canadian Tire.

While visiting Dawson Creek, take the time to enjoy all it has to offer as well as the unique experiences in the surrounding area. Make sure that you include such things as: the Walter Wright Pioneer Village, the Tourist Information Centre/Dawson Creek Station Museum which is located in the old Northern Alberta Railway (NAR) Station, the Art Centre adjacent to the NAR station, the Mile 0 marker located at the intersection of 102nd Avenue and 10th Street (watch for vehicles as it is located in a small traffic circle in the middle of the intersection). Also, drop over to Chetwynd and enjoy the collection of chainsaw carvings, as well as a visit to the W.A.C. Bennett Dam located near Hudson Hope. Whatever you do during your adventure make sure you do one thing—take the time to enjoy everything each area has to offer, and don’t be in a hurry. It is better to take a short trip enjoying everything along the way rather than rush and cover a greater area and see nothing.

After leaving Dawson Creek as you head north, if you want to travel on an original stretch of the Alaska Highway, keep your eyes peeled for the Kiskatinaw Provincial Park sign, located approximately 29 kilometres, north of Dawson Creek. This will take you over the Kiskatinaw River bridge, which is the only original wooden bridge built for the highway that is still in use (check with Dawson Creek Tourism for bridge load limits if you plan on driving over it). The road to Fort Nelson is a very enjoyable drive with beautiful scenery along both sides of the highway; be sure to watch out for moose and other wildlife along the way.

During this leg of your trip you will have a breathtaking view of the Peace RiverBridge as you approach Taylor before passing through Fort St. John. From here your next point of interest is Charlie Lake, where the site of earliest North American man was discovered. As I said, take the time to enjoy what each area you travel through has to offer. Your next excitement will occur when you get to the Chief Sikanna River crossing where you drop down to the river then up the other side.

Once you arrive at Fort Nelson, drop by their visitor’s centre and find out if there are any special presentations at the Phoenix Theatre. Regardless if you attend a show at the Phoenix, do not miss taking the time to visit the Fort Nelson Heritage Museum, which not only offers a history of the Alaska Highway and Fort Nelson but a reminder of that one person's dream can become a reality. While visiting the museum, look up Marl Brown; he looks like Santa Claus but with a more trim body. Thank him for his drive and tenacity to ensure that his dream—the museum—was completed and left as a legacy for future generations.

As you continue your journey, you will have the opportunity to drive along the banks of one of the prettiest lakes we have had the privilege to see, Muncho Lake. Majestic mountains rise on both sides of the beautiful 11-kilometre-long lake with its deep green and blue waters naturally coloured by the copper sulfate that leaches out of the mountains with the rain and snow melt as it flows into the rivers that empty into Muncho Lake. Watch for stone sheep between Summit Lake and Muncho Lake as they are quite frequently seen along this stretch of highway.

While travelling between Muncho Lake and Watson Lake, take the time to stop at Liard Hot Springs for a soak in either the Beta Pool or the Alpha Pool. Both are located in areas of lush vegetation and are natural pools, not man-made. If you like hot pools, we suggest you stay at the park campground or, if travelling farther that day, we suggest only about a 25-minute soak so you have your full faculties when you leave the pools; the highway becomes narrower and winding; as well, this region is home of the Liard bison herd which you could meet along the highway.

Watch for the signs
Your next stop will be Watson Lake, which is known for its "sign post forest." The first sign was erected in 1942 by a homesick soldier, Carl Lindley of Danville, Illinois, and had grown to more than 61,000 signs in 2006 (don’t have the numbers for 2007 yet). Don’t forget your own sign when visiting Watson Lake as they operate an "adopt a sign post" program for anybody who wishees to hang a sign during their visit. Just visit the Tourist information facility on the west end of the forest and staff can help you get your sign installed as well as provide you with a Yukon Gold passport which has prizes for getting your passport stamped at various Yukon attractions. The visitor's centre also runs an informative audio-visual show. Once you have your passport, go across to the Northern Lights Centre and get it stamped as well as enjoy an audio-visual presentation on the northern lights.

Approximately 12 kilometres south of Teslin take the time to pull into Dawson Peaks and experience a piece of the best rhubarb pie we have ever tasted as well as meet two of the characters mentioned in one of Sue Henry’s books. Henry is one of the best authors we have come across in our Alaska /Yukon travels and autographed copies of her book are for sale. Continuing your journey will take you to Teslin once you cross over the Nisutlin bridge—it's an open grate bridge so take it slow when crossing. Again take time to experience the areas you are travelling through; for example, visit the George Johnston Museum in Teslin and learn about this remarkable visionary; drop into the Yukon Wildlife Centre; and, if open, visit the Tligit Heritage Centre which is located just outside of Teslin as you leave the community.

Your next big stop is the capital of the Yukon, Whitehorse. This is a cosmopolitan community with not only a Wal-mart and a Canadian Tire but many unique shops to look through for that special souvenir. We cannot stress strongly enough to leave enough time to visit this unique northern community which has so many things to do and see that it has something for everybody.

Take the time to go to the best show on the Alaska Highway the Frantic Follies Vaudeville Revue, an upbeat, humorous, fast-moving stage show that we never get tired of seeing; you never know one of you might become known as Pooky. During your visit also take time to see: the Yukon Transportation Museum; the Beringia Interpretative Centre; the world's largest weather van (a DC3 mounted on a pedestal); SS Klondike; Miles Canyon (which you can see at water's level on the SS Schwatka or from a swing bridge over the Yukon River in the canyon); the first high-rise in the Yukon (four log cabins stacked on top of each other); and many more attractions.

Do the loop
As you continue on your journey of adventure, we suggest you take the Klondike loop up to Dawson City with your first stop on the highway being the Braeburn Lodge for a special northern experience—the largest cinnamon bun we have ever seen; they say it will feed four adults, and they aren’t kidding. There are many other places and things to stop and see along this route such as: Five Finger Rapids, Moose Creek Lodge, Lake Laberge, Montague House and Big Jonathon House to name a few, all worth stopping to see in our opinion.

After continuing past the turnoff to the Dempster Highway (we'll cover this route in another article), you will arrive at Pierre Berton’s place of birth, Dawson City. This community is very unique in Canadian history as this is where the Klondike gold rush happened in the late 1890s when gold was discovered at Claim No. 1 (Discovery Claim on Rabbit Creek). While visiting Dawson City be sure to drop into Diamond Tooth Gertie's to watch the three evening shows (each one is different) and if the inclination hits, do a little gambling as well. Drive up to the top of the Dome and view the indescribable views of: Dawson City, the Tombstone Mountains, Dredge No. 4, the Yukon/Klondike Rivers, and the start of the Top of the World Highway. Buy a Pick Three or a Pick Five book so you don’t miss anything the federal parks service has to offer.

When you leave Dawson City, you will cross the Yukon River on a free ferry, the George Black, to connect with the Top of the World Highway.

The next installment of this adventure will take you from the Yukon River crossing to the community of Palmer, Alaska, which is situated in the Matanuska Valley; plus information on Chicken Alaska, Fairbanks, Denali Park and Palmer. In my articles we don’t recommend campgrounds, but if you send me an e-mail I can tell you where we stay with our caravans and why. Contact us at our e-mail address: rvsaftee@telus.net.