(July 22 – August 3, 2018) Starting Back to the Lower 48

As we said farewell to Valdez, we began our long trip back to the lower 48 states. We have many fond memories of our stay in Alaska, as well as from the journey to get there. We had another glorious sunny day to begin our trip and to enjoy the mountain splendor, glaciers and waterfalls along the Richardson Highway.

Travel Itinerary 2018 – Alaska Part IV

At Glennallen, we turned on the Glenn Highway to Tok. The drive was quite scenic with views of river, forest and distant grand mountains.

This section of highway was rough from frost heave damage. Repairs were completed in many places, but several sections of road were still under construction. 

At Tok we turned on the Alaska Highway and then stopped for two nights at Tok RV Village, our second stay of the season. After a summer spent along the coolness of the coast, we were not ready for the 90° F temperatures in Tok. It really felt hot! Fire hazard ratings for the area were extreme, burn bans were in place, and the smell of smoke was in the air – a foreshadowing of conditions to come along our route.

Back on the Alaska Highway

From Tok we traveled the ALCAN Highway towards Watson Lake, Yukon Territory. About 90 miles down the road we crossed into Canada. The line of vehicles at the border was short and the crossing went smoothly. 

Road conditions were good to fair along the Alaska Highway, with the roughest section between Tok and Haines Junction. Again, the roughness was largely due to frost heave and other winter road damage. Many areas had been temporarily patched and other sections were under construction. There were long gravel sections of resurfacing road work where we worried about our windshields, especially when meeting other vehicles driving far faster than posted limits and kicking up rocks.

We moved along fairly quickly, for us, with shorter stays at each stop. While in the Yukon, we stopped for two nights at, Cottonwood RV Park, Destruction Bay; two nights at Hi Country RV Park, Whitehorse; two nights at Yukon Motel RV Park, Teslin; and one night at Baby Nugget RV Park, Nugget City (Watson Lake).

The Cottonwood RV park was especially memorable. This wilderness campground is right on the shores of Kluane Lake with the dramatic St. Elias Mountains as a backdrop. We enjoyed taking our kayaks on the lake for a paddle. Jasmine and Pepper enjoyed a swim to chase after balls in the crystal clear waters.

As we approached the Watson Lake area, we increasingly saw plumes of smoke in the distance and drove through areas with heavy smoke and haze. Smoke was heavy at Nugget City and the smell of burning forests was strong. The Yukon was having a bad fire season, but not as bad as British Columbia.

Driving the Cassiar and Glacier Highways

From Nugget City, we had planned to take a different route than what we took in the spring. Rather than follow the ALCAN Highway, we turned south on the Cassiar Highway, BC-37, and crossed into British Columbia. This was another spectacularly scenic highway, passing through wild and remote mountainous country. This two-lane road was mostly in good repair, but often quite narrow and with no shoulders. There were several sections of road work and bridge construction. Along the way we saw several small lightning-strike fires burning on the mountain slopes.

At one point we passed a caravan of RVs heading north on the Cassiar. There were about 24 rigs in the caravan, plus a support vehicle or two. The rigs were following closely together, with more vehicles stuck behind them. The scary thing was facing several impatient drivers trying to pass all the rigs on the narrow curvy highway!

Passing through the Iskut Valley, the “Resort Capital of Northwest BC”, we stopped for three nights at the Mountain Shadow RV Park, just a few miles outside of Iskut, BC. Mountain Shadow was another memorable campground, set in a lovely valley with spectacular views of meadow, forested hills and rugged mountains. The park was immaculately maintained, peaceful, and relaxing. We enjoyed hiking from the campground to Kluachon Lake, as well as to the park’s sea plane base in a sheltered cove off the lake.

At the Meziadlin Junction, we turned on highway BC-37a, the Glacier Highway, towards Stewart, BC. This route took us by Meziadlin Lake and through a narrow ice-carved valley with spectacular glacier-dotted mountains along the way. Waterfalls cascaded off the rocky slopes, a river foaming with rapids paralleled the road, and glaciers pushed down side valleys.

Photos

Visiting Stewart, BC / Hyder, AK

We arrived in Stewart, BC, and checked into the Bear River RV Park for a seven-night stay. Stewart is just a few miles from the Alaska border and the town of Hyder, Alaska. Hyder was our last visit to Alaska for this trip. I will write about our experiences in Stewart and Hyder in separate blog post.

That’s all for now. Safe travels and enjoy the journey!