Length of stay: 2 days
Visited: September 2023
The Alaska Highway is considered one of the most scenic drives in Canada. It stretches nearly 2,400km from Dawson Creek, British Columbia to Delta Junction, Alaska. It was initially built in 1942 to provide land access to Alaska to the lower 48 states during the Second World War. Since then it’s been paved and enhanced, providing plenty of opportunities to hike, camp and enjoy the vast wilderness along the way.
Day 1: Teslin to Muncho Lake
Two weeks ago we flew into Edmonton and drove two-thirds of the Alaska Highway from Dawson Creek to Haines Junction. After exploring the vast wilderness in places like Kluane National Park and Reserve, Whitehorse and Dawson City, it was now time for us to leave the Yukon and make our way back to Edmonton. We got a bit of a head start the day before and drove along part of the Alaska Highway, stopping at Squanga Lake Campground for the night. It’s a relatively small campground (only 16 campsites) and there were only a handful of other campers around. After eating an early breakfast, we headed out. We had a long day of driving ahead of us.
We passed through here nearly a week and a half ago and we could already see a huge difference in the landscape in terms of the fall colours. It was also noticeably colder outside and the highway was less busy.
While we started the day with bright blue skies, as we neared Watson Lake, the sky grew thick with haze from a nearby wildfire. We stopped briefly at the Watson Lake Campground to eat a quick lunch before hitting the road again. As we were leaving town, we spotted a small herd of wood bison by the side of the road.
And if that wasn’t exciting enough, shortly after we passed an even larger herd of wood bison. Since there was no one else around, we could simply pull over on the highway and watch them do their thing.
In terms of other wildlife viewings, we also saw a couple of black bears along the drive.
We stopped at many of the main points of interest along the Alaska Highway while driving through here the first time. One of our favourite stops was at Liard River Hot Springs Provincial Park which is home to the second largest known thermal complex in Canada. After spending the past couple of weeks hiking, we couldn’t resist stopping here again to take a nice warm soak in the hot springs.
After paying the small entrance fee ($5 per person), we headed to the day-use parking lot. There’s a short trail along a boardwalk that leads through a swampy forest to the hot springs.
At the end of the boardwalk there’s a change room and access to the Alpha Pool, the main hot spring. The temperature of the water ranges from 42°C to 52°C, depending on which side of the pool you’re in (facing the pool, to the right is hotter and to the left is cooler). The bottom is lined with pea gravel and there is seating around the edge of the pool. After getting changed, we got right to it. Being in the warm water felt amazing after spending most of the day in the car.
After an hour we reluctantly got out and got changed. We walked back to the parking lot and decided to just make dinner at the sheltered picnic area since we were getting a bit hungry. By the time we left, it was just before 7pm. We still had just under an hour’s drive to reach Muncho Lake where we planned to spend the night. This time we had reserved a campsite in advance at the MacDonald Lake Campground. It’s a relatively small campground and all the campsites are located on the shoreline.
It was quite blustery outside. The temperature was supposed to drop to 2°C overnight (and feel like -2°C with the wind chill). So we decided to just sleep in the back of our car again.
Day 2: Muncho Lake to Dawson Creek
We got another early start to the day as we had over 8 hours of driving to reach the start of the Alaska Highway in Dawson Creek. We left the campground shortly after 8am. The morning really is one of the best times to spot some wildlife. We saw a baby caribou and three thinhorn sheep within the first hour of being on the road.
The drive between Muncho Lake and Stone Mountain Provincial Park is one of our favourite stretches along the Alaska Highway. Not only are there fantastic opportunities to view the wildlife, but the scenery of the mountains is spectacular.
We stopped at Stone Mountain Provincial Park to make a cup of tea and to admire the views. When we were first passing through at the end of August, the entire campground was full. This morning it was mostly empty.
After leaving Stone Mountain, the mountains began to fade away and make way to denser forests and rolling hills.
The rest of the drive was rather uneventful between Fort Nelson and Dawson Creek. That is until a large truck sped past us and flung up a large rock which hit our windshield, creating a golf-ball sized crack.
We arrived in Dawson Creek in the early evening and planned to spend the night in a hotel. But this wasn’t the end of our trip. We went on one last grocery run as we planned to spend the next few days in Jasper National Park before flying home.
L
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Thanks for reading. The Alaska Highway is one of the most scenic drives we’ve ever taken. It was also a great way to view the wildlife.
Amazing to see the wildlife (we just see kangaroos)….
We saw an insane amount of wildlife along the Alaska Highway, which provided some entertainment and excitement to our very long drive. I’ve never seen a kangaroo in the wild before. All the more reason for us to make our way to Australia someday. Thanks for reading and leaving a comment. Linda
No worries. Enjoy your travels and yes, come out to Australia and see plenty of kangaroos everywhere!
Thanks! We’re actually contemplating whether to visit New Zealand and Australia later next year. I’ll be on maternity leave and my husband gets an extra 5 weeks of vacation, so we figure we might as well make the most of it and travel somewhere further from home. And hey, we might as well get an early start to introducing our love of travelling with our little one.
Wonderful! Both countries are spectacular to travel around and very different.
Wow what a beautiful drive, seeing those wood bison and the black bears is truly special and the open landscapes all around are just gorgeous. That golf ball size windscreen crack isn’t any fun though, I hope you got it repaired easily.
We had a long two days of driving to return to the start of the Alaska Highway in Dawson Creek, but at least it was scenic. And seeing all the wildlife provided some much needed entertainment. The crack in the windshield scared the crap out of us as it was completely unexpected. We drove down some sketchy gravel roads in the Yukon with no issues, but go figure when we’re back on a paved highway near civilization, that’s when we encounter issues. Thankfully the rental company didn’t charge us too much to get it fixed. And I’m glad we didn’t have to deal with the repairs either, otherwise I’m not sure we would have made it to our next stop in Jasper.
that was a beautiful wander for me this morning. thank YOU.
The scenery along the Alaska Highway is spectacular. We really lucked out with the weather and mostly enjoyed blue skies and sunshine during our road trip. It was also nice to go in the early fall to see some of the landscape start to change colour. Thanks for stopping by and leaving a comment. Linda
Amazing pics. Glad y’all weren’t hurt from that windshield incident. Hope it’s fixed now.
Thanks for your kind words. The rock hitting the windshield happened so quickly and definitely gave us both a good scare. We were in a rental vehicle and ended up having to pay extra to get it fixed, but it wasn’t nearly as expensive as we thought it would be. And we didn’t have to deal with any of the repairs ourselves, which otherwise would have cut into our trip.
Good news all around. Could have been worse. Thankful 😊🙏🏽😊
No kidding! And hey, it just adds to the adventure, or at least the story!
That is for sure!!!
Wow! The scenery up there is so beautiful! Muncho Lake sounds delicious. I’m sorry about the windshield, those darn trucks have cracked my windshields too many times over the years.
It was a long two days of driving, but at least it was scenic. It was also nice to see the landscape transition into fall. The amount of trucks on the roads these days is out of control. It’s kind of funny how we drove down some sketchy gravel roads in the Yukon and had issues, but go figure something happens on a paved highway.
You got away from the many truckers on those dirt roads. I’ve had bad experiences with those trucks over the years. I’m sure the scenery was amazing! It’s not cool to see a mouthful of chewing tobacco spit out from a truckers mouth and go splat on your windshield. ☹️😵💫😡😡
That’s so gross! It’s also annoying when you’re driving down a two lane highway and there are two truckers in either lane driving at the same speed. They slow down traffic and are responsible for the majority of road damage. It’s about time we get rid of them and use more trains.
Trains can’t do it all but it would reduce road damage. Agreed! That really pissed me off.
It must have felt for a moment like that Rick was going to come through! We have experienced the same thing in the north: trucks moving at speeds they shouldn’t be and kicking up rocks.
The scenery is so similar to NWT (not surprising, really). Glad that you saw lots of animals. Looking forward to your next post from Jasper.
The impact of the rock hitting the windshield was pretty loud and definitely gave us a good scare. And go figure it happens on a paved highway in an area where we were least expecting it. Stupid truckers. Besides that, the drive itself was lovely. We had such a wonderful time in the Yukon and would definitely consider visiting the NWT sometime. It’s a great way to enjoy nature without any of the crowds.
I was a bit concerned about the air quality in Jasper given all the wildfires, but we lucked out and had beautiful weather and clear skies. It was a great way to end our road trip.
Oh wow! I am so sorry about the rock. That must’ve been terrifying but I am glad that you two are ok! Yikes.
The drive otherwise looked amazing. Love seeing all the wildlife and scenic views, must’ve been breathtaking. The water looks so beautiful. And to get to enjoy a hot spring on top of it – is awesome.
We drove down some pretty shifty gravel roads in the Yukon, but go figure we run into issues on a paved highway just outside of town. Stupid truckers. They seem to be a pain no matter where you go! Besides that, the drive itself was nice, but very long. We didn’t make nearly as many stops on the way back as we were trying to cover as much distance as we could, but I’m glad we found the time to visit those hot springs again.
What a beautiful drive.
The drive along the Alaska Highway is one of the most scenic road trip we’ve ever taken. It’s a great way to spot some wildlife. There’s also a bunch of viewpoints and trails to break up the drive. We stopped at many of these on the way towards Alaska, but wanted to book it on the drive back towards Edmonton so we could spend more time in Jasper.
Great pics. I envy you!
Thanks for your kind words. It was an incredible road trip and a great way to enjoy the wilderness and wildlife up north.
I’ll always be in awe of Canadian nature. That really is beautiful.
Hopefully you fixed your window and got home safely.
Travelling so far up north really gives you a sense of just how vast the wilderness is in Canada. We saw an insane amount of wildlife during our road trip and couldn’t get over how gorgeous the scenery was, especially when we entered the mountains. The crack in the windshield wasn’t ideal, but thankfully it happened towards the end of our trip. Since it was a rental we had to pay for the damage, but didn’t have to deal with the hassle of getting it repaired.
I believe you🙂 Canadian nature is absolutely amazing and very rich.
Unfortunately accidents happened but main thing that you came back home safely. 🙋
For sure. It could have been a lot worse! And I’m glad it didn’t impact our itinerary.
I love all the animal sightings, that’s so cool! I love the blue color of the water, so pretty. That is a crazy windshield crack!!
We had a long day of driving, but thankfully all the wildlife viewings provided some great entertainment along the way. The rock hitting the windshield happened so quickly, but thankfully we weren’t hurt and our rental car was still drivable. I wouldn’t have been impressed if we had to change our plans to deal with getting it repaired or having to trade cars, especially since we were in the middle of nowhere and still far from a big city.
What a beautiful drive and it’s always a thrill to see animals in their native habitats. I’m looking forward to reading more about your northern adventures.
The Alaska Highway is one of the most scenic drives we’ve ever taken. We only made it about two-thirds of the way and would love to return someday to complete the rest of it. It was a great way to get a sense of just how vast the wilderness is up north and to see some wildlife.
Great to see bison and black bears next to the road (all from the safety of a car of course). And a hot pool along the way to relax in – well, that means you don’t have to shower later, right 😁. The scenery is spectacular … it must be an absolute pleasure to drive here (well, that is except for the crack in your car’s windshield – it also appears to be on the driver’s side 👀). It must have been scary, but at least you’re ok.
Seeing wildlife from the car is my ideal wildlife encounter, especially when it comes to such large animals like bears and bison. It provided some much needed entertainment during our long days of driving. Taking a soak in the hot springs was also a great way to unwind from sitting in the car for so long. The rock hitting our windshield came as a complete surprise and was definitely scary. Thankfully the highway wasn’t too busy when it happened and the car was still drivable afterwards.
This is nothing short of spectacular, Linda! Winding through some of North America’s most extreme environments, Alaska Highway certainly is a bucket list road trip with jaw-dropping scenery. It may not be a trip for everyone, but it is a trip for anyone with a sense of adventure and an eye for grand vistas and wild places. Thanks for sharing, and have a good day 🙂 Aiva xx
For sure. The Alaska Highway is quite long and there are some pretty remote sections. It’s certainly not for everyone, which is part of its appeal. It’s a great way to enjoy the wilderness and wildlife without the crowds. Thanks for reading and have a wonderful weekend. Linda
What an awesome drive Linda. Such a pretty, wild tableau and so much wildlife. Those darn road rocks. No matter what you do on these Northern roads, the rocks hit windshields. So jealous of your drive. Glad you squeezed it in. Have a great day Linda. Allan
It was a long drive, but at least it was scenic and there were plenty of places for us to stop and stretch our legs. It was also a great way to view the wildlife, which provided some entertainment to the drive. It was kind of ironic how we didn’t have any issues with rocks hitting our windshield when we were driving along the Dempster Highway or other sketchy gravel roads in the Yukon, but instead had it happen along a paved highway that was relatively busy and close to town. I’m glad it happened towards the end of our trip and that our rental car was still drivable. Enjoy the rest of your weekend. Linda
Impressive photos that you show in your post. Great landscapes and, for me, animals that I only know from films and zoos. From a photography perspective, your first photo is an absolute highlight.
Thank you for sharing these photos with us here.
Thanks for your kind words. We covered a lot of distance in two days. It was neat to see how much the landscape changed from being in the mountains to passing through rolling hills as we neared the start of the Alaska Highway. Spotting some wildlife along the drive was a bonus. Thanks for reading and leaving a comment. Linda
Hi Linda, I was happy to leave a comment. I found your post very exciting and the photos fascinated me
I’m so sorry about your windshield, but what an amazing trek! The mountains, fall grasses and shrubs, and water features are all just stunning. Can’t wait to do this trip one day!
It happened so quickly, which in some ways was better. Thankfully our car was still drivable and that it happened towards the end of our trip. We had to pay more for the damage when we returned our rental car, but at least we didn’t have to cut time out of our trip to deal with any repairs or swapping vehicles. Besides that, the drive itself was rather pleasant. It was tough to leave the mountains behind, but it was only momentarily.
Nice photos
Thanks for your lovely comment. It’s impossible to take a bad picture when the landscape is so stunning.
Fabulous scenery, but I think I will enjoy it from your post and not drive it. Love the lake and river colours – so stunning. You saw a lot of wildlife, safely. Always the best way.
I don’t blame you. It’s a long drive. And we had to make it twice. But at least it was scenic and we saw some wildlife. It was nice to head to Jasper afterwards to see the mountains and get in a bit more hiking before heading home.
What a lovely road trip you had! Not only the scenery, but the wildlife as well, it is so nice to see the wildlife in their own habitat. Sorry for the crack in your car’s windshield, hope you had insurance, and all was ok!
Travelling along the Alaska Highway is one of the most scenic road trips we’ve ever taken. It really gives you a sense of just how vast the wilderness is up north. The crack in the windshield was not ideal, but it could have been worse. We ended up having to pay for the damage, but it wasn’t as expensive as we thought it would be. And I’m glad it was still drivable and that we didn’t have to change vehicles, otherwise we might not have been able to squeeze in a visit to Jasper before heading home.
You truly live a life of adventure! Panoramic landscapes and wildlife encounter are such wonderful experiences.
For sure. There’s something nice to be said about spending time in nature (and taking a vacation of course). We covered a lot of distance and overall it was such an incredible road trip. Thanks for following along on our adventures. Linda
We did that drive I September and saw a cow moose and her calf, a grizzly, some mountain sheep and more. We also drove slower.
Did you get to Dawson City?
Sounds like you had some great wildlife viewings along the Alaska Highway too. I’m super jealous that you saw a moose!! We drove much slower on the way towards Haines Junction the first time and stopped at many of the viewpoints and trails along the way. On the way back we tried to cover as much distance as we could so we could squeeze in a visit to Jasper before returning to Edmonton.
We did get to Dawson City and drove a small part of the Dempster Highway to Tombstone Territorial Park. This was the highlight of our road trip through the Yukon and we could have easily spent more time there. It was a great way to learn more about the history of the Klondike Gold Rush and admire the scenery. This will be a hard road trip to top!
Based on your photos, I think between Muncho Lake and Stone Mountain Provincial Park would be my favorite part too. Also, holy crap, that’s an enormous windshield crack. That must have scared the crap out of you when it hit!
The stretch between Muncho Lake and Stone Mountain is awesome. We had some of our best wildlife viewings there. And you’re surrounded by the mountains on both sides. What’s not to enjoy!? The rock hitting our windshield happened so quickly and was quite the scare. We had to pay for the damage on the rental vehicle, but I’m glad it was still drivable as I’m not sure where we could have gone to get a replacement.
Thank you for sharing a little of our neck of the Woods lol
31 yrs and counting at Beaver Creek Yukon. Cheers Eh .
Taking a road trip through the Yukon was a wonderful way to enjoy the wilderness, scenery and wildlife up north. The slogan “larger than life” seems very fitting! We didn’t have enough time to drive the entire Alaska Highway and only made it as far as Kluane National Park and Preserve, so we didn’t pass through Beaver Creek. Someday we’ll be back to complete it though! You live in such a beautiful part of Canada that is relatively untouched by human development.
So fascinating story about your travels dear friend 🌹🙏👍🏻 the beautiful and wide roads , your wonderful photography and inspiring the wildlife animals , beauty of gorgeous nature , and dear you sharing with us the beautiful post 👏🥰
Graceful wishes and God Bless 😊💐
Thanks for your kind words and for leaving a comment. The Alaska Highway is such an incredibly scenic drive and a great way to admire and appreciate nature. Hope you had a wonderful weekend. Linda
Good job windscreens don’t shatter like they used to, huh – you would have been in even bigger trouble! Beautiful scenery again though, really stunning, and interesting to read how quickly the colours of the autumn have arrived. (Translation from Brit to American….windscreens = windshields and autumn = fall, but I thought I’d stick to my own tongue 😂😂😂😂)
No kidding!! And thankfully the rock didn’t actually go through the windshield either! It could have been a lot worse! I’m glad our rental vehicle was still drivable as I’m not sure how we could have even gotten a replacement. Despite the crack in the windshield, the drive itself was rather pleasant. It was also nice to get an early glimpse of the fall/autumn colours.
It’s kind of funny how us Canadians, Americans and Brits all speak English, but yet use different terms (or spellings of the same terms) sometimes.
What a beautiful place with amazing wildlife.
Oh I know. There was no shortage of things to take pictures of!
What’s so great about a road trip is you can pull over almost anytime you see a great vista. That riverbend with mountains in the background under blue skies with some clouds really is worth stopping. I’m sorry about the damage on your car’s windshield, though. I hope no one got injured.
For sure. It was also nice that the Alaska Highway wasn’t very busy so we could easily pull over by the side of the road and take some pictures or watch the wildlife. The rock hitting our windshield took us by surprise. It was quite the scare, but thankfully we weren’t hurt and our rental car was still very much drivable. We had to pay extra for the damage, but at least we didn’t have to take time away from our trip to deal with the repairs.
I would so love to drive that road someday! Looks absolutely incredible!
The Alaska Highway is one of the most scenic road trips we’ve ever taken. We weren’t able to complete the entire stretch, but someday we’ll be back to explore the Alaska part of the highway. It’s incredible how vast the wilderness is up north. Hopefully you’re able to explore it yourself someday. It’s a lot of driving, but it’s so worth it.
It would be something to motivate me to get back in the driver’s seat!
I lived near the previous army camp / road maintenance camp which is now the campground at Summit Lake (Stone Mountain Park). I also attended the one-room school at the camp. There was a CN Telecommunications camp across the highway from the old army camp / maintenance camp.
I lived down the road about a quarter mile at the Summit Esso Services. Best years ever!!!
I found the stretch between Stone Mountain and Muncho Lake to be especially scenic. We also saw an incredible amount of wildlife when we drove through here both times on the way to and from Whitehorse. I wouldn’t mind waking up to those views of the mountains every day! It must have been pretty incredible to live in this area for a bit, even if it’s quite remote.
What a great drive with stunning views and a lot of animal encounters! Love the picture of the black bear! I’m sorry about your windshield though- that’s a miserable way to end a great trip.
We had a long two days of driving, but at least we had a few amazing wildlife viewings of the bison and bears to keep us entertained. The rock hitting our windshield was pretty scary. I’m glad it happened towards the end of our trip though. We had to pay for the damage when we returned our rental vehicle, but it wasn’t as bad as we though it would be. I’m glad we also didn’t have to deal with the hassle of having to switch cars or getting it repaired. So it could have been worse.
As a city resident, seeing wildlife in real life is so exciting. Watching them for a moment makes one feel more familiar with them; they are not just still images, but beings that move. And when you make eye contact, you feel like you’re entering their world.
For sure. And it was nice to see a variety of such different wildlife compared to what we have back home in southern Ontario. It was nice to just pull over on the side of the highway and watch from the comfort and safety of our vehicle.
Awesome photos. Would love to see this one day.
Thanks for your kind words and for leaving a comment. The scenery along the Alaska Highway is stunning. It’s a long drive, but a great way to admire the landscape and spot some wildlife.
Beautiful views and a baby caribou too! I hope your insurance covered the cracked windshield.
It’s a long drive, but at least it’s far from boring. It was also a great way to see some more wildlife. The baby caribou was adorable. It was also pretty amazing to see the herds of wood bison. We weren’t too happy about the rock hitting our windshield though, but at least it happened towards the end of our trip and our rental car was still drivable. We had to pay for the damage, but it wasn’t nearly as expensive as we thought it would be.
Wow, what a drive! I can see why the Alaska Highway’s considered one of the most scenic drives in Canada, it’s spectacular – some of those mountain vistas are so stunning, they almost don’t look real – and I can’t get over how quiet the road looks. The wildlife you saw along the way’s just incredible, I love that you were able to pull over and watch the bison. That rock did a number on your windshield, hope you were both okay and weren’t too shaken up. I’d have been terrified if that hit my car while I was driving.
Such a beautiful ride in the middle of the wilderness. Thanks for sharing the itinerary and your beautiful pictures!
It sounds like one amazing trip. I’d love to make it up there someday to see all the wildlife.