The Land of Magic & Mystery was the motto adopted by the Yukon Tourism department many years ago, and it very aptly describes not only the Yukon, but The North as a whole. This land is steeped in legends whose origins are hidden in the mists of the distant past, and also by legends, stories and just plain misinformation of much more recent dates.

    Today I'd like to give you the "straight goods" on some questions that I heard on a fairly regular basis during the many years I drove tour bus. Some of these questions will seem absurd, but they were asked by people with concerned looks on their faces, not smirks of amusement, so I accept them as serious.

Political divisions - Alaska is a state of the United States, with its capital at Juneau, in the Southeast, or "Panhandle" area. Despite the strong feeling of many Alaskans that they form a unique part of the country, in political terms Alaska has the same powers and responsibilities as Oregon or Florida. The Yukon Territory, the Northwest Territories (NWT) and Nunavut belong to Canada, but are not provinces. The primary difference between a province and a territory is in the greatly-reduced amount of power given to the territorial governments (that is changing, though). The capital of the Yukon is Whitehorse, for the NWT it's Yellowknife, and the capital of Nunavut is Iqaluit.

Currency - Alaska uses the U.S. dollar, and the Canadian dollar is the official currency in the 3 Territories. Currently (February 2007), $1 US will buy you about $1.16 Canadian, a difference that is worth calculating into your travel plans. There are several Web sites to keep you up-to-date on exchange rates - I find The Universal Currency Converter to be particularly convenient. When you travel between Canada and Alaska, keep in mind that while all businesses in the Yukon accept US dollars at close to bank rates, that is not universally true in the NWT, and in Alaska, it is generally very difficult to use Canadian dollars.

Postage - US stamps only in Alaska, Canadian stamps only in the Yukon!

What does Outside refer to? - any place outside Alaska, the Yukon, Northwest Territories or Nunavut. I won't get into the argument about whether or not Juneau is "Outside"!

Wildlife - the most common complaint I've heard from visitors to the North is that they came expecting to see moose and bears around every bend in the road, and it didn't happen. I have to warn you that you could conceivably spend 2 weeks here and not see an animal larger than a squirrel. The reason is simply that the animals are far too smart - there is a whole lot of empty country out there - why would they hang around people? Having said that, your chances of seeing wildlife are better in Alaska than in the Yukon or NWT, and if you take one of the busses into the heart of Denali Park, you are virtually guaranteed to see large animals - on good days, lots of large animals (caribou, Dall sheep, grizzly, moose and wolves, generally in that order of prevalence).

Is there a best time to come? - generally, no. The "best time" will depend on your very specific wishes, in terms of what you want to see, whether or not crowds bother you, your tolerance for adverse weather, and so on. My personal preference is for May and September, but that may very well not be appropriate for your holiday. I'll tell you more about May and September later...

What are the roads like? - Generally, the highways are very good. But, the climate in the Interior in particular (anywhere away from the temperature-moderating influence of the ocean) is very hard on roads, and there is always a lot of re-construction being carried on throughout the short season that roadwork is possible. It isn't possible to describe each highway in a series like this, but you can get current information on all Northern roads from our Road Reports page. As you travel, you can call:

Alaska - 907-456-7623 (Interior only). A state-wide toll-free number is to be set up for the summer, but isn't active yet.
Yukon - (867) 667-8215 (includes the Dempster Highway and Highway 37)

There are still many gravel highways in the North - these highways, while they may pose some problems, particularly for large vehicles, offer access to some of the most spectacular areas, and allow for some great circle tours instead of driving the same road twice. In particular, the Dalton Highway to Alaska's North Slope; the Dempster Highway to Inuvik, NWT; the Top of the World Highway from Dawson City to Tok; the Denali Highway from Paxson to Cantwell; and the McCarthy Road to Kennicott are all high on my "Favourites" list.

When can we see the Northern Lights? - The simple answer is "when it gets dark." The truthful answer, however, is that even after it starts getting dark at night again (in September, generally speaking), the Aurora Borealis is only occasionally seen. But when you do see them, it's a sight to never be forgotten. There is a rumour that seems to be going the rounds that the Northern Lights are actually turned on and off by rockets (I got into a 'discussion' with a woman who swore that she saw that on PBS!) There is a great Web site at http://www.pfrr.alaska.edu/ that will give you the truth about the Northern Lights, the rockets that are launched from Poker Flats (north of Fairbanks), and even a calendar to give you an idea of when the best viewing will be.

Is the fabulous fishing everywhere? - No. If you go where everyone else goes, your results may be somewhat less than exciting. However, there are hundreds of lakes and rivers that will astound you, and the ocean has many 'hot' periods that vary by location. Please have a look at our fishing page for access to a broad range of regional and specific information, as well as links to guides and charter operators. As well, there are several books available on fishing in Alaska, including:

The Alaska Outdoors Directory of Hunting and Fishing;

Fishing Alaska;

Fishing Alaska on Dollars a Day by Chris Batin; and

Fly-Fishing Alaska's Wild Rivers by Dan Heiner.

Comments, suggestions or questions about any subject related to the North are always welcome.