Northern Highways - Alaska, the Yukon & northern British Columbia
Click on each photo to greatly enlarge it
Haines Highway Links
Mile 3.5 / Km 5.6: Haines Airport (HNS) sits an an elevation of 15 feet, with a single paved runway 4,000 feet long (FAA airport diagram).
Mile 4.2/ Km 6.8: Parking along the Chilkat River. The Takhinsha Mountains, part of the Chilkat Range, form a spectacular backdrop - Mt. Emmerich, the most prominent of the peaks, is 6,405 feet high (1,952 m).
Mile 6 / Km 9.7: Parking and picnic area along the Chilkat River.
Mile 6.8 / Km 10.9: Mt. Ripinski trailhead. This is an all-day hike with great views being the reward.
|
Mile 9.3 / Km 15.0: heading north you now enter the Alaska Chilkat Bald Eagle Preserve,
consisting of 48,000 acres of valley-bottom along the Chilkat, Kleheni, and Tsirku Rivers. From early October until late February there are large concentrations of bald
eagles here, but not in the summer. The section of the Haines Highway between Miles 18 and 24 are the main viewing area for eagle watchers and are considered critical habitat
in the preserve.
|
Mile 19 / Km 30.6: Large parking area beside the Chilkat River, with outhouses and interpretive panels about bald eagles.
Mile 20.4 / Km 32.8: Parking area with interpretive panels.
Mile 21.5 / Km 34.6: Klukwan, a Tlingit Indian village, is accessed by the road to the left. Cultural tours of the village can be booked.
Mile 23.8 / Km 38.3: Chilkat River bridge. The highway now follows the Klehini River. This is a good area to see moose.
Mile 27.2 / Km 43.8: Mosquito Lake State Recreation Site is reached via the 2.7-mile road to the left. There are 5 campsites in the spruce/hemlock forest next to the
lake, with a boat launch, dock and picnic shelter.
Mile 28.8 / Km 46.3: Muncaster Creek bridge.
Mile 30.9 / Km 49.7: heading north you now leave the Bald Eagle Preserve
Mile 31.6 / Km 50.9: Little Boulder Creek bridge.
Mile 33.1 / Km 53.3: 33 Mile Roadhouse - RV park, convenience store, gas.
Mile 33.8 / Km 54.4: Big Boulder Creek bridge.
Mile 36.3 / Km 58.4: View of Saksaia Glacier to the west.
|
Mile 40.5 / Km 65.2: U.S. Customs, Dalton Cache Station. No need to stop northbound, the direction seen in this photo. For southbound traffic the post is open from
7:00 am until 11:00 pm Alaska time.
In this photo, my motorcoach was parked while my German tour group filled out their US entry paperwork.
|
Mile 40.8 / Km 65.7: Canada Customs, Pleasant Camp. All travelers entering Canada must stop - the post is open from 8:00 am until midnight Yukon time.
Northbound, you now enter the Yukon time zone, which is one hour later than Alaska.
The highway from here north is marked by kilometre posts, which we will now use as the primary measurement.
|
This photo shows the highway northbound at about Km 68.
Km 72.7 / Mile 45.2: Granite Creek bridge.
Km 75.3 / Mile 46.8: Fivemile Creek bridge.
|
Km 83.7 / Mile 52.0: Seltat Creek bridge, with a parking area to stop and enjoy the first views of the dramatic mountains known as The Three Guardsmen
(6,300 feet high). There is a hiking trail starting here that leads to the abandoned Copper Butte mine - see the
BC Parks site for a trail description.
Km 89.5 / Mile 55.6: Three Guardsmen Lake. The Chilkat Pass area that you are now in is very popular with birdwatchers, as over 82 species of birds have been
recorded here, including gyrfalcons, snow buntings, 3 species of ptarmigan, red-throated loons, wandering tattlers and Smith's longspur.
Km 92.7 / Mile 57.6: Stonehouse Creek culvert.
|
Km 93.2 / Mile 57.9: Clear Creek culvert.
This photo shows The Three Guardsmen, looking south from the side of the highway at about Km 98 on April 16, 2006 at 7:05 pm.
|
|
Km 99.1 / Mile 61.6: Haines Summit. At 3,493 feet (1,070 meters), it is the highest point on the highway. This photo shows the view to the west on July 16, 2009.
|
|
To say that the Haines Summit is popular with snowmobilers is an understatement, as you can see in this photo shot on April 17, 2006 when hundreds of people were camped along the highway for the weekend.
|
|
Km 107 / Mile 66.4: Chuck Creek. This photo was taken while driving north near Chuck Creek on April 16, 2006.
From Chuck Creek a hiking trail leads to the Samuel Glacier - see the
BC Parks site for a trail description.
|
Km 106.4 / Mile 66.1: Nadahini River culvert.
Km 114.9 / Mile 71.4: Mule Creek airstrip, elevation 2,900 feet (884 m). Through the 1960s, Canada had an extensive resource access program that built roads and airfields in extremely remote
areas in the hope that they would spur resource development. The airfields, which were all built to allow aircraft right up to DC3s to use them, are now maintained by the highways departments - this airstrip is one of those.
The gravel runway is 4,000 feet long (1,219 m).
Km 116.3 / Mile 70.6: Mule Creek, Historic Mile 75 of the Haines Road.
Km 121.2 / Mile 75.3: Goat Creek.
Km 124.4 / Mile 77.3: Holum Creek.
Km 127.8 / Mile 79.4: Twin Lakes.
Km 131.2 / Mile 81.5: Viewpoint on the left with interpretive signs about
Tatshenshini-Alsek Wilderness Provincial Park.
Km 131.5 / Mile 81.7: Mansfield Creek.
Km 133.6 / Mile 83.0: Stanley Creek. Two scenic hiking trails start here - the Parton River trail leading to Shinny Lakes and the O’Conner Trail leads to an old mining airstrip. See the
BC Parks site for a trail description.
Km 141.9 / Mile 88.2: Blanchard River bridge - this is the put-in point for whitewater rafters running the Blanchard.
Km 142.1 / Mile 88.4: Blanchard River highway maintenance camp.
Km 142.8 / Mile 88.7: Welcome to Kluane Country and Welcome the the Yukon signs.
Km 143.1 / Mile 88.9: Entering Kluane Game Sanctuary.
Km 143.2 / Mile 89.0: BC/Yukon border, and a highway maintenance camp that was originally the Blanchard River pumping station on the US Army's pipeline from Haines to Fairbanks.
|
Km 158.7 / Mile 98.6: Million Dollar Falls campground is accessed by the 1 km (0.6 mile) side road to the left. Operated by the Yukon government, it has
33 camp sites, picnic tables, outhouses, cooking shelters, water, hiking trails and a network of boardwalks, stairs and observation decks for viewing the falls. The photo was taken on July 16, 2009.
Km 159.0 / Mile 98.8: Takahanne River bridge and Million Dollar Falls trailhead, with a large parking area.
|
|
Km 160 / Mile 99.4: Large paved parking area with a viewing platform and outhouses.
This photo showing the Kluane Range mountains was shot northbound at Km 166 on June 23, 2005.
|
|
Km 161.9 / Mile 100.6: The narrow, winding and sometimes very steep gravel road to the west goes to the abandoned village of Dalton Post. It isn't recommended for
large vehicles, which is one of the things I used to enjoy when I took my charter bus down with rafters launching on the Tatshenshini River - the looks on the faces of both
my passengers and the people in the vehicles I met were often pretty funny. This photo was shot on the way back to the Haines Road on June 23, 2005 at 2:20 pm.
|
Km 167.5 / Mile 104.1: Motheral Creek.
Km 169.1 / Mile 105.1: Parking - watch for moose, Trumpeter swans and other waterfowl in the Klukshu wetlands below.
Km 170.9 / Mile 106.2: Vand Creek.
Km 178.5 / Mile 110.9: Klukshu Creek, parking. Grizzlies are sometimes seen in this area during salmon runs.
|
Km 181.2 / Mile 112.6: Klukshu, a seasonal Native fish camp.
|
Km 183.3 / Mile 113.9: Gribbles Gulch.
Km 185.1 / Mile 115.0: St. Elias Lake Trailhead. This easy trail wanders through open forest and alpine meadows to the lake and a campsite - 5 miles (8km) round trip.
Kluane National Park borders the highway to the west from here to Haines Junction.
Km 191.2 / Mile 118.8: Mush Lake Road is to the right of the
abandoned Dezadeash Lodge, which is said to be haunted by a ghost. The popular lake is 14 miles down the rough gravel road - 4x4 vehicles recommended.
|
Km 193.9/mile 120.5: Parking area on Dezadeash Lake, 15 miles long. This photo shows the lake from the Rock Glacier Trail.
|
Km 195.8 / Mile 120.7: Dezadeash Lake Yukon government campground has 20 camp sites, outhouses and a boat launch. No drinking water. The rather shallow lake offers
good fishing for Northern pike, Lake trout and Arctic grayling.
|
Km 200.7 / Mile 124.7: Parking for the Rock Glacier Trail. The trail has several interpretive signs along its length (0.8 km one way), and is a fairly easy hike with
a 300-foot elevation gain.
The trail begins as a raised boardwalk through a marshy area, then enters a spruce/poplar forest. It then climbs onto the toe of the rock glacier, from where you get
an expansive view of Dezadeash Lake. The trail as far as the top observation area is graded rock that provides good footing. It is possible to continue up the rock glacier but the hiking is more
difficult due to both the grade and the loose rock.
|
|
Km 218.4 / Mile 135.7: Kathleen Lake Campground is 1 km down the road to the left.
It has 39 camp sites, outhouses, picnic tables, hiking trails and a boat launch. You can fish for Lake trout, Arctic grayling, Kokanee and whitefish (a special National Parks
fishing licence is required). This photo was shot on June 23, 2005 at 12:45 pm.
|
|
Driving north at Km 220.1 on June 23, 2005 at 2:55 pm. Kathleen Lake Lodge can be seen on the right, and the Kathleen River bridge ahead. The Kathleen River has fishing for
rainbow trout (catch and release only), Lake trout, Arctic grayling and Whitefish.
|
Km 224.8 / Mile 139.7: Large paved parking with a view of Kathleen Lake and plaque honouring the UNESCO World Heritage Site status of Kluane National Park.
|
Km 233.3 / Mile 144.9: Quill Creek. This photo looking up the creek was taken on August 26, 2006 at 11:10 am.
|
Km 237.9 / Mile 147.8: Auriol Trail parking.
Km 240.6 / Mile 149.5: Large gravel parking area with outhouses and a view of Haines Junction and the Shakwak valley.
|
This photo shows the view north from about Km 243 on June 23, 2005 at 3:10 pm. The village of Haines Junction can be seen in the distance.
Km 245/mile 152.2: Dezadeash River bridges and hiking trails.
|
Km 246 / Mile 152.8: Haines Junction, Km 1635 on the Alaska Highway.
See our Guide to Haines Junction, Yukon for information on services and attractions, and our
Guide to the Alaska Highway to continue your adventure.
Haines Highway Links
A Guide to Haines, Alaska
Alaska Chilkat Bald Eagle Preserve
Haines Highway
A large annotated map of the road as it was in 1944.
Kluane National Park
A Guide to Haines Junction, Yukon
