This 26-page, mile-by-mile guide (with 52 photos) will show you the points of interest along the South Klondike Highway and the Dyea Road. The
South Klondike Highway runs 98 miles (157.7 km)
from Skagway (Alaska) through Fraser (British Columbia) and Carcross (Yukon) to the Alaska Highway at a point 10 miles east of Whitehorse. Officially it is just the
Klondike Highway, running 443 miles (713 km) from Skagway to Dawson City, but in practical use the highway sections north and south of Whitehorse are used separately.
This 2-lane paved highway takes you through an amazing variety of scenery, from granite peaks to desert, with pristine lakes around every corner. It is
truly a photographer's dream trip.
The vast majority of the people who have used this guide since it was first posted in 2003 have been cruise ship passengers who rent a car in Skagway to make
the drive, so the guide runs from Skagway north. I recommend that a minimum of 5 hours be allowed for the trip from Skagway to Emerald Lake and back. For cruise ship passengers,
I recommend Emerald Lake as the turn-around point so that they have time to see Skagway, and because the scenery north of Emerald Lake is nowhere near as dramatic as what has
been seen to that point.
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With the 2009 cruise season now over, the guide is no longer available. The updated and enlarged 2010 edition will be posted in late April 2010.
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You may download a sample of the guide here.
Please note that Murray's Guide to the South Klondike Highway is protected by International copyright laws – reproduction beyond the printing of one copy is illegal.
If you have an iPod
,
there is now an MP3 audio guide to Skagway and the highway (with excellent musical accompaniment), for $8.99 - download
The Bear Essentials
(sorry, only US residents can download MP3 files)
Notes:
- as this trip takes you into Canada, appropriate ID (passports preferably) is required.
- there are 2 car rental companies in Skagway, Avis
and
Sourdough. Both are reasonable walks from any of the docks, though shuttle buses are available. Note that due to
Canada Customs regulations, Canadians cannot rent a car and make this drive into Canada.
- there is 1 gas station in Skagway (at 2nd Avenue and State Street), and 1 in Carcross. Regular gas is currently (July 12, 2009) $3.17 per gallon in Skagway, approximately $4.10 in Carcross.
- there is 1 grocery store in Skagway and 1 convenience store in Carcross.
- there are many restaurants in Skagway, 4 in the Carcross area, nothing in between.
- the speed limits on the highway are 40mph in Alaska (outside Skagway), and 90 kmh (55mph) in British Columbia and the Yukon.
- a GPS is of little use on this road due to poor satellite reception in many areas and the almost complete absence of geographical information about this area in GPS
databases. They will give you lat/long for most of the route and most units will give you your distance from the towns, but not much else.
- there is only cell phone coverage within a few miles of Skagway and Carcross.
Additional Resources:
