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 FAQ:
Services & Sights
 Gas, food and lodging are
found along the Alaska Highway on an average of every 20 to
50 miles. The longest stretch without services is less than
100 miles. Keep in mind that not all businesses are open year-round,
nor are most services available 24 hours a day. Regular, unleaded,
diesel and propane fuel are available.
Campgrounds are plentiful along the Alaska Highway. There
are almost 100 commercial campgrounds and about 30 government
campgrounds. The private campgrounds generally offer hookups.
Government campgrounds do not. Reservations are recommended
during the summer at campgrounds that take reservations. Campgrounds
may fill up fast each day during peak season.
Gas prices along the Alaska Highway may vary widely between
communities and between countries. A rule of thumb: The more
remote the gas station, the higher the price of gas. Also
keep in mind that in Canada gas is sold in liters at the Canadian
price. Therefore, if gas costs $.82 per liter in Canadian
funds, the price per gallon in U.S. funds is $2.14. (Figured
by multiplying the per liter price by 3.785 to get the price
per gallon, then adjusting for a Canadian exchange rate of
45 percent by dividing by 1.45.)
- 1 liter = .2642 U.S. gallons.
- 1 U.S. gallon = 3.785 liters.
Click here
for the most current fuel prices.
 Sights
Sights along the Alaska Highway include snow-capped mountains,
peaceful valleys, scenic lakes and rivers, wildlife, Native
crafts and artifacts, geologic features, museums, historical
monuments, the Trans-Alaska pipeline, the Royal Canadian Mounted
Police, a famous signpost forest, gold-rush history and a
lot more.
Activities along the highway range from gold panning, sternwheeler
rides, fishing and soaking in hot springs, to sled-dog exhibitions,
hiking, canoeing and flightseeing. Whatever you want to do,
you can probably do it (well, maybe not warm-water snorkeling).
And, depending on when you go, you may even enjoy some special
events, such as the World Eskimo and Indian Olympics held
in Fairbanks each July and featuring events such as the nalukatak
(blanket toss), Knuckle Hop and Ear Pull competitions.
On the Alaska Highway, the journey really is the destination,
and travelers repeatedly tell us it's the journey of a lifetime.
You can get to the start of the Alaska Highway via connecting
routes in Canada. The MILEPOST® covers the traditional east access route to the Alaska Highway
from Montana through Alberta, and the west access route from
Washington state through British Columbia. (Northwest Mileposts®,
a companion guide, covers Northwest interstate and U.S. highways
connecting Canadian highways you can use to reach the Alaska
Highway.)
A few of the main attractions on the Alaska Highway are listed
below.
Dawson Creek, Mile 0 
The Alaska Highway officially begins at Dawson Creek, British
Columbia, an important funnel for supplies during construction
of the highway in 1942. Find the original Milepost 0 marker
downtown and have your picture taken there. The cairn at the
south entrance to the city, by the Tourist Information Bureau,
is not the original Mile 0 marker, but the visitor center
folks can give you a walking-tour map that directs you to
the right place. The scenic drive from Dawson Creek to Fort
Nelson, British Columbia, on the Alaska Highway includes Suicide
Hill at Historic Milepost 148. The hill was one of the most
treacherous on the original highway and bore the greeting
"Prepare to Meet Thy Maker." Today the hill generally
poses no problems, and only a sign commemorates the original
grade of around 25 percent. The steepest grade on today's
highway is 10 percent.
Fort Nelson, Mile 283, Historical Mile 300
Fort Nelson, British Columbia, originally based its existence
on the fur trade, and wildlife is still plentiful in the area.
The Fort Nelson Heritage Museum has excellent displays of
wildlife, pioneer artifacts and Alaska Highway history. The
town also offers an entertaining and free "Welcome Visitor
Program" on summer evenings at the Phoenix Theatre, with
presentations put on by local residents who can give you first-hand
information about their area.
 Muncho Lake, Mile 437,
Historical Mile 456
This breathtaking seven-mile-long lake, known for its deep
green and blue waters, is on the highway between Fort Nelson,
British Columbia, and Watson Lake, Yukon Territory. Sparkling
and pristine, the lake is surrounded by mountains, and the
highway winds along the east shore. Narrated lakes tours are
available, and so is fishing. Some lucky angler caught a record
50-pound lake trout here, and the area holds a lake trout
derby in June.
Provincial campgrounds and picnic areas are nearby, as are
commercial lodgings. Just 40 or so miles away is Liard River
Hotsprings Provincial Park, a favorite stop for Alaska Highway
travelers. A boardwalk leads to two soothing hot springs,
which are open year-round. Admission is free, and the parking
area is large enough for most RVs. The photo to left shows
the Alaska Highway following the Toad River north to Muncho
Lake.
Watson Lake, Mile 613, Historical Mile 635
The signpost forest in Watson Lake, Yukon Territory, was
started by a U.S. Army soldier working on construction of
the Alaska Highway in 1942. Signs, from all over the world,
now total more than 30,000. You can bring a sign from home
to post, or pay to have one made on the spot if you're there
during the main tourist season. You can also learn about the
aurora borealis at Watson Lake's new Northern Lights Centre.
 Whitehorse, Yukon Territory, Mile
887, Historical Mile 918
The largest city along the official Alaska Highway, Whitehorse
is also the capital of Yukon Territory and headquarters of
the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. The city was headquarters
for  the
western sector during construction of the Alaska Highway and
hosted one of the two largest construction camps along the
highway. In town you'll find attractions such as the historic
SS Klondike sternwheeler, the Frantic Follies vaudeville revue,
the Yukon Beringia Interpretive Centre (with a cast of the
largest woolly mammoth skeleton ever recovered), a botanical
garden, a wildlife preserve, museums and the world's largest
weather vane, a DC 3 spinning on a pole at the airport.
Whitehorse is also the departure point for activities such
as horseback riding, canoeing, mountain biking, fishing, hiking,
cross country skiing and soaking in the Takhini Hot Springs
17 miles north of town. Boat tours of various lengths are
available on the Yukon River, including a tour that takes
you up the river and through scenic Miles Canyon.
 Haines Junction/Kluane
National Park Reserve, Mile 985, Historical Mile 1016
Haines Junction, Alaska, established in 1942 during construction
of the Alaska Highway, is on the eastern boundary of Kluane
National Park Reserve, and the park visitor center is located
in town. The preserve features extensive ice fields and mountains,
and is a world-class adventure travel and wilderness destination.
You'll find hiking trails of various difficulty, heli-hiking,
fishing and trail rides.
Haines Junction is also headquarters for the Tatshenshini-Alsek
Wilderness Park, created in 1993 and known for its whitewater
rafting. And, just 45 miles from Haines Junction, at mile
1030.7 you'll come to the spot where the Alaska Canada Military
Highway was officially opened in November 1942. A trail from
the parking area leads up to the original dedication site.
Northbound, the highway winds along 154-square-mile Kluane
Lake, the largest body of water in Yukon Territory.
Tok, Mile 1314
Tok, Alaska, at the junction of the Alaska Highway and Tok
Cutoff (Glenn Highway), is the major overland point of entry
into Alaska, and travelers coming into town from various routes
find it a good place to meet other travelers and swap experiences.
(You may find travelers who are driving the Alaska Highway
northbound from the Yukon and British Columbia, or driving
the Alaska Highway southbound from Fairbanks, or connecting
with the Alaska Highway after cruising or taking a ferry up
the Inside Passage, or connecting with the Alaska Highway
after flying in to Anchorage, or connecting with the Alaska
Highway on the way to or from the Top of the World Highway
and Dawson City, Yukon Territory.) The governor proclaimed
Tok "Mainstreet Alaska" in 1991. The town has plenty
of visitor services to accommodate travelers, and the Tok
Civic Center houses the Mainstreet Visitor Center and the
Alaska Public Lands Information Center. Tok is a trade center
for several Athabascan Native villages and also has become
known as the Sled Dog Capital of Alaska, with at least one
out of every three people involved somehow in raising dogs.
 Delta Junction,
Mile 1422
Delta Junction, Alaska, is the official end of the Alaska
Highway. You'll probably want to take a picture at the end-of-the-highway
monument at the visitors center, near the junction of the
Alaska and Richardson highways, and purchase a certificate
verifying that you have reached the end of the Alaska Highway.
The Alaska Highway becomes the Richardson Highway, northbound,
from Delta Junction, and continues about 100 miles to Fairbanks.
Delta Junction also offers the first view of the trans-Alaska
pipeline northbound. A good view is found 9.5 miles north
of town on the Richardson Highway, where the pipeline crosses
the Tanana River.
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