Dawson City, Yukon - Tok, Alaska

Day 16 – Sunday, August 14 2005
Dawson City, Yukon – Tok, Alaska
Miles Driven: 186

At Dawson City we crossed the Yukon River on the free ferry operated by the Yukon Government. It was interesting watching the ferry pilot navigate in the strong current. We drove up the Top Of The World Highway, said to have some of the best views in Canada, however because of the smoke from the fire burning to the north our view was limited. The boarder crossing is at about 4,000 feet above sea level and the sign said population 2 – one US customs agent and one Canadian. At the Alaska border the name of the road changes to the Taylor Highway, and the condition changed from mostly paved on the Canadian side to very rough, washboard gravel, and at times narrow. We did see a big bull caribou with a nice rack, so that was exciting. By the time we reached Chicken Alaska the smoke was so bad we couldn’t see much. We had planned to camp along this stretch of road but it was too smoky, so we drove on to the junction with the Alaska Highway and turned toward Tok. We camped at the Tok River State Recreation Area, a small campground just outside of Tok.