Frances Lake, Yukon - Faro, Yukon

Day 12 – Wednesday, August 10 2005
Frances Lake, Yukon – Faro, Yukon
Miles Driven: 181

We left Frances Lake knowing we had to travel faster and farther than we had been for the past two days. We were getting low on supplies and the next town was over 120 miles and no campgrounds in between. The road was rougher and very dusty, but other than a few trucks, there was no traffic. Tim spotted a wolverine crossing the road, an unusual sighting, and also a moose crossed in front of us. This was right after our friend the ranger had told us we probably wouldn’t see any wildlife on this stretch of road, I guess you never know. After driving 125 miles we came to the road leading to the town of Ross River, which is seven miles off the highway. Since the Milepost and another travel guide we were using both said there were services including gas and groceries, we headed toward Ross River. If there is one piece of advice I could give anyone traveling the Campbell Highway it would be DO NOT go to Ross River. After driving the seven miles out of the way to get there, we found the only gas station “closed for lunch” and the only store in town did not sell beer or ice. Don’t waste your time going to this town! Back on the Campbell Highway we drove another 35 miles to the town of Faro where we found everything we needed, including gas, groceries, booze, and ice. We camped at the municipal-operated John Connelly RV park where the camp fee is only $5.00, the best deal ever. Although we usually like something more remote, we were happy to camp at a place that had a shower, a laundry, and plenty of water to clean the dust out of our camping box. The photo is of Finlayson Lake along the Campbell Highway between France Lake and Faro. There was no access to this lake, just an overlook with a sign that said the lake separates the watersheds of the Mackenzie and Yukon rivers.