NM to AK: Canada + Alaska

It took all of 2 minutes to pass through customs at the Canadian border, and after that I was on my sweet, sweet way! Over the next 3 weeks, I slowly cruised north through Alberta, British Columbia, the Yukon, and finally into Alaska. Each place had its own distinct beauty with different people, cultures, and landscapes. I had prepared my car and myself to be facing insanely cold temps on the highway, but the coldest it got was -15F for two nights. I only had to plug in my car a couple of the nights, and the road maintenance was out of this world. Needless to say, I got very lucky to travel as easily as I did.

After passing up and around Calgary, I spent two days around the Banff and Jasper National Parks. Banff was full of people (in my mind), but I was told to never return in summer if I thought that this amount of people was too much. I’m certainly glad to have seen it in winter and been able to experience the beauty of smaller hikes in the snow. Hostels in town went for $30USD per night, while in the summer I was told they go up to $80-100, that’s insane!!! On the way out of Banff I went to visit Lake Louise- the lake that everyone sees when googling the park- except now it was totally frozen and covered in snow. I had to take the opportunity to go ice skating on the lake, as I hadn’t been in years- what a blast. In between Banff and Jasper is the world famous Icefields Parkway highway. Most of the viewpoints and hikes are closed in the winter or not plow maintained, but there were still a few spots I could access. This parkway was closed the week before I arrived due to avalanches, so I hit it right on the money in terms of having a cleared road but also having all the snow beauty. Once I got to Jasper, I found it to be more my pace- less people, less infrastructure, equal mountain beauty. I can’t wait to experience these parks on my way back down to the States and to see them in a much different seasonal light.

Soon after Jasper NP heading north is the crossing into British Columbia- where my first stopping point was Prince George. Didn’t find too much there except a cool bookstore! Onward to Dawson Creek the next day, which is the start of the Alaska Highway. The Alaska Highway is 1520 miles of paved road to the unofficial end in Fairbanks, AK. The highway has a lot of history as it was built during WWII, and the amount of manpower that went in connecting the lower 48 to AK is incredible- here’s a quick wiki link if you’re interested: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alaska_Highway.

With little daylight, I rarely traveled more than a few hours per day just because driving at night is dangerous, especially because it is very remote. I drove up next to Fort Nelson, which is a small town with not much there. They do, however, have an insanely nice rec center that was built after that roof collapsed at the old facility. I was able to use their facility for free!! I even got a hotel here because I reckoned -10F was my threshold for car camping. Anything above that was cozy- I had a heavy down comforter, 0F sleeping bag, and huge blanket; I was almost always toasty. After Fort Nelson I drove through the Tetsa River region. I stopped at a lodge and met the owner Ben, who talked with me for for an hour and told me about living and owning the lodge. I was the first person who had been in the store for 3 days, so we both welcomed some conversation. I told him I would be back in May to see him, so I have to keep my promise!

Northward to Muncho Lake is a beautiful windy road, and this is where I stayed for the night at Double G’s service. This is a motel of a whopping FOUR rooms, but the real selling point at this place is the breakfast made by the owner and family. Truckers who travel the Alaska Highway stop here frequently, so I felt like an outsider just bopping in here for a day. It was a wonderful place to stay! Around 45 minutes north are the Liard Hot Springs, which according to everyone I talked to, was a must see stopping point. The springs were probably ~100deg F, and it was snowing the whole time. Those few hours I soon won’t forget- how spectacular.

After this area, I passed through Watson Lake and ended in Teslin, Yukon. Teslin is very, very small, but it provided me with free Wifi at the public library and 2 solid pots of hot tea. Here I saw this woman wearing a hat with the UP of Michigan on it, so I inquired. Her and her partner were traveling physical therapists heading to work full time positions on Kodiak, AK. The last place they worked? Portage/Kalamazoo, MI. What a small world!!! I could hardly believe these two were last in my hometown and I was talking to them in the Yukon territory. After Teslin, I drove up to Whitehorse, which is the capital of the Yukon. It is semi-large and has all that you could need- including a huge rec center with a running track and SHOWERS!

The next place I stopped became my favorite of the trip: Haines Junction, Yukon. I arrived, ended up at the rec center in this village of 800 people, joined in on senior day bowling, found a community yoga class, had a long conversation with the academic advisor of the college, and ended up at her hostel for the night. At the hostel, I met Lauren- the manager of the place in the winter months. I planned on staying only overnight here, but I was was there for 4-5 days. The mountain range on the edge of this town is the most insane I’ve seen. The people were so welcoming and nice, and I got to hang out with Lauren and some locals for a few days!

During that week, I took a day trip to Haines, AK via the Haines Highway that connects Junction with Haines. I had a crystal clear day with blue skies (rare), and you should have seen my face during that whole drive. I have driven a lot of roads, but I think this may have been the most spectacular 3 hours EVER. It was gorgeously insane, and there are no words. Once in Haines, I ended up meeting Rod and Ronda at a store they own, went to dinner with them at American Legion, and they convinced me to move to Haines!!! If I could really swing it somehow, I’d love to spend some time there. I talked to a lot of people, and they all mentioned seasonal summer work, so I am pretty convinced… This town of around 2,000 people has every outdoor activity you could imagine. And me getting to see it on a clear day with no rain, clouds, fog, snow, etc was a pretty sweet deal.

After reluctantly leaving Junction, I drove all the way north to Fairbanks that day. The weather in Fairbanks was a balmy 30deg!! What on earth?! At this time of year it should be at least -20deg. A mechanic I met talked to me for a solid 1.5 hours on how the permafrost in the Fairbanks area is melting rapidly, releasing methane towards the ground surface and killing forests/plants all around the area. The senior citizens of Junction also talked about how they can visibly see the depleting of glaciers in their mountains, especially in the last 3 years. A park ranger at Denali told me that in a “few years” there will no longer be any glaciers inside Glacier Bay National Park (SW of Haines). I have learned HEAPS on climate change during this drive, and it has put a lot into perspective for me.

The last bit of my trip was spent at museums, coffee shops, and hikes between Fairbanks and Anchorage. I drove the Parks highway south towards Denali, and spent a small amount of time there meeting the sled dogs and NOT seeing any of the mountains and/or Denali peak because of the clouds. Guess I’ll have to return! I continued onward to Talkeetna, AK, which is another town I would contemplate finding work in. It is a small eclectic community where I found a lot of climbers my age, a lot of retired individuals from the lower 48, and a man named Rocket. How could you not enjoy this place? I was able to jog the perimeter of a frozen lake during snowfall, eat blackberry pancakes, enjoy a local comedy show, and meet an Iditarod musher. A lot of people have heard of Talkeetna, but I never had, so I was super happily surprised!!!

My stopping point was Anchorage, where I put my car in storage during my time in Nome. While here, I was able to do a bit of hiking, go cross country skiing for the first time with a friend from high school who I hadn’t seen in 8 years, and get some goooood food. I went to some recommended places downtown, traveled over to Girdwood and Alyeska resort via Turnagain arm road, and saw all the insane beauty that is the city of Anchorage. It is a rough-around-the-edges city, but the mountain landscape here on a clear day is breathtaking. My morning flight to Nome was canceled, then re-routed, then canceled again, then finally re-routed for a nighttime flight. I spent ALL day at the airport, but with those mountain views I couldn’t much complain.

Now as I am in Nome, I am happy to have documented all of this trip into written form. How lucky am I to have made that trip with no safety issues or inclement weather, have met some wonderful, wonderful people, and to have seen ALL that I saw? I was presented with some stellar opportunities, and I hope some of them come to fruition in the future. I absolutely cannot wait to travel back in May. The bears are gonna be waking up -yes!!! I saw plenty of moose on this trip, but bears are another beast. Thanks for reading as always.

Until my next post on my Nome experiences –

-Sam