Skagway

Mile 0.0
Skagway
Population 968
More information and maps

Mile 2.1
Dyea Junction
Advisory: Use extreme caution when driving the narrow Dyea Road. Observe the speed limit, and pull off in turnouts to allow oncoming traffic to pass.

Mile  2.5
Liarsville Road

Mile 4.4
Black Lake

Mile 5.2
Historic Display
Turnout allows view of railroad and the remains of the Brackett Wagon Road on the east side of the canyon.

Mile 6.0
Porcupine Creek

Mile 7.0
U.S. Customs & Immigration Border Station
Open 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. (Alaska time). All persons entering the U.S. from Canada must report here. Passports required.

Mile 7.2
Pitchfork Falls

Mile 10.0
Bridal Veil Falls

Mile 10.8
Capt. Moore Bridge.

Mile 11.3
Skagway Valley

Mile 14.0
Summit
Just before the border, highway tops out at 3,290 feet above sea level. Displays on International Borderlands.

Mile 14.4
“Welcome To Alaska” Sign & Klondike Gold Rush Monument

Mile 14.5
International Border Falls, B.C.

Mile 16.3
Summit Lake

Mile 22.2
Fraser, B.C. & Canada Customs
Open 7 a.m. – 11 p.m. (Alaska time). All persons entering Canada from the U.S. must stop and report. Highway follows railroad. Old water tower is last one standing on the railroad. Turnout just past Customs features display on the Yukon and B.C. View of Bernard Lake.

Mile 26.5
Teepee Valley

Mile 27.0
Log Cabin

Mile 30.0
Tutshi River & Falls • Yukon Suspension Bridge

Mile 35.0
Tutshi Lake
Beginning of a beautiful stretch of highway that runs along the west side of the lake (pronounced “Too Shy”) for about 10 miles.

Mile 39.6
Tutshi Picnic Area

Mile 45.0
Road rises to high point between Lakes Tutshi and Tagish and passes site of a 1980s stamp mill for the Venus mines that never operated.

Mile 48.5
Windy Arm, Tagish Lake

Mile 49.5
B.C.-Yukon Border Pullout

Mile 51.5
Venus Mine

Mile 58.7
Bove Island

Mile 65.0
Nares Lake

Carcross

Mile 65.2
Road to the left leads to Carcross, which has a population of about 250 residents. Formerly known as Caribou Crossing for the caribou that forded the narrows, the town grew and thrived during the gold rush and was the site of the driving of the golden spike completing the railroad on July 29, 1900. The Carcross Visitor Center is in a new building on the left as you enter the town, and is at the gateway to the new Carcross Commons development that includes the restored Skookum Jim house and various shops and eateries. Other attractions include the old WP&YR Depot, and a display set in the remains of the sternwheeler “Tutshi,” which burned in 1990. The sternwheeler used to ply the lakes between Carcross and Ben-My-Chree, a once-popular resort and garden spot. The tiny locomotive next to the rail depot is the “Duchess,” which ran on a $2 shuttle railroad on land between Tagish and Atlin Lakes, between connecting steamboats. Other historic structures include Matthew Watson’s Store, the old RCMP Barracks, and the Caribou Hotel, which is being restored.

Mile 65.3
Montana
Just past Carcross turnoff: gas station, store, diner, laundromat & RV park. Last services before Skagway or Alaska Highway.

Mile 65.8
Tagish Road Junction
Turn right to go to Tagish (21 miles), Jake’s Corner (34 miles), and Atlin (95 miles). Straight ahead is Whitehorse (45 miles). Either will connect with the Alaska Highway.

Mile 66.6
Carcross Desert
Affectionately known as the “World’s Smallest Desert.” Nice view of Mt. Caribou behind the sand dunes.

Mile 67.0
Caribou Crossing
Popular Yukon attraction, formerly called Frontierland.

Mile 72.5
Spirit & Emerald Lakes

Mile 80.5
Lewis Lake

Mile 85.0
Bear Creek/Mount Lorne Trail
Just before crossing the creek, there is a parking area to left for the 5K hiking trail to Mount Lorne. Trailhead is across the highway.

Mile 86.5
Robinson/Annie Lake
Road leads to remains of Robinson, a town that sprang up around a railroad siding following a nearby gold discovery between 1909 and 1915. Rest rooms. A half mile later is Annie Lake Road, which continues about a mile to Annie Lake Golf Links and another 10 miles to Annie Lake and the Wheaton River.

Mile 94.6
Kookatsoon Lake
Popular day use picnic area and swimming hole.

Mile 98.0
Alaska Highway Junction
Distance to Whitehorse is 12 miles to the left. Gas stations toward town on the highway. Campgrounds to the south and north. Whitehorse, a full-service city of 23,000, is capital of the Yukon. Attractions include the restored Riverboat SS Klondike, Yukon Visitor Center, and McBride Museum downtown. Along the highway are the Beringia Center and Yukon Transportation Museum. Eight miles west of Whitehorse is the junction for the North Klondike Highway 2 to Dawson City and the Klondike gold.

BY VERN V. HIRSCH & JEFF BRADY

The late Vern Hirsch was the project engineer for the Alaska section of the Klondike Highway during its construction from 1976 to 1978. He took editor Brady up the highway soon after it opened that fall and pointed out the sights for this highway log, which has been updated over the years and copied by other publications. Whether you arrive here with help from this log, the Milepost or some other guide, you can thank Vern for moving you along the Klondike well-informed.