A Scenic Side Trip and Really Bad Roads

(2018 Alaska Ep 45)

We crossed the border from Alaska into Canada on August 27.  After a couple days enroute, we took a side trip to Haines, Alaska. Haines is on the Alaska panhandle just above Juneau (RabbiTRAILS Alaska Map, pt #52).

The three hour drive from the Alaska Highway to Haines was recommended to us by several other Alaska travelers. We weren’t disappointed!  The day was clear and the road was surrounded by tall mountains and multiple glaciers.

A few miles from Haines we reentered Alaska and the road quickly dropped in elevation. The views were less spectacular and we endured major road construction just outside of town.

We made reservations on a ferry from Haines to Skagway, another town on the Alaska panhandle.  Both towns are on deep water fjords and are visited by cruise ships.

That evening we camped at Chilkoot Lake State Recreation Site. a few miles outside Haines.  The drive into the campground was a test of patience!  We had to drive very slowly – the narrow road had LOTS of large potholes.  In the creek alongside the road there were several grizzly bears eating their fill of spawning salmon.   The road was congested with cars, RVs and buses, and dozens of persons observing and taking photos of the bears.  They had little regard for campers trying to pass by!

We left Haines and arrived in Skagway after a scenic hourlong ferry ride.  There were three large cruise ships in port and the little town was packed with tourists.  More than a century ago, Skagway was a frontier town packed with gold seekers starting their journey to find fortunes in interior Alaska and Canada.

After looking around for a couple hours, we left Skagway and reentered Canada.  The next morning we rejoined the Alaska Highway and continued to the lower 48.

Our stay in Haines was unexpectedly extended by a day – more on this and the ferry ride to Skagway in the next blog post.