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Alaska
and the Yukon
(Two
Lists for the Price of One)
The
following recommendations (sorted into
two lists of ten) provide a highly
personal, and purely subjective,
listing of our most enjoyable
experiences while travelling through
Northern British Columbia, the Yukon,
Alaska and Canada's Western
Arctic.
Everyone
has a different view of what he or she
wants in a vacation experience and
there are many, varied experiences to
be had in this wonderful north country:
from the drive itself, to enjoying the
natural surroundings of the wilderness,
hunting and fishing, hiking along the
scenic mountain trails, enjoying the
amenities which can be found along the
routes in hotels, restaurants, and
pubs, along with special attractions:
historical restorations, hot spring
pools, wild animal parks, vaudeville
shows, boat rides and train
trips.
We
hope that these lists will help you to
plan your northern adventure trip by
focussing on some of the outstanding
circle routes and one-day sidetrips, as
well as telling you about some of the
unique and historic hotels and about
the special eating and socializing
experiences to be had.
Much
of the attraction of the North is its
people. Northerners live here because
they like to do so. They are, for the
most part, individualists who chose to
live in the North because of the
freedom brought about by the changes in
seasons, the lure of the great
outdoors, some isolation from "outside"
society, and the influence of the
area's wonderful history.
Circle
Routes and Sidetrips:
This
list is not presented in any particular
order of preference. It is simply a
listing of our most remembered
adventures and we hope that it will be
helpful to you in planning your
northern adventure vacation.
1.
The Dempster Highway
Although
Dempster enthusiasts (some of whom
return year after year) spend a major
part of their vacation along the
Dempster, we made the trip in five
days, spending one whole day in Inuvik.
You can go on by air to Tuktoyaktuk to
enjoy the unique setting of the Arctic
coast. However, the wonderful scenery
of the Dempster, with its mountain
ranges, rivers, alpine tundra, sunsets
and wildlife, is unforgettable and this
trip past the Arctic Circle was the
most memorable.
2.
Dawson City
For
history buffs, Dawson is the mecca.
This town is just filled with ghosts
from the 1898 Klondike Gold Rush. The
Midnight Dome presents a panoramic view
of the historic gold fields and the
Yukon Valley. The boardwalks, the false
fronts, the tumble-down structures and
the new buildings constructed in
turn-of-the-century style, the
abandoned and present-day gold diggings
on the creeks and the Yukon River: they
all add up to an unforgettable
experience.
3.
Skagway and the Klondike
Highway
The
second historic town is Skagway,
another "must" for Gold Rush fans.
Skagway is a much neater town than
Dawson, lovingly restored and preserved
by the people of Skagway and the
National Parks service. The downtown
area is a living memorial to the rough
and ready days of Soapy Smith, Frank
Reid and the earlier days of Capt. John
Moore. But the most memorable part of
our Skagway visit was seeing the former
site of Dyea, the start of the long
climb up the Chilkoot Trail, and the
slide cemetery. Here, you realize the
truly incredible human challenges of
the Klondike adventure.
4.
Kenai Peninsula
As
mentioned earlier, if there is only one
part of Alaska which you can visit, the
Kenai Peninsula and its towns present a
microcosm of the state, within a route
which has a diversity of scenery and
historic significance, all covered
within a few days out of Anchorage.
Take the Sterling Highway to Soldotna,
Kenai & Homer and the Kenai
National Wildlife Refuge. Take the
Seward Highway through the Chugach and
Kenai mountains and the Chugach
National Forest to beautiful
Resurrection Bay, the town of Seward
and Kenai Fjords National Park.
5.
Kodiak Island
Kodiak
is the most accessible part of
Southwestern Alaska. It is a 45 minute
flight from Anchorage. You can get
there by the Alaska Marine Highway
system from Homer and Seward on the
Kenai Peninsula. Kodiak echoes the
early history of Alaska with its
reminders of the Russian explorations
and fur traders. Now a thriving
commercial fishing center, Kodiak is
equipped with resort lodges, motels and
campgrounds. Its crab festival held in
May is an enjoyable special event.
Several beautiful and unpopulated
beaches provide excellent places for
beachcombing and
picnics-in-the-wild.
6.
Denali National Park
Although
other national parks and forest
preserves offer more true wilderness
experiences without great numbers of
people around every corner, Mt.
McKinley makes Denali National Park a
memorable experience. The mountain
overshadows the whole park, sometimes
gleaming a glistening white on sunny
days, sometimes poking out of the
clouds and mists, sometimes completely
hidden. The sub-apline meadows are
magnificent, with carpets of tiny
flowers.
7.
Glacier Watching
There
are glaciers in every corner of Alaska
and the glaciers which calve icebergs
into the sea are a prime destination
for many visitors. Outstanding amongst
the many glaciers are: the Columbia
Glacier, in Prince William Sound,
viewed from the Alaska ferry which
cruises between Valdez and Cordova or
from a local Valdez cruise boat;
Glacier Bay National Park, 100 miles by
boat or air from Juneau, holds a
collection of glaciers which once
filled the entire bay and is a favorite
place for cruise ships and for shorter
charter boat trips from Juneau;
Glaciers on the Kenai Peninsula include
those in the vast Harding Ice Field in
Kenai Fjords National Park.
8.
Stewart B.C. and Hyder
Alaska
The
neighboring towns on the Canada/U.S.
border. The short trip on the road to
Stewart offers a scenic drive beside
the Bear Glacier to the Tongass
National Forest. The two towns provide
an interesting overnight stop and
several area tours.
9.
The Alaska Highway Rockies
Stone
Mountain & Muncho Lake provincial
parks contain incredible views of the
Rocky Mountains, excellent camping
facilities and fishing
opportunities.
10.
Liard Hot Springs
Last
but certainly not least is the set of
two wilderness hot springs pools in
Liard Provincial Park, in northern
British Columbia. Olympic-sized indoor
hot pools are fine, but after you've
experienced these natural pools in the
northern forest, all other hot springs
pale by comparison.
Restaurants
and Pubs
1.
An Alaska Salmon Bake
We
couldn't settle on just one to list
here. There are salmon bakes throughout
the state. There's a good one in
Haines, on the Parade Grounds at the
old Fort Seward. There are two in
Fairbanks, including one in Alaskaland,
the pioneer theme park. Salmon bakes
are available in all of the
Southeastern Alaska seaside
communities. Wherever you are, just
look for a salmon bake. You'll probably
find one which serves tasty barbecued
salmon.
2.
The Back Room Restaurant,
Inuvik
Hidden
behind a pizza take-out place, the Back
Room is a very good licensed restaurant
which serves dishes using Western
Arctic food ingredients, including
Arctic char, caribou (the burgers are
great) and reindeer meat. The Back Room
also has standard southern-type meals.
But if you travel all that distance,
why not try the local cuisine?
3.
Diamond Tooth Gerties, Dawson
City
This
is neither a restaurant nor a bar,
although you can eat and drink here.
Operated by the Klondike Visitor's
Association, the group which promotes
tourism in the Klondike area, it's
Canada's only licensed casino featuring
eating, drinking and dancing girls -
almost as it was done during the
Klondike gold rush days. Gertie's
casino is open evenings during the
summer months. Gertie herself
introduces the acts.
4.
Red Onion Saloon, Skagway
The
Red Onion conveys the mood of Skagway's
"Soapy Smith" period, when it was a
rough and ready town, filled with
characters, and character. It's a good
place to have a light meal and some
Chinook beer &endash;Alaska's own. The
saloon is at Broadway and Second,
across the street from the National
Park headquarters, close to the ferry
terminal.
5.
Salty Dawg
Saloon&endash;Homer
Part
of the attraction of Homer is the
4-mile spit of sand which dominates
this community. Along the Homer Spit
are boardwalks and a collection of
stores, restaurants, the Land's End
Hotel, a small boat basin and other
places catering to tourists. The
renowned Sawlty Dawg Saloon is here on
the spit and well worth the visit to
wet your whistle and to take in the
local colour.
6.
Malamute Saloon and North Country Inn,
Fairbanks
There
are musical revues and period
entertainment shows throughout the
Yukon and Alaska. They're all worth a
visit to catch the northern mood,
depending on where your trip takes you.
There are two of these places near
Fairbanks, where the beer flows and the
audience often becomes part of the act.
Try the Malamute Saloon, in the pretend
gold mining camp at Ester. There is
sawdust on the floor, the tables are
made out of beer barrels and there's a
nightly revue with Robert Service
recitations. The North Country Inn, off
the Steese Highway in Fox, also has a
vaudeville show and the audience gets
to can-can. It's all good fun and more
appropriate than going to a Hollywood
movie.
7.
Hotel Halsingland, Haines
Not
being able to get the Halsingland into
the top ten places to stay (it's
close---there's a third list in the
book), we should say here that the
seafood restauranrt in the former
officers' quarters in historic Fort
Seward is excellent. This hotel is part
of the old Fort Seward complex
overlooking Lynn Fjord. The white
Victorian buildings, neatly arranged,
make staying here a pleasure. There's a
lounge in the hotel and a salmon bake
too. (907) 766-2000 or
1-800-542-6363.
8.
The Pump House, Fairbanks
Part
of this excellent restaurant used to be
a pump house which served a large water
pumpline to gold diggings outside of
Fairbanks. It's located at Mile 1.3,
Chena Pump Road. It sits beside the
Chena River and there is an outdoor
eating and drinking area as well as a
series of good-sized rooms inside. The
menu is eclectic, ranging from steaks
to fresh seafood (including an oyster
bar) and continental dishes. They serve
draft beer along with wines and a
generous selection of imported beers.
All in all, an excellent place to eat.
Reservations: (907) 479-8452.
9.
Braeburn Lodge (cafe), Mile 55.6,
Klondike Hwy.
This
Klondike Highway cafe is famous solely
for its cinnamon buns. But oh what buns
they are! This roadhouse is north of
Whitehorse, on the way to Dawson City.
Bush pilots fly across the wilderness
to land at the lodge's airstrip to pick
up some of these large, gooey cinammon
buns. Need I say more? OK, see
immediately below.
10.
Chicken Creek Mercantile and Saloon,
Chicken, Alaska
Chicken,
Alaska being what it is, there is no
doubt in my mind that eating at the
Chicken Creek Saloon will be long
talked-about after you've left this
windswept spot along the Taylor Highway
-- between Dawson City and Tok. I
slowly chased a trotting moose with my
car along the Taylor for about a mile,
and it just wouldn't get off the road.
I've never been able to forget it. This
restaurant will affect you the same way
-- it's one of a kind in a community
which is ditto. Actually, the cafe,
saloon and store are the remnants of
old gold country: among the last
remaining such buildings in Alaska.
It's still a trading post and eating
place for local miners, with burgers,
fries, very good pies, and fine
cinammon buns taking up much of the
menu.
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