Whitehorse Adventure - Day 13: Whitehorse to Boya Lake Provincial Park

Day 13 (503km traveled) - We got an early start leaving Whitehorse.  The original plan was to go to the junction with the Alaska Hwy and Hwy 37 and see what was going on with the forest fire just south of the Yukon/BC border and try to get through the fire area the following day. 

We got to the junction around 2:30 and only a few cars were waiting.  After talking to the person at the barrier we learned that the next pilot car to drive through the active burn area would be leaving in 20mins!  This gave us just enough time to get some gas and grab some snacks out of the trailer before the pilot left.  We were concerned that the kids would rebel since the campground we were heading to was a 70-80 km south of the junction and we had already been in the truck for many hours.  (They were amazing troopers and perked up with the possibility of sugary snacks and chips - which they don't usually get in the car!)

The fire was mostly out where we were driving through, but we did see some flames.  It was about a 20 min drive following the pilot car through the most active part of the fire and then another 10-15 min driving past burnt bush after the pilot car turned around.

We got to Boya Lake Provincial Park around 4-4:30 pm and were happy to find that there was no smoke from the fire.  Most of the sites are right on the lake.  There weren't that many people there so we got a pretty awesome site.  It may have been our best site yet ever!

Boya Lake is one of those impossibly green lakes.  Our Site backed right onto the lake so we spent some quality time throwing rocks into the lake (of course) and wading in the water.  The boys got totally soaked in the cold water so that was the end of that game.

After dinner Dave went to go harass the fish attempt to catch a fish.  Of course they were wise to his tricks and the only interest that his hook got was from the minnows that stole his bait.  His adventure ended when his lure got caught on something on the bottom.  Rather than cut the line he chose (even though his wife thought he was crazy) to get his swimsuit on just before bedtime and go into the water to retrieve it.  I, being his doting wife (whew - managed not to laugh out loud on that one), took pictures helped him.

Whitehorse Adventure - Day 9: Watson Lake to Whitehorse

Day 9 (438 km traveled, approx total: 2700km) - Woohoo we are really excited to be getting to our final (outward bound) destination today!!

The landscape is pretty hilly and green with some barren mountain peaks jutting out above the horizon. An hours drive (in a slow SUV towing a trailer) from Watson Lake we cross over the continental divide which is the most rigorous, hilly section that we come to this day.

We stop for gas in Teslin Lake.  Unfortunately we missed the view point for the good picture opportunity of the bridge just before town (we may have to stop on the way back south).  Gas seems to be less expensive in Yukon.  Perhaps its that there are fewer taxes or maybe the gas-station owners just aren't trying to make as big of a profit.  We stopped just north of the town at a view point which is just beside the lake.  It is a beautiful spot so we relax in the clean, clear (read: smoke free) air and enjoy the sunshine while throwing rocks into the water.  Apparently throwing rocks is a past time that can entertain young boys for a long time!  Maybe they're just excited that they're actually allowed to throw stuff.




It is drier here than I expected.  In fact along the high in places there were sand dunes.  I suppose that I had expected it to be more like the area around Revelstoke, BC (my former home town) or maybe Valemont, BC - not too sure why I had that impression since they are no where near the yukon border!

We got into Whitehorse around 2:30 pm and our first stop was the RV wash.  When I was researching campgrounds I laughed at the frivolous idea of needing an RV wash while on vacation.  We cleaned off splattered mud from the many construction zones we had driven through, the ash from camping nearish to a forest fire and a large number splatted bugs who had met their untimely demise on the front of our trailer.  Of course all we really did was rinse, but it still looked a lot better!

After setting up and letting the kids have a bit of a run/play time we headed in to town to see what there was to see.  Our RV park (High Country RV) was right at first exit into town from the Alaska Hwy.  It was is a quick 5 min drive into the downtown core of Whitehorse.  We checked out the tourist info center to get more info on what the town had to offer.  After gathering many brochures for attractions we were off to a family BBQ.

The part that took us by surprise was how late it stayed light out.  We had previously lived in Northern Alberta and close to June it stayed light late and was dark for only a couple of hours.  However by early august the days were already noticeably shorter (more on par with southern parts of BC).  We finally left the BBQ at 9pm and the sun had barely begun to set this is highly unusual for us since both kids usually go to bed by 7pm (or shortly after) and hadn't stayed up very late so far on our vacation.

Whitehorse Adventure - Day 8: Liard River Hotsprings (BC) to Watson Lake (YT)

Day 8 (209km traveled) - We decided that swimming in the hotsprings was so awesome that we would go again this morning!  It is certainly a great way to start the day!

Because of the swim this morning we didn’t get on the road until 10am, however, this isn’t a big deal since this is not a very long driving day.

We finally saw more wildlife today!  First there was a black bear sitting in the grass on the bank above the road.  Further on we came to the buffalo herd that we had been seeing warning signs about for the past day and a half!  It was pretty amazing to drive right beside these wild creatures and be able to take pictures of them.  They were aware of the vehicles, but didn’t really pay much attention to them.  They were walking on both sides of the highway and would randomly crossover to the other side without a thought of the cars there watching them!  I don’t think I’d want to cross this stretch of highway at night.

We stopped for gas at Contact Creek (as had been recommended to us by a couple at the hotsprings).  The gas prices there were the best that we had seen in a few stops ($1.09/L - WOOT!!)



It was really smokey as we got close to Watson Lake.  We stopped for a tourist moment photo-op at the Welcome to Yukon sign.  We only look slightly crazy after driving for more than 2000km to get to this point!  This is the first time that any of us had been north of 60°.

The Happy Travelers!

We headed into Watson Lake to check out the infamous sign post forest.  The sign post forest was started by a homesick G.I. who as part of the US Army core of Engineers was working on the construction of the Alaska Hwy.  He put up a sign that gave the distance to his hometown.  Other people added their own signs and the rest is history.  When we were there (August 2010) there were more than 60,000 signs.  Unfortunately we did not remember to bring a sign with us so we did not leave a sign there.  We did however enjoy walking through it and seeing all the signs.  I suppose this just means that we will have to go back again sometime so that we could put up our sign!

We found out from the helpful people at the tourist info that the smoke from the nearby forest fire was blowing to the east and that west of the fire was less smokey.  Because of this we chose to press on a little farther to an RV Park near the junction of Hwy 37 (yes even closer to the forest fire than we had been in Watson Lake).  The air was clearer, but the down side was that there was ash fallout from the fire.  It was also rather disconcerting to watch the Yukon forest fire fighters set up sprinklers on the buildings at the RV park!  They were just precautionary... in case the fire changed direction.  I will say this that even though it was un-nerving the fire was a good 10-15 km south of the YT/BC border so about 20km from where we were staying.  (no problem)

Whitehorse Adventure - Day 7: Fort Nelson to Liard River Hotsprings

Day 7 (305 km traveled) - Today we traveled back over the rocky mountains heading West and then North from Fort Nelson to Liard River Hotsprings.  The landscape is once again changing quite dramatically as we are leaving the foothills which are lush and green with thick dense forests of mainly deciduous trees (from what I can tell from the highway at least).  As we enter the rocky mountain range the road quality is also getting much worse.  The road is not constructed like modern highways with their carefully banked corners and gentle slopes.  Instead it is more reminiscent of the roadways of earlier eras which follow the landscape with little human interference other than moving of major obstacles.  This section of the Rockies is barren and looks like a glacier has only just receded (although I cannot see any from the road).

After a long climb we reach Summit Lake campground in Stone Mountain Provincial park.  Unfortunately it is not in our plan to stop here mainly because we did not know about it.  It is perched on the top of the mountain pass and nestled in between the rocky peaks.  (We have added it to our mental list of places that we would like to re-visit at some point in the future.)   After that is Muncho Lake Provincial Park.  It is another gem.  A long emerald colored lake that looks impossibly cold among the stark gray mountains and scree slopes.  (Also added to list.)

This area of British Columbia seems so empty and makes you realize how much of our province in uninhabited and untouched.  (Dave's theory is that you could fit any number of european countries in this "empty" space.)   Gas prices are also noticeably higher on this leg of the journey.  We stopped at the Tetsa River Services to buy some cinnamon buns (advertised in the milepost as the best in the galactic cluster) and the gas price was $1.58/L.  Luckily we are still fine for gas and know that there is another station within our gas tank range so we press on.  We filled up with gas at a little place called Toad River (between Stone Mountain and Muncho Lake) and gas was $1.38/L.  Dave was talking to a fellow coming the other direction who warned us that gas at the service station nearest to Muncho Lake was a whopping $1.80/L.  Glad we didn't have to stop there!!

The highway descends a long way into the Liard river valley and we are now out of the Rockies and into the lush green forests which are much more common in the rest of BC.  We arrive at Liard River Hotsprings and quickly set up camp so that we can have time for a soak in the springs before dinner.  The hotsprings are a 700m walk along a board walk that winds through a tropical marsh.  We are above 59 degrees north which is farther North than any of us had been before and the last thing that we would expect to see is large bushy ferns and other more tropical plants!  However due to the warming created by the natural hotsprings the plants nearest to the hotsprings are very tropical with large, broad leaves.  There are two areas at the pool called alpha pool (the closest to the campground) the lower area is cool enough to take the kids into.  After a full week of travel so far this is a welcome respite.  Our 20 month old son "O" is particularly excited to be at floating and splashing in the bathwarm water.  

The area is also bear territory and the beta pool and the hanging gardens areas are closed due to bear activity.  We are familiar with living in bear country and are careful not to leave any food out that might attract them to our campsite.

We enjoy it so much that we make plans to get moving early the next day so we can start our day of travel with a dip in the revitalizing springs. The only downsides are that there are no showers there (and we do not travel with enough water in the trailer for the luxury of showering) and the tropical environment is also much loved by the the pesty mosquitoes.

The smoke from the forest fire near the Alaska hwy and Hwy 37 junction (just inside BC) is starting to be really noticeable now as we are getting a lot closer to the area.  In talking to other people at the hotspring we hear that the road has been closed an that people are having long waits to get up through the fire area (following a pilot car).

Whitehorse Adventure - Day 6: Charlie Lake to Fort Nelson

Day 6 (372 km traveled) - The highway between Charlie Lake and Fort Nelson is the most isolated stretch of highway that we have driven so far.  This is a concern to us since we are not getting great gas mileage towing the trailer with the 4Runner.  We are averaging about 10 mpg (23 L/100km) and can travel about 290 km on a tank of gas in order to stay within the "Dave Comfort Zone" (thus not causing undue stress to our driver).  Since the gas stations are fewer and farther between they are also becoming more expensive, but we do not have the luxury of being too picky where we buy our gas.

Several of our stops were at the historical mileposts on the Alaska Highway. This is based on the original markings along the Alaska Highway.  Often they are accompanied by stories about what the highway was like or how it was constructed.  Our lunch stop was at historical "Mile 148" which was once an incredibly steep hill commonly called Suicide hill.  According to 2008 edition of the The Milepost (a comprehensive mile by mile guide to the Alaska Highway) there was once a sign at the top of this hill warning travelers to "prepare to meet thy maker".  The picture on the plaque there showed that the original hill looked to be at a +20% incline and was probably only one lane wide!  Glad there have been a few highway improvements over the past 60 years or so.

The trip was uneventful and we arrived in Fort Nelson around 3pm.   There are only two crowded camping areas in town and both are RV parks where the trailers are so close you can practically touch your neighbor.  We camp at the Westend RV park because out of the two it appears to have a few more trees and is also pretty close to the historical society's museum.  It also worked out in our favour that there is a brand new water (spray) park a short walk from the campground.  After setting up, the kids and I head over to the spray park to cool off.  Dave follows shortly after and I think that him and I had even more fun playing there than the kids do (read: we don't cry when we get water sprayed on us).

One very cool bonus was that the snowbirds (canada's military aerobatic team) were performing somewhere close by and flew over our campsite several times in different formations.

After dinner we headed over to the Fort Nelson Heritage Museum.  It looked like it a tiny museum that would only take 15 minutes to see the entire collection.  Instead it was a comprehensive museum that included a large collection of antique cars, several outbuildings including a trappers cabin and a 1940's house, a large generator (which was once responsible for powering the entire town) and many more pieces of old equipment.  It was the true surprise of the day and most unexpected.  Unfortunately for us we got there only 30 minutes before it was closing so we had a rather rushed visit!

Whitehorse Adventure - Day 5: Mcleod Lake to Charlie Lake

Day 5 (357 km traveled) - We didn’t want to be camping in a parking lot again tonight so we got another early start.  This is easy for us to do since the kids still wake early (often as early as 6am).

The terrain is becoming even more lush and green.  The highway passed through the Rocky Mountains today and we’re now in the foot hills and near prairies.  We stopped in Chetwynd for gas and as we were driving through town we could see quite a few examples of statues carved by chainsaws.  Apparently Chetwynd is the chainsaw carving capital of Canada (if not the world).  However we didn’t have the time to go look at the carvings more closely and didn’t want to stand around in the rain either.  This is the first rain that we’ve had for the entire trip and it is badly needed to help with the high risk of wildfire conditions.

We took the slightly longer route to Fort St. John (Charlie Lake) because we wanted to stop at the Mile “0” of the Alaska Highway in Dawson Creek.  This meant we are not going to drive through Hudson's Hope and we will not see the W.A.C Bennet dam.  It is too bad that we couldn't do both, but it is not at all practical and we don't want to extend our journey any more than we have to.  

We had lunch in the parking lot at the Dawson Creek tourist info and the got our pictures taken in front of the sign.  It is rather daunting as we drove into Dawson Creek to see a distance sign saying “Whitehorse-1500km”.  Yikes, that means we are slightly less than half way through our driving journey just to get TO Whitehorse not to mention getting home again afterward!

After lunch we drove to Fort St. John and on to Charlie Lake (about 5min further).  We stayed at the Rotary RV park which was like a large gravel parking lot, but it was fully serviced, had free wifi, a playground and was near a large dock to fish off of.  For dinner we went into Boston Pizza in Fort St. John which was our first restaurant dinner out.  After dinner Dave and “A” went fishing from the dock and “A” was able to use his fishing rod for only the 2^nd time since he got it last Christmas.  They didn’t have any luck, but later after the kids were in bed Dave went back again and snagged a small walleye.  Unfortunately it was too small and had to be released.

We are concerned about a wild fire that we have heard about that has closed down HWY 37 (Cassiar Hwy).  It won’t affect our trip to Whitehorse, but we were planning to come home that way.  We’ll watch the reports and may have to adjust our return trip.  Luckily we have almost a full week until we need to come back that way.