September 11, 2025
Here are more of the things I saw as I drove through northern British Columbia on my way to the Alaska Highway.
I had seen two handmade signs warning of caribou earlier in my trip, but this was an official one.
It finally occurred to me that one of the reasons I hadn’t seen any animals on this highway was that in most places the edges of the highway are not trimmed back like on most roads, and animals have plenty of places to remain hidden. I did have to remain vigilant, though, as if any did dart out I wouldn’t have had much time to react.
The photo above was the view I had in my direction of travel. I had turned around to come back and take a photo, as I often do.
Once I got away from the mountains I had open road as I approached the Yukon Territory. When I got close to the border I drove through a large area which had burned in a wildfire in 2023. The only new or unaffected growth was right along the highway.
I finally reached the Yukon. Fortunately the wildfire had not made it this far north.
It was only a little further to get to the Alaska Highway, and my Airbnb was less than two miles to the left once I got there.
I was in a new cabin in a complex called Nugget City. It had (expensive) gas, a large (expensive) restaurant, and a campground for people with RV’s. The Airbnb rate was pretty steep, too, but that is what happens when you get to a spot where there aren’t many choices. I had seen a few “cheap” Airbnb’s listed along Highway 37, but I backed away when I learned they didn’t have indoor plumbing but only outhouses! I didn’t want my last act to be taken by a bear on my way to or from an outhouse in the middle of the night…
After I unpacked my stuff for the night (clothes, computer and CPAP machine) and rested a bit I drove in to Watson Lake and found a nice little Chinese restaurant which was much more affordable. I will make a post about something I saw there when I start my journey west tomorrow.
And as you can see, I had stopped for gas along Hwy 37 so I had plenty when I arrived in Nugget City. I will be retracing my route south when I leave Alaska in a few weeks. Unfortunately the complex here in Nugget City will be closed for the season and I will have to book a place in Watson Lake for the return trip.
It was a long, but uneventful drive getting here. It was well paved in most spots, with only a few short dirt or gravel patches. The map I showed earlier appeared to show lots of towns along the way, but that wasn’t the case at all. It is quite a desolate road, and those “towns” were usually just a crossroads with only a few buildings and occasionally a gas station. I didn’t see any animals. Not one. But that’s ok, because once I learned that the there wasn’t much of a barrier on either side of the road I was happy the animals and I can continue to peacefully coexist.
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