Our plans called for driving directly from Dawson City, YT to Tok, AK via the Top of the World Highway, a distance of only 186 miles. We decided to check out the views from the Top of the World Highway using our Jeep on the day before our intended departure, and it’s good that we did. This dirt road is very steep and narrow in places, with soft shoulders and mind numbing drop-offs. We knew all that and were ok with it. What we didn’t know is that the road turns to a sticky, slimy mud with poor traction upon rain (it rained yesterday), and rain was forecast for tomorrow. I’m not saying our RV could definitely not make it, but the downside of not making it was high — like slide off the road and end our trip high. So we made the decision to take the long way around, via Whitehorse, that totals a staggering 715 miles.
We quickly returned to camp, packed up and left Dawson City around 3 PM. Luckily the North Klondike Highway is in great shape so we made the 330 mile run in 6 hours flat (a 55 mph average is good in the lower 48, but great up here) and stayed the night at Fox Lake Campground. The next day, the 385 miles to Tok took seemingly forever. I’ll write something up about this stretch of the Alaska Highway and link to it, but it suffice it to say we left at 8 AM and arrived at 6 PM, for a paltry 38 mph average.
