Haines Junction is a small village with a population of 824. It is located at the junction of the Alaska Highway and the Haines Highway, which happens to be 987 miles from the Alaska Highway’s starting point in Dawson Creek, British Columbia. Haines Junction lies within the traditional homeland of the Champagne and Aishihik First Nations. Southern Tutchone people have lived in the area for thousands of years. Its more recent history began in 1942 with the construction of the Alaska Highway. The following year, the branch road south 155 miles to Haines, Alaska was constructed over the Chilkat Pass, thus the name of Haines Junction. The Kluane Game Sanctuary was established in 1943 and in 1972, Kluane National Park Reserve was designated with headquarters located in Haines Junction.
Haines Junction’s DaKu Visitor and Cultural Centre
We stayed at the Fas Gas RV Park during our visit here. Haines Junction is the perfect location for exploring southern Kluane National Park’s hiking and four wheel drive trails. Directly across the Alaska Highway is the DaKu Visitor and Cultural Centre, which includes Yukon Territory information and Kluane National Park’s visitor center. This is where you pick up permits for back-country trips and get trail updates and guides. You can also pick up the Haines Junction Walking Tour Guide.
Fresh snow on the mountains of Kluane National Park viewed from Haines Junction
Services: The village is a full service community with lodging, several fueling options and dining. The only grocery store is the Little Green Apple Grocery Store, which is small and has limited options at fairly steep prices. Several gas stations are listed as convenience stores. We tried two restaurant’s here including Frosty’s and Village Bakery & Cafe.
Frosty’s: We tried several meals at this hotspot which serves burgers, pizza, ice cream treats, etc. The food was good. We had a small problem with a burger where we asked about toppings and were provided a list that did not include mustard. The burger came out with mustard. They replaced it when it was taken back with no issue. The other interesting experience was a separate trip when we wanted to order a cheese pizza (no meat or vegetable toppings), but they were thrown for a loop. All of their pizzas have at least one topping. Finally, after consulting with a second staff member, we were able to order a cheese pizza at the price of a pepperoni pizza. They did add some extra cheese. It took over five minutes to resolve.
Village Bakery and Cafe: We had multiple baked goods from this bakery. Mike got a sandwich to order and we tried a sweet potato & black bean salad with a sweet chili sauce. This place has good food and baked goods. They make breads, pastry’s, cakes, cinnamon rolls, and other tasty treats. They have grab and go sandwiches and salads. It was also busy almost every time we stopped in or drove past.
