Yukon: Driving Ms Steele
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So Miranda and I have driven in many parts of the world. Mostly I drive when we do our road trips. I love driving. That said, I would say there are four main types of road trip driving (some of which I enjoy).
Functional drives: You get from A to B, there’s nothing particularly notable about these drives. They are flat, or the same over and over again. They serve a purpose and are mostly not memorable in any sense. I don’t have any pictures to show or demonstrate these, but you’d likely be bored seeing them.
Scenic drives: These are functional drives that have lookouts, points of interest or other such deviations along their route. They take a little longer due to all of the roadside stops, but they are worth it. I would put most of the Yukon drives we’ve done recently in this category. Another example would be the Kings Road between Montreal and Quebec City (a trip Miranda and I did years ago) – that’s a 2 hour drive that we stretched into a full day, tasting wine, sampling jams, setting animals and people. It’s the journey, not the destination, so take your time!
Punishing drives: These drives are extremely boring, extremely long, and/or extremely white knuckling. The drive from Whitehorse to Dawson City is one such drive. It’s 6 hours long with no stops. There are very few “villages” (more like a place with a single store), even less gas stations, no cell service, no radio stations, and most of the roadside is lined with thick and tall pine trees, so no views (I think we got 1 nice view each hour). Oh and the road itself was narrow, paved very roughly, filled with pot holes and there were two major constructions sites (4 hours in) that delayed us about 45 minutes. Absolutely brutal.
Finally, there are the EPIC Drives! These drives are virtually indescribable. Time evaporates. And you are forever changed by the experience. One such drive is the White Pass – driving from Carcross YT, to Skagway AK, via Fraser BC.
Then we entered the “moonscape” that is Fraser! This was unlike anything I’d ever experienced and truly is out of this world!
As we crossed the Alaskan border things changed once again. The valleys were covered in trees and waterfalls, the elevation dropped substantially, and the roads hugged the side of the mountain making it full of curves.
Needless to say, if you have the opportunity to drive the White Pass, don’t hesitate, do it. It won’t be a drive you soon forget!
We were also told the Haines Pass (the drive from Haines, AK to Haines Junction, YT) is also great! The timing didn’t work out for us this trip, but it’s on my list for next time!
