A Haines Highway day

Posted On July 17, 2009

The weather forecast yesterday was mixed, with morning showers and clearing in the afternoon but we decided to make a drive down the Haines Highway. It’s the best place in the Yukon to see grizzlies, as well as going through spectacular scenery.

We got off to a late start, stopped at the Haines Junction bakery for some snacks, then headed down the Haines Highway. At Km 218 (measured from the Haines ferry terminal), Kathleen Lake, we stopped for a while to enjoy our sweets and had the place virtually to ourselves.

Our next stop was Million Dollar Falls at Km 159. This is the upper end of the falls, which is actually a long series of falls. Extensive boardwalks and stairs allow access to a couple of good viewing locations but there’s a lot more to see via the rough trails on the other side of the river. The viewing areas aren’t wheelchair accessible so Cathy’s Mom unfortunately didn’t get to see this wonderful view.

Million Dollar Falls, looking down into the canyon.

The peaceful Takhanne River a few hundred feet above the falls. About 20 feet from this spot is a campsite – one of 33 in Million Dollar Falls Campground.

The view south at Km 138, looking up the Tatshenshini River valley. This is one of those places that photos really don’t do justice to, and one that we’d like to spend a lot more time exploring. Another year, perhaps – when the house renovation is mostly complete and maybe we’ll even have sold the Carcross cabin and bought a motorhome…

This was the closest we got to Haines – the Haines Summit at Km 99. The elevation here is 3,493 feet (1,070 meters), 200 feet higher than the White Pass summit. The clouds were getting thicker and dropping, and with The Three Guardsmen hidden there was little incentive to continue.

It was almost 8:00 pm when we got home, having put 665 km on the car. It was a fine day – even without bears 🙂