On the Yukon Quest trail – the North Klondike Highway
On Tuesday, we had our longest driving day, about 530 kilometers (330 miles) from Whitehorse to Dawson City on the North Klondike Highway. Then we’d spend 3 nights in Dawson City watching the Yukon Quest mushers arrive and depart, as well as seeing their camps during the mandatory 24-hour layover.
Our first stop was at Braeburn Lodge, famous for its massive cinnamon buns. It’s also a checkpoint for many races, including the Yukon Quest which passed through a couple of days ago, and the Yukon Arctic Ultra, which promotes itself as “the world’s coldest and toughest ultra”. It has several classes for mountain bikers, cross-country skiers and runners – Marathon, 100, 300 and 430 miles.
Steve Watson, owner of Braeburn Lodge and creator of the massive buns 🙂
It takes 4 healthy appetites to deal with one of these buns!
Back outside, Yukon Arctic Ultra racers prepare to get back on the trail.
The viewpoint at Five Finger Rapids, which was the main trouble spot for steamboats on the Yukon River, is always a “must stop”. It’s a very long walk down to the lower viewpoint, with well over 100 steps to climb on the way back up.
Our afternoon coffee stop was at Moose Creek Lodge, the other “character” lodge on the North Klondike Highway.
The owner of Moose Creek Lodge, Maja Nafzger. She opened the lodge up for a few days for people following the Yukon Quest trail under very difficult conditions including deep snow and temperatures down to -53°C (-63°F). Huge thanks, Maja – my guests loved your place!
This is our base for the next 3 nights – the Eldorado Hotel. Comfortable rooms, a large, friendly saloon and excellent food – many of the ingredients needed for a great trip.
I’m actually a day behind on the blog now – our 2 full days in Dawson City are full of sled dogs and some looks at unique locations around Dawson. We’re heading out in half and hour to watch 2 more teams start down the trail to Eagle, Alaska, but I have lots>more to show you shortly.
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