Yukon and Alaska Bound, Part 13 - Whitehorse to Carmacks

Drive From Whitehorse to Carmacks, Yukon

Yukon Visitor Information Center

Leaving Whitehorse we drove into town to visit the Tourist Information.

We hoped they would have some more information about Inuvik. But all she said, phone Dawson City to make sure Northwest Territories tourism office was open there.

So off we went after we picked up coffees and sandwiches from the "Baked" Coffee shop.

"Baked" is located kitty-corner from Starbucks, 4 doors down on Main Street. Great food and coffees. It was packed.

Keeping a good eye on the road.

Canada Day tomorrow

Liz in front of the Carmacks Hotel

Five Finger Rapids

View from the road

Zoomed in. The channel closest is the one the stern-wheeler used.

Panorama of the Five Finger Rapids

Liz at the lower view point. It is worth the hike.

I would not want to navigate one of those tubs through here

Shoes are covered in volcanic ash

Once on Highway #2, the Klondike Highway, the road became narrow and often full of potholes.

This route was first used by Natives, later by trappers, prospectors, and gold rush stampeders if they did not take the stern-wheeler boats. Some of the bridges were ferries at first.

Just outside Whitehorse there is some farm land. Later over the "Miners Range" it is just wilderness, forest, mountains, lakes and rivers.

Along the road we noted a layer of white volcanic ash just under the top layer of top soil.


More research shows that 1,250 years ago a violent eruption from a volcano in Eastern Alaska covered 323,000 sq km with a layer of ash.


The volcano is now under the Klutlan Glacier which is a 64 km long glacier in the state of Alaska.


It is located southwest of Mount Nazirean and flows east across the border with Canada, then north to form the headwaters of the Klutlan River.

We drove all the way to Carmacks and settled down in the RV Park behind the hotel.


It is really a parking lot with hook ups. They have full hook-ups so we were happy.

We went for a little walk along the Yukon River. Carmacks' history is very connected to the steam ships which brought miners, trappers and gamblers to the goldfields.

Once the rush was over, Carmacks survived, but "just".


Many people around here seems to have a close connection with the beer bottle.

We decided to visit "Five Finger Rapids". It is about 30 km past Carmacks.


Here the Yukon River made navigating the stern-wheelers traitorous with several small islands right in the middle of the rapids.

We hiked down a bunch of stairs and then along the river.


Here we actually walked on some of that ash we were talking about earlier.

Soon we got to the rapids and care must be taken not to fall in. There are no guard rails so keep everyone alert and careful.

It must have been really tough navigating through this rapids with those big tubs.


Only the most easterly channel, closest to the view point is navigable. This is a very interesting hike and it has excellent information panels telling us about the past.

More pictures here.

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