Rosie and The Operator have got a cracker of a holiday planned flying and boating through a small part of Alaska and driving around The Yukon territory in Canada reliving the heady times of the 1898 Klondike Gold Rush for the next 23 days.
Our journey in Alaska follows the famed Inside Passage and does not include a cruise ship in any way shape or form. We will be visiting ports that are remote and have no road access, small communities that have relied through the ages on fishing, forestry and mining to survive. Rosie cant wait to see their beautiful landscapes, unique history and how these communities have adapted over time.
Ketchikan, Alaska, USA
Our roadie around the wildly beautiful, remote and empty Yukon territory in Canada follows in the footsteps of the 1898 Gold Rush Stampeders and will be a journey of over 1600km.
Dawson City, The Yukon, USA
First though we fly into Vancouver so the adventure can begin! Here is our 23 Day Itinerary.
Vancouver, BC, Canada – 3 Nights – Fly from Vancouver to Ketchikan
Ketchikan, Alaska, USA – 3 Nights – Catch the ferry to Juneau
Overnight on Alaska Marine Highway Ferry – Ketchikan to Juneau – 20 hour Journey
Juneau, Alaska, USA – 6 nights – Fly to Whitehorse
Whitehorse, Yukon Territory, Canada 1 Night – Collect Rental Car – Drive to Dawson City on the Klondike Highway – 7hours 535km
Dawson City, Yukon Territory, Canada – 2 Nights – Drive Top of The World Highway to Beaver Creek – 8 hours 446km
Beaver Creek, Yukon Territory, Canada – 1 Night Stopover – Drive Alaska Highway to Haines – 7.5 hrs 536km
Haines, Alaska, USA – 1 Night – Car ferry Haines to Skagway – Drive 2.5hrs 179km to Whitehorse
Whitehorse, Yukon Territory, Canada – 2 Nights – Fly to Vancouver and drive to Whistler 2 hours
Whistler, BC , Canada – 3 Nights
The Operator then drives back to Vancouver and returns to New Zealand for work. Rosie stays in Whistler for one month. The Operator returns to Whistler and we continue a new holiday around the Pacific North West…Portland to Seattle and all that is in between. But that’s another holiday, waiting to happen!
Whistler, BC Canada
We opted to use the Alaskan Marine Highway which is the low cost passenger ferry that locals use to get around Alaska and our chosen alternative to a cruise, as most of the towns we visit are either water or air access only. In September some of the services were reduced in frequency in preparation for the winter timetable. Hence, we had to stay a bit longer in Juneau as the ferry only passed through twice a week.
Some of our travel plans above were scuppered when our ferry was cancelled in Haines, and it is the only mode of transport to get to Skagway, there is no road…we were offered another day…which didn’t suit, so we had to abandon visiting Haines and Skagway, backtrack and detour to Whitehorse on the inland road. We were able to get an extra day in Dawson City because of it…which we are glad we had. So, even the best laid plans do not run smoothly, but they were easy fixes on the way and hey, that is life on The Road…The Operator groans.
Lets get started, Rosie cannot wait to hit said road…and water!
