The Golden Circle Run

Beginning at Skagway, the road climbs for 14 miles/22.5 km to the 3,292 foot/1003 m summit near the Alaska/Canada border. Between Skagway and the border the road roughly parallels the old White Pass Trail, an alternate to the Chilkoot Trail which ultimately proved more popular as it was the shorter of the two climbs. The only population center along the 114 miles/183 km of connecting routes between Skagway and Whitehorse is the small community of Carcross. At present, there are no services between Skagway and Carcross. The mileage markers along the way indicate the distance from Skagway.

Emergency Services
Skagway Fire Department-911
Carcross (867) 821-5555 (RCMP) or (867) 821-4444 Medical Emergency
Whitehorse Ambulance-911

mile 0-Skagway Alaska .
Pay attention to the speed limit signs as the police are very serious about the speed limits in Skagway. The reduced speed zone extends to the White Pass Summit mile 14.3/km 23.

mile 1.4/km 2.3 Turn-off. On right (for northbound). Follows railroad track .6 mile/1 km to Gold Rush Cemetery where Jefferson Randolph "Soapy" Smith and Frank Reid are buried. Hiking trail leads from the cemetery to Reid's Falls.

mile 1.6/km 2.6 Skagway River. Highway curves west past the White Pass and Yukon Route yard's and crosses Skagway River.

mile 2.3/km 3.7 Dyea turn-off 7.7 mile/12.4 km road to Dyea, Skagway's neighboring town in goldrush days. Remains of a wharf, foundations of some buildings, and Slide Cemetery can be found here. Dyea road is narrow, high above the water in places and has no guard rail. Be extremely cautious.

mile 5/km 8 Parking area. View of White Pass and Yukon Route Railroad on east side of canyon and the old Brackett Wagon Road on valley floor beside the Skagway River.

mile 5.5/km 8.9 Parking area with Historical Exhibit. Porcupine Creek was an ideal campsite for stampeders on Trail of '98.

mile 6.1/km 9.8 Parking.

mile 6.9/km 11 US Customs Station. Open 24 hours in the summer months. All travelers entering the US must stop.

mile 9.1/km 14.6 Parking, Historical information sign about the Klondike Gold Rush Trail. Good view of White Pass & Yukon Route and the canyon leading to Esk Glacier.

mile 10/km 16 Parking area at waterfall.

mile 11.1/km 17.9 Captain William Moore Bridge spans 110-foot/33.5 m gorge.

mile 11.8/km 19 Parking with view of Captain William Moore Bridge, hanging glacier, Sawtooth Mountains, and Skagway River gorge.

mile 13/km 20.9 Parking.

mile 14.3/km 23  White Pass Summit, parking. Highest point on the highway 3,292 ft/1003 m. The speed limit is 40mph/60 kmph from hereto Skagway, the police often have radar here. Mileage markers along the highway in Canada are in Kilometres.

km 24/mile 15 US/Canada Border, parking Highway begins descent into BC lake country. Time zone change. If you are traveling to the Yukon, it is one hour later. (PST in the Yukon)

km 26/mile 16 Rest are with view. Summit Lake and White Pass and Yukon Route RR station.

km 29/mile 18 Summit Creek, parking.

km 35/mile 21.7 Parking.

km 36.5/mile 22.6 Canadian Customs Station at Fraser. Open 24 hours. All vehicles must stop for inspection. View of Fraser Lake.

km 36.8/mile 22.8 Fraser, rest area with information sign.

km 38.5/mile 24 Parking.

km 43/mile 26.7 Parking with view of Tormented Valley.

km 44/mile 27.3 Highway crosses rails of White Pass and Yukon Railway at Log Cabin. This is the exit point for the Chilkoot Trail so there are always hikers in this area.

km 46/mile 28.6 Parking.

km 49.8/mile 31 Tutshi River.

km 57/mile 35 to km 70/mile 43 provides a view of Tutshi (too-shy) Lake. The highway parallels the lake for several miles and there are numerous parking areas along the road.

km 58/mile 36 Parking.

km 62.1/mile 38.6 Parking.

km 64.5/mile 40 Side Road on right (for northbound) leads to boat landing and undeveloped picnic area on Tutshi Lake (not recommended for large vehicles).

km 70/mile 43.5 Parking with view of Tutshi Lake.

km 75/mile 46.6 Venus Mines concentrator closed in 1981.

km 77/mile 47.8 Parking, view eastward of Windy Arm, an extension of Tagish Lake.

km 79.8/mile 49.6 Dall Creek.

km 80.3/mile 49.9 BC/Yukon Border. Rest area with view of Windy Arm.

km 83.4/mile 51.8 Parking.

km 83.5/mile 51.8 Remains of an Historic Mill from old Venus Mine. Mill operated for 6 months in 1910 before mine shut down.

km 84.2/mile 52.3 Pooly Creek.

km 85/mile 52.8 Parking.

km 87.4/mile 54.3 Venus Mine. Ore storage bin and foundation of old mill.

km 95/mile 59 Rest area with historical sign and view of Bove Island, toilets.

km 98.1/mile 61 Parking.

km 104/mile 64.6 Nares Lake.

km 105.2/mile 66 Nares River Bridge. Spans narrows between Bennett Lake and Tagish Lake. On left (for northbound), you can see railroad bridge for White Pass & Yukon Route.

km 105.5/mile 65.6 Carcross, pop. 430.
Services: Airstrip, Caribou Hotel, gas, store, police, post office.
Matthew Watson General Store The oldest operating store in the Yukon is loaded with both artifacts and a huge range of gifts, clothing, souvenirs - and an ice cream parlour.

km 106/mile 65.9 Carcross Yukon government campground, 12 camp sites, water, tables. Fee area.

km 107/mile 66.5 Junction with Yukon Highway 8 which leads to Tagish, Atlin Road and Alaska Highway at Jake's Corner. Visitor facilities.

km 107.9/mile 67 Point of interest sign on the Carcross Desert, parking. Most Canadians have never heard of Carcross Desert. The Yukon is home to the smallest desert in the world, less than 260 hectares. This desert is the remains of the sandy bottom of a glacial lake left after our last ice age. The dry climate and the strong wind conditions is what created the sand dunes and what allows little vegetation to grow.

km 108.6/mile 67.5 Frontierland, wildlife museum, gift shop, heritage park, coffee house.

km 115/mile 71.5 Spirit Lake Lodge, visitor facilities.

km 116.9/mile 72.6 Spirit Lake.

km 117.5/mile 73 View Point at Emerald Lake with Point of Interest sign.One of the most beautiful lakes in the Yukon.

km 128.5/mile 79.8 Side road leads to Lewes Lake 2 km/1.2 miles. Fishing for grayling & Lake Trout.

km 136.5/mile 84.8 Rat Lake.

km 142.4/mile 88.5 Robinson Roadhouse Historical Site, Rest area with view of Robinson, once a stop on the White Pass and Yukon Route. The town was named for Stikine Bill Robinson, an early day adventurer.

km 148.4/mile 92.2 Cowley Road leads to an abandoned White Pass & Yukon Railroad Station. Access via 2.6 km/1.6 miles side road.

km 1425.5/mile 885.8Junction. Two Mile Hill descends to Whitehorse city center with all visitor facilities and lots to see and do.

km 1426.9/mile 886.6 Kopper King 867-668-2347. Motel, cable TV, kitchenettes. Pizza House, tavern & lounge convenience store & Petro Canada products.

km 1428.2/mile 887.4--McIntyre Creek.

km 1428.3/mile 887.5Fish Lake Road.

km 1437/mile 893.6. Junction of Klondike Highway to Dawson City.

km 1468.9/mile 912.7-Takhini River.

km 1481/mile 920 -Annie Ned Creek.

km 1484.8/mile 922.6-Stony Creek.

km 1487/mile 923.4-Parking, sign about the 1958 burn area, more than 1.5 million acres were burned due to a careless camper.

km 1489.1/mile 925.3 -Side road to viewpoint 3.2 km/2 miles, Takhini River Campground 15 km, Kusawa Lake campground 23 km/14 miles, gravel road is narrow and winding, camp sites.

km 1503.6/mile 934.3 -Mendenhall River

km 1534.8/mile 953.3 Cracker Creek.

km 1546/mile 960.6-Otter Falls visitor facilities.

km 1547.5/mile 961.6 Aishihik River, Rest Area at east end of Aishihik bridge with view of Canyon Creek Bridge, originally built in 1920 to haul supplies to Silver City, it was rebuilt in 1942 during construction of the Alaska Highway  The bridge was typical of the type of construction used on the Alaska Highway. It was rebuilt again in 1987 and the Yukon government refurbished it in 2005.

Aishihik Lake Campground 42 km/26 miles, camp sites, shelter, fishing. Aishihik road leads 29 km/18 miles to Otter Falls day-use recreation site. Picnic tables, kitchen shelters and boat launch. There is fly fishing for lake trout, grayling and  rainbow below the falls. 17 km/11 miles beyond the falls is the southern end of 40 mile-long Aishihik Lake with boat launch and fishing for lake trout, grayling and northern pike. The road (which is maintained only as far as Otter  Falls) continues on to the abandoned First Nations village of Aishihik, 135 km/84 miles (and is not recommended for large RV's).

km1562.5/mile 970.9 Marshall Creek

km 1566.2/mile 973.2 Rest Area.

km 1572.2/mile 976.9-Pine Lake Public Campground. 42 camp sites,  water, fire pits, shelters, swimming beach, excellent interpretive trial.  Fishing and boating in nearby lake for lake trout, grayling, white fish, burbot  and pike. Fee area.

km 1584/mile 984.3-Rest area.

km 1578.5/mile 980.8 -Haines Junction. Population 800.

km 1579.2/mile 981.2 Kluane RV Kampground gas and oil products. Full hook-ups, showers, laundromat, convenience store, gift shop and gas

 

This 153-mile/246 km highway connects Haines Junction (a small community at km 1635 on the Alaska Hwy.) to Haines, Alaska. Alaska  State Troopers Office (in Haines) at 907-766-2552, or the Royal Canadian Mounted  Police detachment (in Haines Junction) at 867-632-5555 or Yukon Government Highways 1-800-661-0408 or 867-667-8215.

Emergency Services
Haines Volunteer Fire Dept.-911 or 766-2121.

Haines Junction--634-4444/634-5555 RCMP.

mile 3.4/km 5.5 Indian Graveyard. Visible from highway.

mile 3.5/km 5.6 Haines Airport.

mile 4.1/km 6.6 Parking along Chilkat River.

mile 6/km 9.7 Parking along Chilkat River.

mile 9.5/km 15.3 West boundary Chilkat Eagle Preserve.

mile 11/km 17.7 Parking.

mile 13.9/km 22.4 Fourteen Mile Slough, parking, fall fishing for  Dolly Varden, salmon.

mile 19/km 30.6 Large parking area beside Chilkat River. There are often bald eagles along this stretch of the river.

mile 20.2/km 32.5 Parking.

mile 20.7/km 33.3 Parking.

mile 21.5/km 34.6 Klukwan Indian Village.

mile 23.8/km 38.3 Chilkat River bridge.

mile 27.2/km 43.8 Mosquito Lake State Recreation Site. Access via  2.7-mile side road. 13 units border lake. Trout, whitefish. Store.

mile 28.8/km 46.3 Muncaster Creek.

mile 30.9/km 49.7 East boundary Chilkat Eagle Preserve.

mile 31.6/km 50.9 Little Boulder Creek, parking.

mile 33.1/km 53.3 Visitor facilities.

mile 33.8/km 54.4 Big Boulder Creek, parking. Dolly Varden catches permitted. This creek is closed periodically to salmon fishing, check locally  for current regulations.

mile 34/km 54.7 Parking.

mile 36.3/km 58.4 View of Saksaia Glacier.

mile 40.5/km 65.2 U.S. Customs. Dalton Cache Station. All traffic  entering the U.S. must stop at customs. Open year round 7am to 11pm Alaska Time. Alaska is one hour earlier than the Yukon.

mile 40.8/km 65.7 Canada Customs. Pleasant Camp. All travelers entering Canada must stop. Open year-round 8am to midnight PST (time in the Yukon).

km 78.2/mile 48.6 Five Mile Creek.

km 87.4/mile 54.3 Seltat Creek parking area.

km 89/mile 55.3 Parking.

km 92/mile 57.2 Three Guardsmen Lake.

km 95.8/mile 59.5 Stonehouse Creek, Three Guardsmen Pass can be seen to the northeast.

km 96.2/mile 59.7 Clear Creek.

km 102.1/mile 63.4 Haines Road Summit 1070 meters/3,493 feet. Highest  point on the highway. Parking.

km 103/mile 64 Parking.

km 107/mile 66.4 Chuck Creek, parking.

km 109/mile 67.7 Nadahini River.

km 115/mile 71.5 Airstrip.

km 116.3/mile 72.3 Mule Creek.

km 124/mile 77 Goat Creek.

km 127/mile 78.9 Holum Creek.

km 131/mile 81.4 Twin Lakes.

km 133.9/mile 83.2 Large parking area.

km 134.4/mile 83.5 Mansfield Creek.

km 136.4/mile 84.8 Stanley Creek.

km 144.8/mile 90 Blanchard River.

km 144.9/mile 90 Blanchard River maintenance camp.

km 145.6/mile 90.5 Entering Kluane Game Sanctuary.

km 145.7/mile 90.5 BC/Yukon border.

km 150.3/mile 93.4 Parking.

km 159.4/mile 99 Million Dollar Falls Yukon Government Campground.  1 km/.6 mile side road. Picnic tables, toilets, shelters, water, 33 camp sites,  playground-obstacle course, and hiking trails. Fee area. Be aware, this is grizzly bear country.

km 159.5/mile 99.1 Takahanne River. Million Dollar Falls trailhead, large parking area.

km 162/mile 100.6 Scenic view of the Kluane Mountain Range and BC's  Tatshenshini-Alsek Wilderness Park.

km 171.1/mile 106.3 Motheral Creek.

km 173.5/mile 107.8 Parking.

km 174.2/mile 108.2 Vand Creek.

km 182/mile 113 Klukshu Creek, parking.

km 183/mile 113.7 Klukshu Indian Village. A summer fish camp of the  Klukshu Indians. Museum and gift shop.

km 185/mile 115 Gribbles Gulch.

km 186.8/mile 116 St. Elias Lake Trailhead parking area. Kluane National Park borders the highway from here to Haines Junction.

km 188/mile 116.8 If you are traveling toward Haines Junction this is your first view of Dezadeash Lake.

km 193.9/mile 120.5 Parking area on Dezadeash Lake.

km 195.8/mile 121.7 Dezadeash Lake Yukon government campground, 20 camp sites, toilets, boat launch, no drinking water. Fee area. Dezadeash is Indian for "Lake of the Great Winds". The lake is shallow and 15 miles long, storms come up quickly. Good fishing for lake trout, northern pike, and grayling.

km 202.2/mile 125.6 Viewpoint, parking at Rock Glacier Trailhead.

km 206.5/mile 128.3 Dalton Lodge.

km 219.7/mile 136.5 The Cabin Bed & Breakfast.

km 219.8/mile 136.6 Kathleen Lake Public Campground, 1 km/.6 mile  side road. 42 camp sites, water, toilets, tables, hiking trails, boat launch,  and fishing for lake trout and grayling. One of the Yukon's most beautiful lakes.

km 220.2/mile 136.8 Kathleen Lake Lodge. Only 25 kilometre's south of Haines Junction. They have an excellent cafe with home cooking and baking. there is a motel and a convenience store. Dry camping is available.
www.kathleenlakelodge.ca

km 221.5/mile 137.6 Kathleen River, parking. Good rainbow, grayling, and lake trout.

km 226.3/mile 140.6 Parking with information plaque on World Heritage  Site. View of Kathleen Lake.

km 233.2/mile 144.9 Quill Creek.

km 239/mile 148.5 Parking at Auriol trailhead.

km 241.9/mile 150.3 Rest area; toilets. Good view of Haines Junction area and valley.

km 245/mile 152.2 Dezadeash River bridges and hiking trails.

km 246/mile 153 Haines Junction. Km 1635 on the Alaska Highway.