Is Top of the World Hwy paved
Is the Top of the World Hwy completely paved? I have new tires plus spare but hesitate to drive in dust or gravel. My wife is a nervous ninny if there are no guard rails so I also need to know if ...
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It only takes a few miles climbing out of Dawson City to realize where the name of this road comes from. For much of the 127 kilometers (79 miles) between Dawson and the junction with the Taylor Highway, it wanders around the high points of a series of ridges far above treeline, and the views just go on and on forever.
The fall colors on the Top of the World Highway in Canada's Yukon Territory are a photographer's dream come true - and fall comes very early here! The highway was all paved (chipsealed, actually) in the late 1990s, but the chipseal hasn't been maintained, so as of 2013, about half of it is gravel.
The Top of the World puts on its finest show for photographers shortly after the first hard frosts arrive, usually in mid-August. The hills turn colours so brilliant that it seems almost unreal, as you can see to the right.
There is only one campground on the Top of the World, right at the ferry landing in West Dawson. There are many large parking areas, though, where campers can "boondock". If you plan on overnighting in Chicken or Tok, the fairly short distance involved on this leg of your journey allows for a late start out of Dawson City, effectively giving an extra half-day for exploring "The City of Gold". Some people, however, continue on to Fairbanks, for a total day's mileage of 632 kilometers (393 miles).
The Top of the World Highway is wide and has few steep drops, but that's not the case once you cross the border into Alaska. This is one of the routes where experience driving on mountain roads makes the difference between an easy and enjoyable journey and one that is memorable for other reasons. If narrow, winding mountain roads are all in a day's work for you, you're going to have a lot of fun! If you're not, just keep your speed down and make lots of stops to enjoy the views. There is very little traffic, but if someone comes up behind you, make whatever effort you can to let them by so everyone has a good trip.
The fall colors on the Top of the World Highway in Canada's Yukon Territory are a photographer's dream come true - and fall comes very early here! The highway was all paved (chipsealed, actually) in the late 1990s, but the chipseal hasn't been maintained, so as of 2013, about half of it is gravel.
The Top of the World puts on its finest show for photographers shortly after the first hard frosts arrive, usually in mid-August. The hills turn colours so brilliant that it seems almost unreal, as you can see to the right.
There is only one campground on the Top of the World, right at the ferry landing in West Dawson. There are many large parking areas, though, where campers can "boondock". If you plan on overnighting in Chicken or Tok, the fairly short distance involved on this leg of your journey allows for a late start out of Dawson City, effectively giving an extra half-day for exploring "The City of Gold". Some people, however, continue on to Fairbanks, for a total day's mileage of 632 kilometers (393 miles).
The Top of the World Highway is wide and has few steep drops, but that's not the case once you cross the border into Alaska. This is one of the routes where experience driving on mountain roads makes the difference between an easy and enjoyable journey and one that is memorable for other reasons. If narrow, winding mountain roads are all in a day's work for you, you're going to have a lot of fun! If you're not, just keep your speed down and make lots of stops to enjoy the views. There is very little traffic, but if someone comes up behind you, make whatever effort you can to let them by so everyone has a good trip.
