Just a warning about the Alaska Hwy

Saw in the paper where the South Klondike Highway is closed due to a rockslide between Carcross and the Alaska border. Apparently caused by too much rain in too little time. Anyone know when the road will reopen?

I have an HHR it gets 30mpg, with 162k on the clock. Front wheel drive hatchback. Its never seen a wrench. Its so good GM quit making them because they never break down. No parts to sell, no shop time. My BIL runs a junk yard and they have racks of those ecotec engines because nobody buys them for this reason. We get about 100 inches of the white wonder each winter. The HHR does real well. When the going gets tuff I take the silverado 4x4, either the 1500 or the 2500. Nothing beats 4x4 with high clearence in ice an snow.

Snag Jct to Burwash Landing is a bit rough. Don't be fooled by the smooth section, keep eyes open for pavement breaks and nasty potholes.

Burwash to Haines Junction is decent highway most of the way. Just an occasional dip or doodle. We pretty much towed the fifth wheel at the speed limit from Destruction Bay to Haines Junction.

Beware Champagne to Whitehorse though, there's some nasty heaves, some not marked.

Planning on a long slow day from Snag Jct to Haines Jct here. Can't be much worse than sections of the TOW a month ago. Some of that was barely jogging speed.

profdant139 wrote:
Sue, the fact that you live in the Yukon and drive a Fit is a great advertisement for the Fit! It is not 4 wheel drive, and yet it has sufficient traction for the winter, right?

And sufficient ground clearance for the frost heaves??

My Honda Fit is our preferred vehicle, especially through the winter.

Last winter there were two snowfalls overnight in excess of 9" that created some challenges when the plow crews weren't out in the morning before I needed to get to town - my bumper was pushing snow UP & OVER my windshield. My car made it the 35 miles to town.

First winter here I was in town all day and there was a bad snow storm. Gov't advised no driving the highway due to limited visibility and snow on the highway. Two Mile Hill was closed due to vehicles stuck on it, but the other two routes out of downtown were closed too. So I went UP Two Mile Hill and my little Honda Fit weaved in and out around the stuck vehicles without issue, and it got me home in the driving snow. Took me 70 minutes instead of 45 because visibility was about 50 feet ahead.

Good winter tires on it! Maybe this should be an ad for Toyo Observe GSi5 snowies. I think the front wheel drive pulling a lightweight car makes the difference. It never slips or slides on compact snow, and does real well on ice.

Our 4x4 truck has good tires too, but in all honesty the Fit does better on slick or snowy roads, unless the snow is too deep for it.

The Fit is darn good on the frost heaves too -- better than the truck and our other car which have harder suspension. It's like a little go-cart whipping along.

And it doesn't complain about driving to town at -40. And it starts after a day of -20F without its block heater being plugged in!

Love my Honda Fit! Drove it to the Haines Summit in March...

I thought this was to be expected in that country?

Build a building and have one development under it if you want to see and hear a wreck in slow mo. :(

Sue, the fact that you live in the Yukon and drive a Fit is a great advertisement for the Fit! It is not 4 wheel drive, and yet it has sufficient traction for the winter, right?

And sufficient ground clearance for the frost heaves??

The section near Whitehorse that is bad was rebuilt three years ago. It didn't take long for it to heave again. Not so bad in my Honda Fit BUT in an RV -- nasty.

I never knew what a frost heave was until I did some driving in Maine. The roads buckle because of the freezing and unfreezing below the road. They place signs before most of them. And they will damage your vehicle if you don't take it very slow or go around them.