Toc to Dawson City?

[lfeather]

Hello campers. We are in Anchorage,AK right now and thinking about Dawson City, after Fairbanks. I see the 100+ mile long road (5) going to DC from Toc is unpaved. Anyone traveled this road? Just wonder how unpaved is 5? Any advise is appreciated. Thanks, Larry

[Tripalot]

footslogger wrote:
Is this lookout on the Alaskan or Canadian side of the border?

Tripalot wrote:
If you do NOT drive the Top of the World hIghway and go to Dawson, you will forever regret it. Those are 2 of the must do highlights of your trip to Yukon.

Twice now we have overnighted (boondocked) at the lookout right near the border. There is a large parking lot and a monument and many people stay there (unless in recent years it has been posted no camping). It is so quiet and peaceful. We had caribou walk past our RV and completely ignore us.
The border shuts down at night and from your vantage point you can observe the lineup of trucks and cars waiting to cross in the am.

Go for it!

If my memory serves me correctly, it is on the Canadian side.
The picture Sue provided of the American side lookout was not there when we last visited. Perhaps both areas are possible boondocking sites.

[sue_t]

This pullout is on the Alaska side of the border


There's a big open area on the Yukon side a short distance from the customs buildings, which are visible on the right side of this photo

[footslogger]

Is this lookout on the Alaskan or Canadian side of the border?

Tripalot wrote:
If you do NOT drive the Top of the World hIghway and go to Dawson, you will forever regret it. Those are 2 of the must do highlights of your trip to Yukon.

Twice now we have overnighted (boondocked) at the lookout right near the border. There is a large parking lot and a monument and many people stay there (unless in recent years it has been posted no camping). It is so quiet and peaceful. We had caribou walk past our RV and completely ignore us.
The border shuts down at night and from your vantage point you can observe the lineup of trucks and cars waiting to cross in the am.

Go for it!

[rag-ftw]

Thanks for the memory jogger, Sue! Your pics always tell a good story.

[Tripalot]

If you do NOT drive the Top of the World hIghway and go to Dawson, you will forever regret it. Those are 2 of the must do highlights of your trip to Yukon.

Twice now we have overnighted (boondocked) at the lookout right near the border. There is a large parking lot and a monument and many people stay there (unless in recent years it has been posted no camping). It is so quiet and peaceful. We had caribou walk past our RV and completely ignore us.
The border shuts down at night and from your vantage point you can observe the lineup of trucks and cars waiting to cross in the am.

Go for it!

[sue_t]

Alaska Highway to the Alaska/Yukon border: http://yukonsights.ca/TaylorHwy.html

Alaska/Yukon border to Dawson City: http://yukonsights.ca/TopOfTheWorld.html

[old_idaho_guy]

Check out our trip in June. Days 14,15, & 16Blog

[rag-ftw]

YES, definitely go to Dawson City. Everything mentiond above, plus the dredge, a really cool downtown, and the ferry ride is a necessary experience! Dawson is a throw back to the old days in the Yukon.

The Taylor and Top of the World highway from Chicken to Dawson City is a one of a kind drive with views unmatched on the Alaskan Highway.

This is NOT a trip to rush. You will want to stop and enjoy the scenery numerous times during your drive. Plus if the bear is not menacing the humans at Walker Fork, about 10 miles East of Chicken, that is a good place to spend the night, unhook and make the drive into Eagle! Then the next day after you enter Canada there is a pull out where you can unhook again and make the run to 40 mile. We ended up spending the night in the pull out in 2016 as a snow storm came through late in the afternoon. Do a little research on Eagle, Walker Fork Campground, and 40 mile. Those three places are worth the drive even if Dawson wasn't at the end!

Do check with the visitor center in Tok to verify if Walker Fork is open. They closed it early last week due to an adolescent bear bothering the humans!

[fanrgs]

Dawson City was an interesting place. The ferry ride across the Yukon is short, but fun. We also enjoyed the historical museums and the Jack London and Robert Service cabins. And make sure you take the time to drive to the top of Midnight Dome--the 360 degree views are spectacular on a clear morning, like being in a helicopter without the noise.

The best thing about the TOTW Highway is getting to see completely different scenery than you saw driving up the Alaska Highway. You are up on a ridge and can see much farther than along that section of the Alaska Highway. Even the North Klondike Highway was interesting compared to returning the same way we went north. And cutting out the frost heaved pavement and long construction zones west of Destruction Bay on the AH made the flat tires on the TOTW Highway a minor inconvenience!

[Germania]

RT 5 is better known as "the top of the World Highway"Did it 2 years ago with no problem, overnited in Chicken.It was very dusty.

[lfeather]

fanrgs wrote:
Yes, we had two flat tires just after entering the Yukon from the Chicken side. But that was due to road construction--rough grading using a D-8 with 6-inch chunks of sharp rock for a roadbed on the Alaska side. However, that construction has now been completed and is paved. The Yukon side used to be paved, but what is left is pretty bad in spots. And the portion from Tok to Chicken is all paved.

The part from Chicken east almost to the border is still gravel. There are some tight hairpins and sidehill roadcuts with steep drop-offs shortly after leaving Chicken. But, with your short motorhome and even with a toad, you should have no problem with either.

You may be able to do it all in one day if you start early after overnighting in Tok. We did it from Fairbanks, so we stayed overnight at a 30A electric site at the Chicken Creek RV Park. Interestingly, they generate a substantial part of their power from a large solar array (Chicken is not on any electric grid). We also visited the former Fairbanks gold dredge while we were there.

Great info! Still trying to figure out if we really want to go to Dawson City. Larry

[fanrgs]

Yes, we had two flat tires just after entering the Yukon from the Chicken side. But that was due to road construction--rough grading using a D-8 with 6-inch chunks of sharp rock for a roadbed on the Alaska side. However, that construction has now been completed and is paved. The Yukon side used to be paved, but what is left is pretty bad in spots. And the portion from Tok to Chicken is all paved.

The part from Chicken east almost to the border is still gravel. There are some tight hairpins and sidehill roadcuts with steep drop-offs shortly after leaving Chicken. But, with your short motorhome and even with a toad, you should have no problem with either.

You may be able to do it all in one day if you start early after overnighting in Tok. We did it from Fairbanks, so we stayed overnight at a 30A electric site at the Chicken Creek RV Park. Interestingly, they generate a substantial part of their power from a large solar array (Chicken is not on any electric grid). We also visited the former Fairbanks gold dredge while we were there.