Now that we have the first 600 mi of the Alaska Highway behind us, I know that this highway has many faces - beautiful ones, interesting ones, and some not so pleasant ones. Rather than squeezing it in one post, I want to write four of them, each one viewing the highway from a different angle.
This first post will focus simply on the road itself - about 1,400 mi (2.240 km) from Dawson Creek in British Columbia to Delta Junction in Alaska. It was never just a tourist attraction: Built for military purposes in just 8 months by the US Army Corps of Engineers, it served for the development of the Canadian Northwest Territories and the Yukon after the war, and later for the exploration and operation of the ever increasing number of oil fields in British Columbia and the entire Canadian Northwest. But an uncounted number of tourists have been happy that this road exists - now including our family.
The Alaska Highway begins in Dawson Creek and is marked by this monument:
Due to extensive reconstruction, the Alaska Highway is now several hundred miles shorter than originally.
This is one of the originally constructed trestle bridges.
Common to all parts of the highway are the wildlife protection corridors on both sides, each one between 30 and 100 ft wide.
Although the highway is entirely paved, there is always extensive road construction going on in various parts, primarily due to the harsh weather conditions during most parts of the year.
One of the most impressive experiences is the lack of traffic, the farther north the road goes - sometimes several minutes between cars.
This first post will focus simply on the road itself - about 1,400 mi (2.240 km) from Dawson Creek in British Columbia to Delta Junction in Alaska. It was never just a tourist attraction: Built for military purposes in just 8 months by the US Army Corps of Engineers, it served for the development of the Canadian Northwest Territories and the Yukon after the war, and later for the exploration and operation of the ever increasing number of oil fields in British Columbia and the entire Canadian Northwest. But an uncounted number of tourists have been happy that this road exists - now including our family.
The Alaska Highway begins in Dawson Creek and is marked by this monument:
Due to extensive reconstruction, the Alaska Highway is now several hundred miles shorter than originally. This is one of the originally constructed trestle bridges.
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| Notice the distances on this sign |
Common to all parts of the highway are the wildlife protection corridors on both sides, each one between 30 and 100 ft wide.Although the highway is entirely paved, there is always extensive road construction going on in various parts, primarily due to the harsh weather conditions during most parts of the year.
 |
| Road conditions could be like this for many miles |
One of the most impressive experiences is the lack of traffic, the farther north the road goes - sometimes several minutes between cars.
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