Nahanni Range Road, Yukon Territory

Alaska Highway - Kluane Lake YT to Beaver Creek YT

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Kluane Lake north

View of Kluane River, Yukon
View of Kluane Lake from Alaska Highway - June 2008

Kluane River, Yukon
Kluane River valley seen from the Alaska Highway in September 1995

Donjek River Valley, Yukon, and the Alaska (Alcan) Highway
Donjek River valley, looking north from the Alaska Highway - June 2008

Donjek Valley along the Alaska Highway in Yukon
Donjek Valley viewed from the Alaska Highway- June 1996

Rough road approaching Donjek River on the Alaska Highway in Yukon
Rough highway descending the hill to the Donjek River northbound - August 2010

Donjek River looking east, Yukon from the Alaska Highway
From the Alaska Highway looking towards the east along the Donjek River - June 2008

The summer of 2008, the new Donjek River Bridge was open and the old bridge remained in place to the west.  In 2010 the old bridge and its approaches were gone.

Donjek River bridges, June 2008 -- on the Alaska Highway (Alcan)
Southbound at the Donjek River bridges - June 2008

Alaska Highway near Koidern in Yukon
Northbound on the Alaska Highway near Koidern (just south of White River) - August 2010

In June 2008 we saw 8 moose between Snag and Kluane Lake, including two sets of moms with calf.

Bull Moose between White River and Donjek River on the Alaska Highway, Yukon
Young bull waiting patiently alongside the Alaska Highway - June 2008

Two young bull moose between White River and Donjek River, Yukon
Two young bulls trotting into the bush - June 2008

Most of old bridges between Kluane and Beaver Creek have been replaced with bridges that don't have overhead structures.  I miss many of them, including the White River bridge below.

old White River bridge on the Alaska Highway, Yukon
The "old" White River bridge (historical milepost 1169), looking southbound - June 1996

Alaska Highway near White River, Yukon
On the Alaska Highway, looking east along the White River - June 2008

Alaska Highway in YukonMore rough road - August 2010

Rough road on the Alaska Highway in Yukon near Snag
More rough road on the Alaska Highway between White River and Beaver Creek - August 2010

Snag Lake, Yukon, along the Alaska Highway
Snag Lake seen from the Alaska Highway - June 2008

Alaska Highway view in Yukon
Looking west from the Alaska Highway towards the Wrangell Mountains south of Beaver Creek - August 2010

Sign to Beaver Creek, Yukon on Alaska Highway
Approaching the Beaver Creek bridge - August 2010

See the next page for pictures of Beaver Creek YT and on to Delta Junction AK

Snag - access road at km 1911

According to Wikipedia, Snag was first settled during the Klondike Gold Rush.  Later it was the site of a military airfield, established as part of the Northwest Staging Route, which closed in 1968.  In 1947, the village of Snag boasted a population of 8 to 10 natives and fur traders.  An additional staff of 15-20 airport personnel — meteorologists, radio operators, aircraft maintenance men — lived at the airport barracks.  My Dad, Jack Stalberg, joined them in the early 1950s.

There is little left to see in Snag.  The airfield is overgrown with trees, the federal government cleaned the site so little is left, and the road is a narrow, twisty road that required 4-wheel drive in 2008 due to the high water levels.

Snag also boasts the record-low temperature for North America, from February 3, 1947: −81.4 F (-63C).

Do not drive into Snag with anything other than a 4x4, unless you are certain the road is passable.  In June 2008 the one-lane road was in decent shape but there were several deep ponds that would have been impossible in a car.

View from Snag Road in Yukon, Canada
View from the road into Snag, looking west towards the Kluane Range - June 2008

White River near Snag Creek, Yukon (YT)
Snag Creek joining the White River at the end of the road, past Snag - June 2008

Vintage truck at Snag, Yukon (YT)
Truck amongst fireweed at the abandoned community of Snag - September 1993

Building at Snag, Yukon (YT)
The only remaining building at Snag - June 2008

 

Next Page - Beaver Creek YT to Delta AK