If you decide to drive from Tok, Alaska into the Yukon at Dawson City, you’ll get to experience the ‘fun’ of the Top of the World Highway!
In Alaska, you’ll be driving on the Taylor Highway. This highway leads from Tok right up to the town of Eagle and goes through some of the richest gold mining areas in Alaska.
Driving the Taylor Hwy. is not for the faint of heart. Firstly the term ‘highway’ is misleading; it is ‘paved’ from Tok to Chicken … but by ‘paved’ I mean a roller coaster ride up and down paved patches interspersed with gravel, potholes, and crazy frost heaves. Luckily there’s not much in the way of scenery along the way as you’re too focused on trying to keep your vehicle in one piece to look around!
Low shrubs, forests of stunted black spruce … much of which has been consumed by a forest fire at some point in the past.
Views on Taylor Highway
I can’t even imagine how tough the gold miners were during the gold rush. Straying off the highway today would be tough going even now … within meters you’d be hacking your way through almost impenetrable bush, wading through swamps, fording rivers … but the lure of striking it rich was a powerful one!
Here’s some views of along the Taylor Highway leading up to Chicken:
Along Taylor Highway
Along Taylor Highway
CHICKEN, Alaska
Reaching Chicken is such a relief that you’ll be ready for a break. This is a very funky little (little!) town with several gift shops, a saloon, campgrounds, gas station and a wonderful café with great espresso drinks and really good food! There’s a large eating area both indoors and out and good and clean outhouses to use.
There’s an old gold dredge with tours you can take or you can pan for gold yourself. And of course … a giant chicken!
Chicken Alaska
Chicken Alaska
After leaving Chicken … the excitement really begins. It no longer pretends to be paved … it’s just gravel/dirt. But still has lots of the above mentioned potholes AND lots of washboard/teeth rattling/pottery-shattering areas. We drove through during/after a rain, so very quickly our RV and tow vehicle were covered in mud.
I was able to white-knuckle it through about another 20 miles when we happened upon Walker Fork BLM where we swerved in, found a site and I attempted to unclench my hand from the door handle. It’s a really nice campground and only $10! A nice respite before finishing your journey.
After that it’s more of the same only now you’re climbing … up to over 4,000 ft at the summit! And just to add to my delight with the road … we were now in extremely dense fog with visibility almost nil. What fun!
Top of the World Highway
Top of the World Highway
The only good this is that about 13 miles before the U.S./CDN border crossing there’s new, wonderful pavement! Enjoy it because it doesn’t last!
The Little Gold/Poker Creek border crossing from Alaska to the Yukon is the northernmost international border crossing in North America … in the middle of nowhere … I wonder how lonely/boring it gets for those border guards? Anyway … made it though with no issues and off we go.
After the border crossing into the Yukon, the road becomes Yukon Hwy #9 or (unofficially) The Top of the World Highway. It is officially open from May – September but stays open till the first snowfall. The border crossing however closes in Mid-September and after that point there is no crossing the border! Travelers beware!
In the clouds at the Top of the World Highway
The road now goes back to gravel/dirt but when it’s clear … you can see forever! No high mountains, but rolling hills and large forests of black spruce and brush. Quite lovely in it’s own way. You can also see snowbanks along the side of the road – even in summer!
Views at the top of the world hwy
This continues for about another 65 miles (105 km). 65 miles and about 3 hours of what people pay money to ride in amusement parks to scare the heck out of themselves! It took me a day to recover (and many glasses of wine!)
It’s quite desolate and there are no amenities along the way although there is a wayside with outhouses and garbage pails at about mile 54 from Dawson. But as for fuel … you either gas up in Dawson – if you’re going west and either Tok or Chicken – if you’re going east depending on the range of your vehicle. There’s nothing in between.
Upon reaching the Yukon river … you’re almost to Dawson … but you still have to get across the river. This is done via The George Black ferry – a free ferry that runs continuously 24 hours a day in the summer and in the spring and fall from 7:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. daily. It’s a short trip which takes only about 10 minutes … and you’ve made it YAY!
George Black Ferry to Dawson City
Dirty Car after the Top of the World Hwy
Exactly the information I was looking for. Thank you. Do you remember the amount of actual travelling time (bearing in mind the weather and road conditions) between Tok and Chicken. And again Chicken to Dawson City. Also – any info on camping around Tok.
Thank you so much,
Shauna
Hi Shauna! The drive is quite ‘exciting’ … well worth it tho! It’s not actually that far from Tok to Chicken and the road is ‘relatively’ in good shape. It’s hard to remember … I think it was a 2 – 3 hour drive. From Chicken to Dawson City isn’t that far milage-wise either but I’d give it about 4 – 5 hours, just because of the possible nasty road conditions and weather. You of course have to take the ferry into and out of Dawson City but it runs continually so you don’t have to wait long.
The best (and the really only that we could find) RV park in Tok is the Tok RV Village. It’s very large, has an RV wash (which you’ll probably need!) full hook-ups and walking distance to grocery & souvenir places. Reasonably priced (still high but …) and they give you a warm cookie when you check in! Other than that … there’s not much else around! Have a wonderful trip! Wish I were going again! Linda
We have a 40′ Class A diesel pusher towing a Jeep. We know the nature of the roads (we think). I think we plan on putting some wire screening under the coach to the rear to prevent a rock from damaging the radiator. We also have protection for the Jeep (full width mudflap and a protective barrier for the front of the Jeep. We plan on 30MPH. Do you think that is enough protective measures? Did you see other class As up there?
Mike again – didn’t complete the first entry.
Campgrounds along the way?
Are there any car rentals places in Tok or Chicken that will allow u to drive from Tok to Chicken to Dawson City? If so, would u give the names of them.
Hi! I know for a fact that there’s nothing in Chicken. Literally … nothing. Tok is a bit bigger but I highly doubt that there’s a car rental place there. Because to get there … you have to drive. But I’m not 100% sure. And since it’s such a gnarly to drive to Dawson, I doubt whether anyone would willingly want to rent you something to drive the road. But certainly try Googling ‘rental cars in Tok, AK’ just to be sure. Good luck … it’s an amazing but crazy drive!
linda
Loved reading your blog. We are planning a Alaska drive by SUV and going into Yukon next summer. In the planning state right now. Do you have other great writings about other Alaska adventures.
I rode on a bus out of Fairbanks, over-nighted in Tok, up to Chicken and Top of the World to Dawson City. It was quite an experience and Holland America now flies people from Fairbanks to Dawson instead of the long bus ride. I thoroughly enjoyed it, but we had good weather. But, the road was just as you described it. Dirt and gravel, I couldn’t believe they allowed big coaches on it! Laws may have changed.
As for the rental car question, that would probably have to be fulfilled at Fairbanks.
Would you recommend driving east or west if we wanted to make it a look (using the highway between Dawson city and Whitehorse as well). Any pros and cons to either direction? Thanks
Hi Allison, We have driven it both ways and I really don’t think there are any real advantages to driving it either way. The only thing I can think of is that it’s nice to have good weather driving the Top of the World Highway,(we have also driven that in great weather and really bad weather). So if you have time to wait for good weather, Dawson City would be the best choice of places to that. Cheers! Bruce