{"id":26267,"date":"2026-09-30T22:47:09","date_gmt":"2026-10-01T02:47:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/aleta.life\/?p=26267"},"modified":"2026-10-01T00:36:10","modified_gmt":"2026-10-01T04:36:10","slug":"haines-ak","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/aleta.life\/index.php\/2026\/09\/30\/haines-ak\/","title":{"rendered":"Haines, AK"},"content":{"rendered":"
Position: 59\u00b040’09.1″N 136\u00b033’26.6″W<\/a><\/h6>\n

Haines Junction in the Yukon Territory is a nexus for visitors to Alaska. Anyone traveling west along the ALCAN<\/a> (Alaska-Canada highway) passes through Haines Junction. A few hardy souls might leave Whitehorse and head north towards Dawson City, the epicentre of the Klondike Gold Rush. From there you ferry across the Yukon River and endure 150 miles of unpaved road (the Top of the World Highway<\/a>) before you\u2019re back on solid tarmac near Tok, Alaska. Fearing for Molly\u2019s windshield, we opted instead for the tamer southern route along the ALCAN. On our return leg, we paused in Haines Junction for a night, staying in a slightly dilapidated motel and enjoying a hearty meal at the Mile 1016 Pub<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Kluane NP<\/h6>\n

\"\"<\/a>Head south from Haines Junction on Highway 3<\/a> and you\u2019ll reach Haines, Alaska, in about three hours. The road skirts the edge of the Kluane National Park and Reserve<\/a> and quickly became a favourite from the entire trip. As the last vestiges of mankind fell away in the rearview mirror, the park offered us views of not-so-distant snow-covered peaks and promises of wilderness hikes all along the route. The mountains, up to a tide mark, are covered in the low shrubs favoured by the thin soils of tundra. The early autumn reds and golds of the understory were still only being hinted at.<\/p>\n

This is not a land of rich arboreal forests. It helped that the day was bright and sunny under almost cloudless skies. In my next life we will bring a canoe and paddle around Kathleen Lake<\/a> and take an epic backcountry trek. The road climbs steadily to a summit of 3,500\u2019 (1,070m) and then begins a slow descent back into the United States. For the entire trip I think we saw only three other cars. The border crossing was peremptory and professional and took no time at all.<\/p>\n

From the border the road runs straight down into Haines<\/a>. A couple of campgrounds and a viewpoint or two are the only things to distract you. The Chilkat River runs along the righthand side of the road and a long 4,000\u2019 high ridge occupies the lefthand side. Haines straddles a flat-ish piece of land between the Chilkoot and Chilkat Inlets. The original name for the area was Deish\u00fa, meaning, \u2018the end of the trail\u2019. The indigenous Tlingit used the isthmus as a portage to avoid the long paddle around the Chilkat Peninsula.<\/p>\n

Fort Seward<\/h6>\n

\"\"<\/a>In the late 1800s when Britain and America were arguing over the border of Alaska and Canada. The original purchase agreement with Russia was a little vague. But when the Klondike Gold Rush took hold, it suddenly made the need for an agreed boundary essential. Fort Seward was authorized by William McKinley in 1898 as part of a regional bulwark against possible British hostilities. Between 1921 and 1925 all the other military installations in Alaska were closed, but Fort Seward maintained a force of 255 soldiers. It remained active until 1945 and today houses an arts colony and a hostel (which we stayed at). We only stayed at the hostel after we learned that the Chilkoot Lake State Recreation Site<\/a> was closed due to staffing shortages.<\/p>\n

Bears<\/h6>\n

Arriving in town around midday meant we had plenty of time to explore. After a steadying coffee and bun at the Rusty Compass Coffeehouse<\/a>, our first excursion was up to the campsite to see what we were missing out on. It turns out that we had missed a good deal. The campsite sits at the bottom of the very picturesque Chilkoot Lake. Tall, snow laden mountains tumble down to the lake\u2019s calm waters giving it a distinctly Alpine vibe. When we arrived, we wandered out on the floating dock for a clearer view of the surroundings. As sailors we are naturally drawn to docks as flies are to manure. Long lines of kayaks were moored up, seemingly ready to paddle out onto the lake. Then we took a walk through the campground, just to check things out.<\/p>\n

By the time we returned to the car a group of people had formed with all eyes and cameras focussed on the dock. Looking in that direction, we spotted a mama bear and four cubs clowning around on the dock where we\u2019d just stood. Alaska State Parks describe Chilkoot Lake<\/a>, with its annual salmon run, as a \u2018bear highway\u2019. Bears and fisherfolk line the river when the salmon are running, which they were. I was very happy our bear bells had jingled all the way through our walk around the campground.<\/p>\n

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