RV LAND CRUISERS

by Angela Kowalik Wagon Master

Planning an RVing trip to Alaska? If so, you should consider including the Klondike Loop route, an interesting deviation from the Alaska Highway. This route takes you from Whitehorse to historic Dawson City in the Yukon, then the Top of the World Highway and to Chicken Alaska, ending in Tok:

Dawson City, Yukon, only 165 miles from the Artic Circle, is situated on the Yukon River at its confluence with the Klondike River. With the discovery of gold (aka the Klondike Gold Rush 1896-1899) thousands of prospectors descended on this area making Dawson City Yukon’s first capital when Yukon became a separate territory in 1898. After World War II, and the completion of the Alaska Highway (which bypassed Dawson City), the capital was moved to Whitehorse in 1952. Even so, the City of Dawson has maintained its eclectic gold rush feel with boardwalks and saloons, and gold mining. Although it’s population today is just over 1,500, it is the second largest town in Yukon (Whitehorse being the largest). From Dawson City, the George Black Ferry crosses the Yukon River, to the Top of the World Highway.

Top of the World Highway is just that, a super scenic road (unpaved/ gravel) with top-of-the-world views. It connects Dawson City with Chicken, AK.

Chicken, Alaska, frequently noted on lists of unusual place names, was supposedly named by early gold miners who wanted to name their camp "ptarmigan" (now the official state bird of Alaska). Since they couldn’t agree on the spelling, they settled on Chicken since that is the common name for ptarmigan.

Although extremely remote, and with a population of maybe twelve, Chicken is still an active gold mining town with three businesses and is getting more and more traffic each year as the Klondike Loop continues to grow in popularity among travelers.

To join the group and keep up with our events, where we will be making adventures happen, please contact:

Angela Kowalik, SPYCRVLandCruisers@gmail.com