Kluane National Park and a trip down the Haines Highway
The Haines Highway south of Haines Junction passes by many beautiful lakes and mountains. (Richard McGuire photo)
Written Monday, June 6, 2016
Today was the sunniest day of my entire vacation, with only a tiny bit of drizzle when I was at higher elevation. The winds though were extremely strong.
I was up early and headed out to enjoy the views of the mountains in the sunlight. I began with a drive south on Highway 3, the Haines Highway, from Haines Junction. It ultimately leads to Haines, Alaska, but I stopped a little before the border and didn’t go all the way.
You rise in elevation, entering B.C. as you cross south of the 60th Parallel. In B.C., you leave Kluane National Park and skirt Tatshenshini Alsek Provincial Park. It was chilly at Haines Highway Summit and there were many patches of snow on the ground and even more on the sides of the mountains.
Back at Haines Junction, I took a look at Our Lady of the Way, a small Catholic church built in 1954 in a Quonset hut, which was what was available at the time.
I then went for a hike of about 13 km return into the Alsek Valley. I brought bear spray, but had no encounters with any mammals at all — not even ground squirrels.
It was an easy walk along a 4X4 track crossing alluvial plains and several streams. It was soothing to get out in nature with just the mountains around and only the sound of the powerful wind.
Mountains along the Alaska Highway west of Haines Junction. (Richard McGuire photo)Quill Creek, south of Haines Junction. (Richard McGuire photo)Kathleen Lake, south of Haines Junction, Yukon. (Richard McGuire photo)The Haines Highway south of Haines Junction passes by many beautiful lakes and mountains. (Richard McGuire photo)The Haines Highway south of Haines Junction passes by many beautiful lakes and mountains. (Richard McGuire photo)The Haines Highway south of Haines Junction passes by many beautiful lakes and mountains. (Richard McGuire photo)The Haines Highway south of Haines Junction passes by many beautiful lakes and mountains. (Richard McGuire photo)Driving south on the Haines Highway from Haines Junction, the route passes into B.C. and skirts Tatshenshini Alsek Park. (Richard McGuire photo)Driving south on the Haines Highway from Haines Junction, the route passes into B.C. and skirts Tatshenshini Alsek Park. (Richard McGuire photo)Driving south on the Haines Highway from Haines Junction, the route passes into B.C. and skirts Tatshenshini Alsek Park. (Richard McGuire photo)Driving south on the Haines Highway from Haines Junction, the route passes into B.C. and skirts Tatshenshini Alsek Park. (Richard McGuire photo)Driving south on the Haines Highway from Haines Junction, the route passes into B.C. and skirts Tatshenshini Alsek Park. (Richard McGuire photo)Driving south on the Haines Highway from Haines Junction, the route passes into B.C. and skirts Tatshenshini Alsek Park. (Richard McGuire photo)Driving south on the Haines Highway from Haines Junction, the route passes into B.C. and skirts Tatshenshini Alsek Park. (Richard McGuire photo)Driving south on the Haines Highway from Haines Junction, the route passes into B.C. and skirts Tatshenshini Alsek Park. (Richard McGuire photo)The small Catholic church Our Lady of the Way in Haines Junction was built in 1954 from a quonset hut. These were common from the period of the Alaska Highway construction. (Richard McGuire photo)I took a short hike into the Alsek Valley west of Haines Junction. (Richard McGuire photo)I took a short hike into the Alsek Valley west of Haines Junction. (Richard McGuire photo)
