The First of many goals – crossing into the Yukon!
From Muncho Lake we headed north after stopping for coffee and 2nd breakfast. A beautiful drive with lots of wildlife sightings including Stone Mountain Sheep right on the road! They come down to the road to lick salt off of it.
Muncho Lake from the northwest end
Stone Mountain Sheep
We arrived at Liard River Provincial Park. There are hot springs here!! Bliss … thy name is Liard Hot Springs. Ahhhhh. After checking in we immediately put on our swim togs and headed down the 700m long boardwalk to the springs from the campground. You get to walk thru some interesting meadows filled with flora and fauna not seen anywhere else in the region because of the thermal waters seeping out everywhere. In the 1940’s the area was known as ‘Tropical Liard Valley’.
The hot springs are minimally developed, with just a change room for each sex, steps leading into the pools and a few benches in the water. The side opposite the steps is surrounded by vegetation right down to the water. There are 2 pools – the first one ranges in temperature from scalding to boiling and you can only stay in for about 10 minutes before your skin begins sloughing off and you’re cooked completely thru. (not really but it feels like that!) The other side is only at a simmer and feels quite cool after the first side.
Liard Hot Springs
We went in twice that day … it was heaven! … and amazingly enough there was hardly any people in the pools although the campground seemed pretty full. Make sure to check out our post on Liard Hot Springs by clicking this link.
If they’d have had any kind of services, I’d have stayed another night but we’d been dry camping for a few days and our grey & black tanks were getting full and our fresh water was getting low; so we reluctantly headed out the next morning and drove through a pouring rain!
I must say though … this was the drive with the most critter sightings so far … we saw Stone Mountain Sheep, Wood Bison & Black Bears galore. After this stretch though, things got pretty scarce. In fact from Watson Lake to Teslin we saw only one red fox the whole way!!
Wood Bison
INTO THE YUKON!!!
We arrived at Watson Lake, YT which is pretty small (pop 1,500). Most towns up here are really small and I’m always expecting something more than what there is. Even the internet seems a novelty and I’m sure they have hamsters running around a wheel for their power. (Advertised ‘Free wi-fi’ does NOT mean they HAVE wi-fi … only that they ‘might’ have wi-fi at some time but not now.)
We stayed in town in a gravel parking lot they called an RV park, The Downtown RV Park, but oh well, it was only 1 night and they have full hookups, so we emptied tanks and I took a loooonnngggg hot shower so it was all good.
Downtown RV Park Watson Lake
We walked over to the Northern Lights Centre and saw a very good movie on the northern lights which is probably the closest we’ll come to seeing them as it hardly gets dark at all this time of year. I have to wear a blindfold to sleep it’s so bright out!
Northen Lights Centre Watson Lake
Linda sleeping in the Yukon ‘night’
In the morning we wandered over to the signpost forest – which was started in 1942 by a homesick U.S. GI and now has over 10,000 signs from everywhere on earth. Quite a sight! (There was one from my hometown of Southgate, MI!!!). The displays at the nearby Tourist Information Centre are quite interesting as well!
Watson Lake Signpost Forest
We also took a drive up to the historic Watson Lake Airport. The Watson Lake Terminal Building was built in 1942, as part of the The Northwest Staging Route which was used during the Second World War to send military assistance to Russia, through northern Canada and Alaska. It is the only air terminal building from the Northwest Staging Route that’s still in use in Yukon. They have lots of great old photos hanging on the walls inside the terminal building too!
Watson Lake Airport
Off to Teslin, YT
We set out the next morning north again to the town of Teslin. The drive was uneventful and the views were mostly trees, trees & more trees, though there were some spectacular highlights!! We stopped at Rancheria Falls and took a short walk through the forest down to the falls…well worth the stop!
Alaska Hwy near the Continental divide
Rancheria Falls
The bridge leading into Telsin is pretty cool … it’s the longest bridge on the Alaska Hwy at 1,917 ft! It was built originally in 1942 and rebuilt in 1956 after collapsing in 1946.
The Nisutlin Bay Bridge into Teslin
Then in to Teslin itself … talk about small!! Their total population is only about 450 people!! They did have a few historical sites and we toured the one block of town that housed most of them!
Gift shop at the gas station in Teslin
Old Log Cabin in Teslin
We then headed down the road to the Teslin Tlingit Heritage Centre which was very interesting and we spoke to one of the artists, Margaret Douville, who does beadwork in the traditional patterns on things like moccasins, mukluks and cool bags called ‘Octopus’ bags. Very beautiful work and a very interesting woman.
Teslin Tlinget Cultural Centre
Margarette Douville & one of her ‘Octopus’ bags
We headed out a few kilometers down the road and are camped tonight at the Teslin Lake Territoria Campground, which is right on Teslin Lake and very peaceful. Burgers and fries for dinner and probably early to bed. It might be a cold one tonight!! We’ll head towards Whitehorse in morning.
Teslin Lake
Loupins at Teslin Lake Campsite
Leave A Comment