Whitehorse, Yukon Territory and Travel Logistics

Yahoo! Reaching Whitehorse in the Yukon Territory was the first goal on our trip to Alaska. From here we will leave the Alaska - Canada Highway and take the Klondike Highway to enter Alaska and the historic town of Skagway. Whitehorse serves as a pivot point, economic hub, capital and largest city of the Yukon Territory. For us and most other Alaska bound travelers, it is a place to relax, delve into the history of the gold rush era, and participate in a variety of attractions and outdoor adventures offered by local tour operators. With a Walmart and several large grocery stores, we wanted to stock up on groceries and supplies, make any needed repairs, and get ready for the next leg. We plan to return here at a later date in August or early September after taking the Top-of-the-World Highway to Dawson City on our trip back to the USA. The map below, compliments of www. geology.com, shows the geographic position of Whitehorse to Alaska, BC, and the Northwest Territories. With the exception of the last six miles of the Cassiar Highway, the main roads were excellent, far exceeding my expectations.

It has taken a very leisurely 13 days to reach this point enjoying the incredible scenery, lakes, road system, people, wildlife, and parks of British Columbia.  By crossing the Canadian border on May 20, we enjoyed sunny, warmish weather as we left the rains and overcast days of Oregon behind us.  At first, we debated whether to leave at such an early date, but as I had learned on previous trips, the best weather in Alaska is usually in May and June.  In a summary of costs thus far, we spent a total of $1225 or approximately $94 per day. This broke down to $246 for campsites (averaging $19 a night), $184 for groceries and dining out (average of $14 a day), approximately $720 for gas ($55 a day), $75 for other items including museum entrance fees, and a 10-day fishing license in BC for $52 (average of $6 a day). We used about 180 gallons of gas at an average of $4.00 a gallon for 1600 miles yielding 9 miles to the gallon.  Gas was the major cost item simply because we needed to cover a large distance. Anyone who has not driven a motorhome may be shocked by nine miles to the gallon, but most 27 foot RVs with gas engines will average about 8-10 miles to the gallon.  With kayaks on top, our efficiency drops a bit although we balance this out by driving about 50 mph rather than our normal 55. Once we reach our main destinations like Homer, Alaska, we can relax and spend a week or more in most camp sites to reduce overall expenses.  Our budget is $2500 a month.