Alaska Highway Road Trip: 11-Day Yukon & Alaska Loop

Planning a road trip through Alaska and the Yukon? We rented an RV in Whitehorse and drove over 4,000 km (2,500 miles) in 11 days on a full loop through Alaska and back.

The route takes you from Whitehorse into Alaska through the Alcan border crossing, down through Wrangell-St. Elias, Matanuska Glacier, Anchorage, Seward and Whittier, then back north through Denali, Fairbanks and the Yukon’s Tombstone Territorial Park. On a map, it traces a perfect infinity sign.

In this guide, I include all the essential tips from the best time to drive the Alaska Highway, what to expect from road and weather conditions, and a full breakdown of every stop on the route.

Yukon and Alaska Itinerary Overview

This Yukon and Alaska road trip was done in an RV. We started and ended in Whitehorse but you can also leave from Anchorage. The best time for this itinerary is summer, ideally between mid June and mid September.

Day 1: Arrive in Whitehorse
Day 2: Drive from Whitehorse to Beaver Creek
Day 3: Cross the US border and drive to Wrangell – St. Elias National Park
Day 4: Drive to Anchorage and stay overnight in Seward
Day 5: Take a boat tour in Kenai Fjords National Park and visit Exit Glacier
Day 6: Passage Canal Kayaking Trip in Whittier
Day 7: Visit Talkeetna and take a scenic glacier flight over Denali
Day 8: Drive to Fairbanks, Chena Hot Springs, North Pole
Day 9: Cross back the Canada border at Little Gold Border Crossing, visit Dawson City
Day 10: Drive from Dawson City (or Tombstone Territorial Park) to Whitehorse
Day 11: Return RV in Whitehorse

Best Time to Visit Alaska and Yukon

The best time to visit Alaska and Yukon is between mid June and early September. At this time of the year, roads are snow-free, temperatures are mild and days are long. In fact, June and July have the longest days in the year thanks to the midnight sun.

If seeing the Northern Lights is on your bucket list, doing an Alaska and Yukon road trip in September is the perfect balance of good weather and early aurora sightings. That’s when we visited and managed to see the Northern Lights!

Things to Know for an Alaska Highway Road Trip

• Fuel Planning – Gas stations can be miles away along the Alaska Highway and remote areas. Stop as many times as you need and plan accordingly!
• Distances – Alaska is huge and sometimes you’ll need to drive for at least 2 hours to reach the next destination.
• RV Rentals – You can either rent an RV in Anchorage or Whitehorse, depending on where you fly in.
• Restricted Roads – Dalton Highway is usually not covered by your RV rental insurance.
• Road Conditions – I found roads in Alaska better maintained compared to the Yukon. Although some roads are paved, be prepared to drive on gravel and unpaved stretches.
• Wildlife Crossings – Be very careful when driving early in the morning and late at night. That’s the most common time when bears, moose and other wildlife may unexpectedly cross the road right in front of you.
• Border Crossing – Make sure you carry a valid passport when crossing the US – Canada border. Also check the customs rules to avoid bringing in prohibited items.
• Enjoy the Drive – We did this Alaska Highway road trip a bit too fast and looking back I wish we’d planned more time to enjoy the trip at a slower pace.

Yukon and Alaska Itinerary Breakdown (by Day)

Whitehorse – Day 1

We flew from Vancouver to Whitehorse in the evening and stayed at Canada’s Best Value Inn Riverview Hotel for the night. The stay was nothing close to luxury, as we were only looking for a bed to sleep on for the night before starting our Yukon and Alaska road trip.

From Whitehorse to Beaver Creek – Day 2

Driving Distance: 446 km (277 miles)
Driving Time: 5 hours
Overnight: pullout area along Alaska Highway

The next day, we scheduled a pick-up time for our RV rental with Fraserway. While we waited, we decided to do a small grocery shop for the first few days. We limited our shopping list to the essentials and decided to buy more fresh items once we crossed the border with the U.S.

Drive from Whitehorse to Kluane National Park

The RV rental took longer than expected so we only left Whitehorse around noon. Then we started the drive from Whitehorse to Haines Junction. Keep your eyes peeled on the scenery around. While you drive the Alaska Highway the landscape looks like a postcard with massive mountains stretching on the horizon. This is also where you’ll spot Mount Logan in the distance, the tallest peak in Canada.

We stopped at Kathleen Lake in Kluane National Park for a break. If you want to spend some extra time here, you can go canoeing or kayaking, hiking or backpacking. We unfortunately didn’t spend enough time in Kluane National Park, but one day we’ll be back.

Stop at Kluane Lake, Sheep Mountain and Hike Soldier Summit

Our next stop was at Kluane Lake, the largest lake in the Yukon. This was one of the most beautiful stops on the second day of our Yukon road trip. We parked in the pullout area and spent some time at the beach.

Make sure you stop at Sheep Mountain, where you can spot Dall sheep (if you’re lucky). Then go on the short hike to Soldier Summit. It was interesting to learn about the origins of the Alaska Highway, which was officially opened at this spot.

Drive on Alaska Highway to Beaver Creek

Continue north to Burwash Landing and Destruction Bay. Our original plan was to cross the border on this day, but since the last section of the road was under construction and required us to go slow, we stopped at a campsite about 1 hour from the border.

Tok and Wrangell – St. Elias National Park – Day 3

Driving Distance: 530 km (330 miles)
Driving Time: 7 hours
Overnight: Little Nelchina State Recreation Site

While we were leaving our campsite, we spotted the first moose on this Alaska trip. It was early in the morning but the words “there’s a moose” had everyone wide awake instantly.

Crossing the Port Alcan Border between Canada and Alaska

We arrived at the Port Alcan Border in the morning and there were no other cars waiting in front of us. The experience was good and not different to when we crossed the border in Washington State to drive to Mount Rainier National Park.

The border crossing is open 24 hours, 7 days a week and year-round. Make sure you don’t bring any raw food, fresh food or vegetables across the border.

Drive to Tok and Wrangell – St. Elias National Park

Tok is a great town to stop for fuel, get some additional supplies and groceries for the trip. We decided to stop for lunch on the road to Wrangell – St. Elias National Park but decided to eat inside the RV as the flies in September were crazy.

Wrangell – St. Elias National Park is the largest national park in the U.S. But due to limited time, we decided to only visit a small portion of it and drive along Nabesna Road for 10-15 miles. On the drive in, we listened to the audio tour that gave us a good overview of the Wrangell – St. Elias National Park.

Stop at Kettle Lake pullout for a better view of the surrounding area.

Drive west along HWY 1

We found a free campsite just off the highway where we stopped for the night. If you still have a lot of time on your hands, you can continue on to get closer to the destinations the next day.

Visit Anchorage and Stay in Seward Overnight – Day 4

Driving Distance: 425 km (260 miles)
Driving Time: 5 hours
Overnight: Seward Campground

Our day started early as we had a lot of activities scheduled for the day and a lot of driving as well.

Visit Matanuska Glacier

We arrived at Matanuska Glacier early in the morning. The parking lot to reach the viewpoint on foot was empty and quiet. Although it was already quite cold in September, the sun warmed us up.

We decided to hike a short trail with views of the glacier, but you can also book a Matanuska Glacier guided tour for a full day trip.

Visit the Musk Ox Farm in Palmer

We were debating on whether to visit the Reindeer Farm or the Musk Ox Farm. In the end, the later won.

It was a great experience with a guided tour that showed us through the fields at Musk Ox Farm. In fact, you can only visit the farm with a guided tour, which is included in the ticket price of $16.

Visit Anchorage and Stop for Lunch

We then stopped in Anchorage for lunch, where we tried the Alaskan crab. Anchorage or Seward are both great spots for trying local fish, but Anchorage worked slightly better with our schedule.

We stopped at Humpy’s in Anchorage and devoured the Alaskan crab we ordered.

Drive from Anchorage along the Seward Highway

Seward Highway is a destination on its own. There are many great stops along the way, such as the Potter Marsh great for bird watching, the views along Turnagain Arm or Beluga Point where you can sometimes spot whales.

It was very windy and rainy when we drove the Seward Highway. But we still got out and tried to make the most of each stop.

Arrive at Seward Campground for dinner

We booked very few campground on our Alaska road trip, since September is not the peak season. Seward campground was the only one we reserved in advance. The main reason is that there are not many places for overnight RV parking near Seward and we also wanted to have an stress-free night. But as you can see in the picture below, there were many available campsites at Seward campground.

The Seward campground was a great base for the Kenai Fjords boat tour of the next day.

Visit Kenai Fjords National Park – Day 5

Our Alaska itinerary involved a lot of driving, so we loved having a full day car-free. We left the Seward campground early in the morning and drove 5 min to the parking lot close to the harbour. We paid a daily parking fee and hoped on the boat with Major Marine.

Depending on when you visit Kenai Fjords National Park, there are different experience you can book. From the classic boat tour to kayaking through glaciers. The two main companies in Seward are Major Marine and Alaska Collection. For a detailed overview on how to visit Kenai Fjords National Park, read my guide.

At the end of the tour, we drove to Exit Glacier, which is the only part of Kenai Fjords accessible by car. We did a short hike, but if you have a full day, I highly recommend the Harding Glacier hike.

On our way out of Exit Glacier, we saw the second moose of our Alaska road trip. Needless to say, that we were as exited as the first time.

Take a Passage Canal Kayaking Trip in Whittier – Day 6

Driving Distance: 360 km (225 miles)
Driving Time: 5 hours
Overnight: Nancy Lake Campground

Whittier is one of the most remote towns in Alaska. There are only two ways to access Whittier: by boat or via the Anton Anderson Memorial Tunnel. The tunnel is timed and requires a fee but is an experience I’d recommend anyone try once.

Another fun fact about Whittier is that most of the residents live in the same building.

Kayaking in the Passage Canal

We originally wanted to kayak in Kenai Fjords National Park, but in September many companies had already closed for the year. So we took the excuse to visit Whittier instead and booked a full day kayaking trip in the Passage Canal.

It was a rainy day and the water was flat, allowing us to paddle at a gentle pace. We kayaked passed waterfalls, spotted sea lions, eagles, sea otters and the salmon spawning. This was hands down one of the highlights of our Alaska Highway road trip.

Drive north towards Talkeetna

After a full day spend on the water, we drove the Seward Highway to Anchorage, where we stopped for fuel. Then we continued north to get closer to Talkeetna, where we were supposed to get on a Denali Glacier Flight.

Visit Talkeetna and Book a Denali Glacier Flight – Day 7

Driving Distance: 440 km (275 miles)
Driving Time: 5 hours
Overnight: Nenana RV Park

We really wanted to do a glacier flight over Denali, the tallest mountain in North America. Unfortunately, the weather didn’t cooperate and our flight got cancelled. We also didn’t have time to spend extra days in Talkeetna hoping that the weather would improve. But the company we booked with did provide another alternative flight for the day. It was just not the views we were hoping to see.

We originally booked the Denali Grand Tour, a 1.5 hour flight which costs $445 per person or $575 including glacier landing. One day I’ll be back to see Denali, which is notoriously known for playing hide and seek most of the time.

Visit Denali National Park

Instead of the Denali Glacier Flight, we opted for visiting Denali National Park from the ground. From Talkeetna to Denali, stop at the several viewpoints along the way, such as Denali Viewpoint South and North.

In Denali National Park you’re only allowed to drive to Savage River (Mile 15) on paved road. After that you need to reserve a bus to explore the rest of Denali National Park. Buses can be reserved from mid May to mid September. But the road remains closed to all traffic at Mile 43, due to the Pretty Rocks landslide.

I recommend to visit Denali in the afternoon or early morning. That’s the best time of the day for moose sightings. You’ll know when there is one in the neighborhood by the amount of photographers lined on the side of the road. We managed to see 4 moose, of which one was a bull moose.

Drive north to Fairbanks

After spending the entire afternoon in Denali, we drove a few more km north to get closer to Fairbanks the next day. We found a campsite not too far and spent the night relaxing in our campervan.

Visit Fairbanks, North Pole and Drive to Tok – Day 8

Driving Distance: 560 km (350 miles)
Driving Time: 7 hours
Overnight: Moon Lake State Recreation Site

In the morning, we moved north to visit Fairbanks. After a coffee and breakfast, we went to the Fairbanks Ice Museum, which showcased different sculptures made of ice.

Then, we drove 1 hour to Chena Hot Spring, where we relaxed for a few hours. The hot spring is well developed and has one main pool outdoors.

We continued the Alaska road trip to the town of North Pole. Initially, I imagined that North Pole would be one of the northernmost town in Alaska. In reality, it’s just a 20 minute drive from Fairbanks. Even in summer, the town has roads and shops fully Christmas themed, and even real reindeer.

After buying a few souvenirs in North Pole, we continued to Delta Junction. Here you can find the monument marking the end of the Alaska Highway and a Trans Alaska Pipeline viewpoint.

For the night, we stopped at a campsite by a lake just off the main highway. Also that night, the conditions were right to see the aurora borealis. So, we took the chairs out and sat in the darkness staring at the Northern Lights.

Cross the Little Gold Border Crossing with Canada – Day 9

Driving Distance: 450 km (280 miles)
Driving Time: 7 hours
Overnight: Tombstone Campground

At Tetlin Junction, instead of driving to the Port Alcan Porter, where we entered Alaska from Canada, we drove north towards Little Gold Border Crossing instead.

The road on this section is mostly gravel and there are no big towns around, aside Chicken which is about 1 hour drive from Tetlin Junction and the Canadian border.

Crossing the Little Gold Creek Border between U.S. and Canada

Little Gold Creek Border is a small port of entry and the second border crossing option between Canada and the U.S..

This border crossing is not open year-round due to the harsh winter conditions. In fact, it open at the end of May and closes mid September. During this time, you can cross the border between 9 am and 7 pm only. You can find all the information at the following link.

Drive the Top of the World Highway

The Top of the World Highway was one of my favorite spots on our Alaska and Yukon road trip. As the name suggests, you drive along the open ridgeline with views that stretch as far as you can see. In fall, the tundra turns every shade of red, orange and gold making the landscape look like a postcard.

We took a short hike to one of the viewpoints just a few minutes drive after the border crossing.

Visit Dawson City, the heart of the Klondike Gold Rush in Yukon

Dawson City is one of the most famous towns in Yukon and one of the main stops on the Klodike and Kluane road trip loop. It became famous in the 80s when gold was discovered in a nearby creek. This gold rush fever drew a lot of people from around the world seeking for gold opportunities.

In Dawson City you can take a local tour of the town and its Golden Rush history. In fact, the town is still mining gold even today.

If your goal is to drive to Dawson City, keep in mind that from the border to the town or vice versa you need to take the free George Black ferry to cross the Yukon River. This is the only way to cross this section and on busy days the waiting time can exceed 3 hours. In September, we only waited about 15 minutes but this is also considered low tourist season.

If you’re staying in Dawson City, make sure you head to Dome Road for sunset.

Drive the Dempster Highway to Tombstone Territorial Park

Dempster Highway starts just south east of Dawson City. The road is not paved and the RV was rattly but the surrounding scenery of Tombstone Territorial Park in fall was breathtaking.

Although we were driving slow, the other vehicles were not and a truck coming from the opposite direction flew a rock straight into our windshields. Luckily the damage was minor.

We reached the Tombstone Campground where we stayed overnight. The campsite was surprisingly crowded despite it being quite remote.

Drive from Dawson City to Whitehorse – Day 10

Driving Distance: 550 km (340 miles)
Driving Time: 6-7 hours
Overnight: Takhini Hot Springs Campground

If you stayed in Dawson City, take the highway to Whitehorse. But if you stayed at Tombstone campground for the night, you’ll need to drive about 1.5 – 2 hours to reach the main highway.

Stop at Moose Creek Lodge for coffee before continuing down the road. When we visited there was road construction which slowed us down. So plan additional time in your day for any delays as such.

Make a stop at Five Finger Rapids or continue down to Carmacks. We were very excited to hit the next stop at Braeburn Lodge, for their famous cinnamon buns. They’re gigantic and equally delicious. Definitely a must on this stretch of the Yukon road trip.

We decided to book the campground at Takhini Hot Springs for the night. I’d been to this hot spring in January before but I liked it so much the first time that I decided to return. Photos are not allowed inside but the structure is very well kept and modern.

Return RV and Visit Whitehorse – Day 11

Driving Distance: 30 km (20 miles)
Driving Time: 30 minutes
Overnight: flight back home

Takhini Hot Springs is just 30 minutes drive from Whitehorse. It was the perfect last stop before returning the RV at the Fraserway location.

In Whitehorse, we checked out the North End Galley for local artists’ work and then headed to Klondike Rib & Salmon for lunch. The food and ambiance was amazing, definitely a must in Whitehorse.

The Whitehorse airport is very small, so we didn’t aim to arrive at the airport too early. This way, we enjoyed the last few hours in Whitehorse.

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