Swift River (8 June)


Shortly after leaving Whitehorse we diverted to Miles Canyon through which flows upper reaches of the Yukon River. It was beautiful, with a lot of water flowing swiftly. Several trails lead to small lakes and streams. If we lived in Whitehorse or were visiting for longer, this would be in the A list for walks.


 On our way north about three weeks ago we had travelled the Alcan Highway until we diverted at Jake’s Corner to go down to Skagway and we rejoined it at Haines Junction. Today the drive from Whitehorse to Jake’s Corner filled in part of the section we missed earlier. The only piece of the Alcan Highway we haven’t travelled is the 159 km between Whitehorse and Haines Junction.

As on other days we saw lots of lovely views.



 
Our trip notes had us stopping at Continental Divide Lodge and RV Park Swift River. As we neared Swift River we saw signs saying it was closed. On arrival we could see a few road contractors’ buildings but no RV park. We carried on and came to a river crossing called Swift River. Further on still we arrived at the Continental Divide Lodge and RV Park where an unenthusiastic man checked us in.  There’s nothing here except the lodge (a collection of huts), the reception (a shack), and a petrol pump which operates only during the owner’s undeclared timetable. In any case, at $1.999 a litre, it’s the dearest petrol in Canada. Tomorrow we will travel 100 km further east and refuel at Nugget City before turning south for Dease Lake.

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