Day 3: Haines Jct to Liard Hot Springs

According to our travel journal from 2007 & 2008, we were “behind” in mileage by day 3. We decided to remedy this situation. Our travels on day 3 took us from Haines Junction through Whitehorse (capital of the Yukon Territory), Watson Lake (home of signpost forest), and dipping in and out of British Columbia.

We made our requisite stop in Whitehorse for gas, lunch, & coffee. (I told you we’ve mapped out the location of all Starbucks along the Alcan) Our usual stop is at the park, which houses the Klondike paddlewheel ship. This ship used to ply the waters of the Yukon between Whitehorse & Dawson City carrying mail, passengers, silver lead ore, and other cargo necessary for northern living. Now it serves as a museum – we’ve yet to step foot on board, but enjoy it nonetheless. The expanse of green grass is ideal for 2 little boys (and 1 adult one) to run around & kick the soccer ball. My healing knee doesn’t allow in much of the way for running, so a leisurely stroll is my exercise du jour. We though we’d unload the bikes & ride along the river, however the winds were howling & we wanted to get some miles under our belt, so the stop wasn’t very long. Another plus – the visitor center offers restrooms with warm running water – very much appreciated after a couple of days on the road.


We finally saw some 4-legged critters – here’s the wildlife count for Day 3: 2 Black bears munching grass right off the highway; 11 Buffalo, 1 Fox, 1 Porcupine. Not too shabby!

Dandelions are yummy!!

Wood Bison/Buffalo

We saw mostly male buffalo – perhaps the females are somewhere in the forest giving birth? Buffalo has a soft undercoat very much like the Quiviut of Musk Oxen. I looked along the roadside for evidence of some of this fiber – no luck. Just as well anyway – it would require I learn to spin; not sure I need to take up another hobby that could substantially add to my fiber stash.

We rolled into Liard Hot Springs around 9:30pm. The gates were closed & the campsites were full. No worries – we parked in the overflow parking area & camped there – just as we did each time we passed through in 2007 & 2008. The advantage to camping in the overflow lot is that you’re very close to the boardwalk leading to the springs & to the toilets & playground.

While soaking in the hot springs doesn’t clean off all of the grime of travel, it sure feels nice on bodies stiff from sitting in the car most of the day. Along the boardwalk we observed this:

A moose browsing in the marsh. Previous visits I’d always thought that would be a perfect spot for a moose – guess I was right! It was a beautiful evening – nice alpine glow sunset.

Ending mileage: 107,208
Start Mileage: 106,711
Total mileage: 497
Tunes Du Jour: RUSH, Duran Duran, Beatles, Coldplay

Total Gas: 75.902 litres (20.05 gallons)
Mpg: 24.79
Total Cost: $87.46 Canadian
Knitting Project: “Sea Lettuce Scarf” by Lucy Neatby using “Twisted” by BMFA

Ciao & Safe Travels….