It was still wet out with low clouds when we woke up, so I never really got to enjoy the mountain vistas around Haines. Oh well … maybe some other time.

We headed back north into Canada, this time stopping for a hike in B.C. – following a valley into the Tatshenshini-Alsek Park to view Samuel Glacier. We hiked just over 21 km, getting a great view of one of the glacier’s snouts from across the valley. The hike didn’t have much overall elevation gain, but there were a number of hills to go over, the trail was pretty muddy in spots, and there were a few streams to cross (mom and dad have waterproof hiking boots, but I got wet feet in mine). The last part didn’t even have a trail – we just trudged across the hills trying to avoid the low areas to get to the view point. We camped again at Million Dollar Falls Campground, but no fire this time, only reading, sorting pictures, and playing a few games.

Haines

Two hours south of Million Dollar Falls, through B.C.’s northwest corner, we reached Haines, Alaska. It was a cloudy day, with the occasional downpour, but it was interesting to walk around the town and we were able to pick up some freshly caught Coho and Sockeye salmon and some smoked fish. Late in the afternoon, we went to the state park east of town, as we were told by several locals that that was the place to watch mother grizzly bears teaching their cubs to catch salmon. There was quite a crowd out watching but we were able to get a good view and some good pictures of the bears. It was really a neat experience! We stopped at a gravel pull-out on the way back to Haines for supper – our fresh salmon. It was delicious! Our after-dinner game of crib was cut short though. I guess we didn’t notice where we parked when we pulled in – we were too busy looking at the view over the water to notice the cliff with the rocks laying at the bottom of it on the other side of the road. Part way through our game, there was a rock slide, so we didn’t want to stick around and wait for another!

Top of the World Highway

After dumping our tanks and buying propane, we headed across on the ferry to the Top of the World Highway. The road runs along the top of a ridge to the American border, making it very scenic! Unfortunately there were low clouds, so even though we had great views, it makes it hard to get decent pictures of what we saw. According to maps, the road is paved, but I think they are slowly converting it to gravel. There are massive potholes in the paved sections, so the gravel parts were actually easier and smoother! We had no issues going into the States – no line ups to cross way up here! The gravel road was much worse on the American side, but other than that and the numerous hunting groups we saw, there wasn’t any difference – the road was still running along a ridge providing awesome views. We were also able to see a couple groups of caribou in the forest and on the road. We bypassed Chicken (it looked too touristy and tacky!), hit the paved road, and drove down to the Alaska Highway and back into Canada. Canadian customs isn’t at the border along the highway – its 26 km southeast in Beaver Creek! Along the way, we saw a mother and baby moose. Again, no problems getting back into Canada and we stopped at the first campground in Beaver Creek.