Alaska Uncovered Podcast
Welcome to the Alaska Uncovered Podcast with your host, Jennie Thwing Flaming. Jennie brings you accurate, helpful and entertaining information about Alaska Travel and Life in Alaska. Guests include Alaska travel experts and Alaska business owners, guides and interesting Alaskans. Jennie is a born and raised Seattleite, a former Alaskan and spends several weeks in Alaska each year. She’s an experienced guide and the Founder of the Alaska and Washington travel website, Top Left Adventures. Jennie is joined by occasional co-host, Jay Flaming, her husband for more than 20 years. Jennie and Jay met working in tourism in Skagway, Alaska and also lived in Juneau and Fairbanks together. Jay lived in Fairbanks for 8 years before meeting Jennie in Skagway and grew up in Yellowstone National Park.
Alaska Uncovered Podcast
Golden Circle Road trip loop from Whitehorse to Skagway, Haines and Kluane National Park with Rebecca Hylton and Viktoria Mühlbauer
Rebecca and Viktoria join Jennie to share about one of the least known and most incredible road trips in the North - the Golden Circle loop between the Yukon and Alaska including logistics, where to stop and where to eat.
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Music credits: Largo Montebello, by Domenico Mannelli, CC.
Jennie, welcome to the Alaska uncovered podcast with me, your host, Jennie Thwing Flaming, my occasional co host and full time husband, Jennie and I bring you accurate, helpful and entertaining information about Alaska, travel and life in Alaska, before we start today's show, we'd like to take a moment to thank our Patreon subscribers for your support and making this podcast possible. Enjoy the show. Are you looking for a fun international adventure road trip. On your trip to Alaska, if you like to get away from it all, then you're gonna love this episode today. My guests today are Reba Hylton and Viktoria Muhlbauer. Reba has been on the podcast before we have talked about Skagway and Haynes with Reba in the past, and today, we are thrilled to have Vicky join us as well from Whitehorse, which is in the Yukon in Canada, and we're going to talk about one of the best road trips in North America, in My opinion. It's called the Golden Circle Drive, and we're going to talk about that today. But before we get into that, Reba and Vicky, welcome to Alaska, uncovered. Thank you for being here. Thank
Unknown:you for having us. Yeah, it's great to be here, and thanks for having me again. I love it. Yes, I
Jennie Flaming:know it's great to have you back. Reba, all right, so I would love to have each of you just briefly introduce yourself and share a little bit about Haynes and Whitehorse, where you're from. So Rebo, let's start with you.
Unknown:Okay, great. Well, my official title is tourism director for the Haynes borough here. I've lived in Haines for a total of 12 years, and I've lived in Skagway for about 15 years. So I definitely have a passion for all things Southeast Alaska. And one of the really benefits of being in this part of Southeast Alaska is being able to go up into the Yukon. So I'm super excited to be on this podcast today, because this is one of the things that taking this road trip is one of the things that I put on my calendar to do yearly. And so I have been fortunate enough to be able to do this drive, I would say, dozens and dozens of times. So I'm really looking forward to this, so thank you so much for focusing on it.
Jennie Flaming:Yeah,
Unknown:awesome. Well, yeah, thank you so much for having me too. Like, I'm so excited to be invited as, like, the representation of the Canadian neighbor for Whitehorse on this drive. So, yeah, my My name is Vicky. I have a background in tourism. I work for Fraser way RV and up north, adventures in Whitehorse. But now I'm the general manager for mammoth marketing and Whitehorse, we're small agency here, and gosh, being being in the Yukon the Golden Circle too, is a drive everyone has to take, as Whitehorse, being the capital of the Yukon Territory, right next door to Alaska. We have a international airport here that brings a lot of visitors from Europe annually in the summer season, and then getting people from hubs like Edmonton, Calgary, Vancouver, to come visit, if you're looking for like wilderness and adventure like this is sort of where you want to arrive. And the Golden Circle basically comes through white horse. So definitely recommend considering that for especially people that are maybe on a on a shorter timeline for a visit up here.
Jennie Flaming:Yes, absolutely. And I am going to guess that many people listening to this podcast have not ever heard of white horse, and maybe not of the Yukon, which is really too bad, because the Yukon is absolutely amazing. If you've been listening for a while, you will have heard about it, because we've talked about the Yukon on the podcast a few other times, and we're gonna get into logistics more a little bit later, before we really talk about this wonderful road trip and how unique and special it is. I also just want to name that right now, things are pretty tense between the US and Canada, which is really heartbreaking to me. I've lived my entire life within 100 miles of the border with Canada. My ancestors are from Canada. I guess in Fairbanks I was a little more than 100 miles away. But everywhere else I've lived was very close to the border. And so I hope with this episode, my fellow Americans that. It, I can encourage you to visit our neighbors and just really appreciate how special the ties are that we have across the border that are unfortunately kind of at risk at the moment. So alright, so Reba, would you be willing to start I I'd like to make sure people understand what we are talking about when we say this Golden Circle Drive. I know all three of us have done this drive many times and love it, which is why we're talking about it. So Reba, could you start by kind of explaining, kind of what the route is, how long it is how much time you would recommend spending, and then we'll get to more details in a few minutes.
Unknown:Yeah, well, I mean, like with all trips, you can make this a short trip or a long trip. I typically like to take three days when I do it, and every single time I feel like that's not enough, but the route itself is so Hanes Haines is a very unique destination. We are a little bit remote in what typically would be considered off the beaten path, because we're the very northern end of the Inside Passage. So we get lots of cruise ships in the area, just not a lot specifically here in our community, but we get quite a few over in Skagway. And the beauty of our two communities, Skagway and Haynes, is that we are connected to the road system. And there's only three communities in all of Southeast connected to the road system. And so with Haynes and Skagway being connected. You can drive from one town to the to the other, but it is 365 miles to do that. And so, I mean, you could do that in a day, but, like, really, there's so much in between to enjoy, like, it's it's a trip in itself that should be experienced. So I would highly recommend five days, if you can do five days minimum, but, but, you know, three days is pretty good if you're really on a tight schedule. And then the connecting route between Haynes and Skagway itself, if you're not driving, is actually what we consider a highway on its own. We have the Alaska marine Highway, which is our state ferry system. So if you're bringing a vehicle up, or you're renting one in Whitehorse, and wanting to do this drive, to be able to make it a full circle, you have to book a trip on the ferry to get between Haynes and Skagway. And so you can make it this golden circle, and that's pretty much how I would base if I was trying to make reservations or planning this trip, I would look at the ferry schedule and have that out in front of me, yeah? And then make those reservations as soon as you can, because in the summer time, it can sell out and you might have to wait days to get a vehicle onto the ferry system. Yeah. So, yeah. So the Golden Circle is this amazing route that takes you what I believe is the best of Alaska, the top of the Inside Passage, where over a million people go on cruises. But then you can also drive up further and experience a little sliver of the British Columbia, which is by only, hello,
Jennie Flaming:British Columbia. We love your tiny little
Unknown:you gotta take a picture. You know, you have to prove that you feel there really, yes, absolutely, and yeah. And on these borders, you have these great signs so you can, you know, Mark, you know when your selfies where you're at the big welcome to Alaska signs and also the Welcome to the Yukon con signs are very iconic. I mean, I've got a dozen photos of each, because there's such it's such a beautiful place here. I mean, you really it's hard to describe. And that's what makes this trip so epic, is like you're on the coast here in southeast Alaska and the mountains will go up 5000 feet from the sea, and you could see glaciers. And then you can travel up the highway either what direction between Skagway and Haynes. The passes are very unique, but both stunning in their own ways. And you get up into this alpine area, and once you're into the Yukon and man, I just tell you, the lakes go on for miles, and it is absolutely stunning, and the wildlife is incredible. And then you have these wonderful communities and campgrounds in between, but they're hours, you know, you have to drive hours to get to the next community. So you definitely feel that sense of wilderness and that sense of adventure. And if you're into the back country at all, it's it's mind blowing, and, yeah, it's one of my favorite places on the planet. I feel very, very fortunate to live here. And I will strap my paddle boards on, we'll put our fishing gear, and we will do this trip every single year. And sometimes we're going to go up into the Yukon for a specific event and hang out there, but oftentimes we're going just to camp or to hike or car cross has got some wonderful dunes, and then we always stop in Skagway to get a good meal. Like every community is so different it has its own offerings. That's really what makes it such a wonderful and unique experience you kind of get to do get to do it all on this one road trip. Yes, yeah, it's such a great combination of everything that I think Southeast Alaska and the Yukon has to offer. And I feel like once you do it, you get hooked and you want more of it. And it's just the perfect mix for a long weekend, or if you have more time to allow you for it, absolutely I agree.
Jennie Flaming:Yeah. You know, one thing that I wanted to just add to what you said about how wonderful this, this trip is, is in addition to the fact that this is not like a common thing that, like every cruise ship visitor is doing this, not true. Everybody going to Alaska or the Yukon is doing this, not true. Um, but in addition to that, the way that you can see, like coastal Alaska, plus the interior in the Yukon so close together, you know, if you're driving from Anchorage, that's going to be many more hours to see that kind of diversity that you see there between the coast and the interior in just a really short amount of time. It's really amazing. Yeah,
Unknown:I think Reba touched on it just knowing that you drive from Whitehorse through the Yukon to Skagway or the other way around, you get like so many different landscapes. And I think that is something that makes this trip really special any time of year, because for us going to visit and doing the loop, it's an escape from winter when we have mild temperatures in Skagway or Haynes in the summertime, it's that coastal climate we're seeking when it's maybe mild up here. So you you get so much in such a small area, all things considered, knowing how big Alaska and the Yukon are, but it's it just it hits all the boxes for what you would want. If you're interested in the outdoors, you want a cultural experience from a history standpoint, but also from indigenous culture in Canada, maybe there are so many activities to do. I know Reba said, Stand up, paddle boarding, and I'm like, all excited about that hiking. You get to come through Kewaunee National Park and reserve, which is absolutely mind blowing. Like, if you are into hiking and you have never heard of this place. It is about time that you look it up. You can wander the dunes that we have in car cross barefoot, and there's a beautiful beach there. It's just there's so much for everyone. Doesn't matter if it's a couple's trip or a family, like, yeah, that trip does it all for me?
Jennie Flaming:Yes, I totally agree, and I so we're going to move into some logistics, and then we'll talk about some specific stops along the way. Before we do that, I want to mention for our listeners that this makes a wonderful side trip if you are driving the Alaska Highway, and I know that many of you are planning a trip like that, where you're driving from the lower 48 This is a wonderful side trip to take. And if you are not doing that, but you're you're looking for a wonderful outdoor oriented trip in Alaska, you can do it by itself, and we'll talk about that as well. So Reba and Vicky, I'd love to talk a little bit about some of the logistics. So this is obviously an awesome trip. We'll talk about some of the specific stops along the way, but I can imagine people listening to this and being like, Oh, where am I gonna rent a car? Like, what about all these border crossings and time changes and like, all this stuff. So let's kind of address that first. So to start off, let's talk a little bit about the border. And for those of you listening, I want to make sure we'll talk about the border and our experiences crossing. The most important thing is to check with Canadian customs and US Customs about what they're currently requiring and not requiring, right? So anything that we say could be out of date at any time. So just make sure that you're double checking that they are the final authority, of course, on what is permitted to be brought across the border and not brought across the border. So let's see. Reba, do you want to start talking about kind of your experiences with crossing? And then Vicki, you can share that from the Yukon perspective? Absolutely.
Unknown:Yeah. Yeah. Yeah, I think, well, first and foremost, I mean, you're coming up this far, and if you're driving all the way up, you're going to have your passports anyways. I think the most important thing I could say is just to be really respectful of your border guards, no matter where you're coming from or no matter what your mood, it's a very serious thing crossing an international border. So you gotta keep that in mind as laid back and as a remote we are and has you, you know you can drive for miles and all of a sudden you're at this in the middle of nowhere, and there's this border station there. You still have. They, they take their job very seriously, and you can always get on the internet and find out what you're allowed to bring through and not bring through. There are certain products, like, you can't bring raw chicken through, or you can't bring avocados currently, and those things kind of change, but it'd be a shame to, like, stock up on those things and not be able to bring them through on your travels. So that's super important to know that. And then, I mean, there's also you could fly into Juneau as well, and then make your way up on the ferry and bring your own vehicle. Or you can rent a vehicle in Whitehorse, which is, I highly recommend. It's super easy to fly into Whitehorse, yeah, especially if you're in the Pacific Northwest Area, and you can get yourself to Vancouver. It's so easy to fly from Vancouver to Whitehorse and super inexpensive. I as an American, I can tell you yes, and then you can rent a vehicle there, and it's totally fine to bring it through the border and back again. So that's always a really good way to travel, yeah. But if you're on that road trip, and you're doing the whole interior of Alaska, and you're going up, and you've got time, you know, taking either on the way up or the way back, I highly recommend just taking that little spur and coming one down through Skagway, getting on the ferry over to Haynes, and then back up, and you can meet the Alcan again at a Haynes. So yeah, either way, young or going,
Jennie Flaming:Yeah, Natalie, yeah. What do you want to add to that? Vicky about borders? I agree with Reba that if you are going to fly to do this road trip, not Victoria? Well, not wrong.
Unknown:You can also call me Victoria. It doesn't really matter for the people listening.
Jennie Flaming:So if I also I agree that, like, white horse is the place you'd want to fly to and rent a car if you're not bringing your own car. Yeah, 100%
Unknown:like, totally for everyone coming from the lower 48 driving their vehicle, that makes sense. But if you're just looking for an adventure, air north, our local airline out of the Yukon is incredible, incredibly reliable, incredible service. The price is really fair, and you better believe it, they still feed you a meal on your flight, and you get two pieces of luggage, I know. So we are all very much in support of our own airline here. Yes, not at all, but yeah, you can they are, but they fly out of, like Riva said, out of Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton. So those are sort of like the big hubs that can bring you to Whitehorse, and renting a car is so easy here. So as I mentioned earlier, white horse, we might be small, but we are the capital of the territory, and so we do have a few different rental stations here. And because so many tourists come, really, it's no problem to cross the border, so nothing to be worried about. They might ask you about it, but you you don't have to worry about a thing, and as long as you have your rental agreement with you, the border guards might ask for that, but most of the time, they won't really bother. Just be prepared to show it if asked. And fun fact, all the rental vehicles in the Yukon have an R in their license plate, so that is a giveaway already for all of us that you are visiting. But I think in terms of border crossing, I think both of you really touched on the most important part. These are people doing their job, and their job is to protect their respective countries, so being respectful and courteous. I think one thing that is interesting, especially if you cross the border for the first time. You may be used to Borders being right one after another. And if you go from Haynes to Pleasant camp, that's the case, you have the border relatively shortly after another. But if you're going from the Skagway White Horse side, you have what I like to call no man's land. Clearly, it's not man's land. There is the border there, yes. But you're you're crossing Canadian customs, and then you're driving for a few more miles, and you might think, like, oh, like, are we? Like, are we in the US yet? And there's a big sign that will let you know, but you will cross US Customs a little bit later down, down the road. So that's just something to be mindful of. And. Otherwise, yeah, just check online and make sure that you're sort of up to date with everything that you need to provide the requirements that are currently in place, and really just being respectful and don't take any questions that you're being asked personally. It is their job. I think that's always a good reminder. I think you touched on it earlier that, like, you know, sometimes we're in a mood or we're stressed, like, they just have to check some boxes, and they have to make sure that that you check those boxes. So, you know, just it can sometimes takes a little bit of time in the summer months too, just being patient. There's only so many of them in these remote locations. So if you, if you hit the rush hour by by accident, you know, just turn your car off, enjoy the view, and just wait until it's your turn. But just, I think the North will sort of like slow you right down so you won't have more time just waiting for a second. Yeah, yeah,
Jennie Flaming:that what both of you shared, is really wise. The The only other thing that comes to my mind is, if you are crossing the border in coming into Skagway and going to the ferry, make sure that it is not anywhere near close to the time of the ferry. Yes, the border
Unknown:really good point. And the time difference, of course, to keep in mind, if you're leaving the Canadian side heading into the US that has implications. We were joking earlier, all three of us that were currently in three different time zones. Yes. So winter is a little bit different. Not so much to worry about in the summer months. But yeah, that's that's a really good tip you have. Yeah,
Jennie Flaming:yeah. So just to talk about the time a little bit, and it's confusing, because these border crossings that you go across are north south borders, like you're going north or south across the border, but you are changing time zones at the border between Alaska and Canada, and so just be mindful of that, that Alaska time in the Summer is one hour earlier than the time in the Yukon and British Columbia. Yes, yeah. Okay, wonderful. And Reba. I know we talked a little bit about ferry logistics earlier. Is there anything else that you wanted to add about that, that people should know if they're doing that as part of their trip?
Unknown:Just be flexible. Print out that schedule and know ahead of time what your options are. Occasionally, it will cancel because of a breakdown or because with Skagway, tends to be very windy, so the ferry could have a little difficulty getting in there. But in the summer, it's running every single day, but it's still really good just to have those reservations and have your camera ready, because it is incredibly scenic between here and Skagway at 17 miles. But you're like extreme rock walls and waterfalls, and you could spot EA and sometimes you can even see a bear from the side, like whales, beautiful whales, yep, sea lions, depending on the time of the year. It's an absolutely stunning ride. And I think, sorry to interrupt, yeah, Reba, I think you know, what's so special about is, for people that haven't seen the inside passage again, it's sort of this, like short glimpse into this beautiful coastal area. And you will want to check out the rest of the Inside Passage for just that short ferry right afterwards. Yeah, absolutely. It only takes an hour. It's an hour right itself. But, I mean, I can spend the entire time outside photographing the area. It's absolutely stunning.
Jennie Flaming:Yeah, it really is okay. We're going to take a short break, and when we come back, we will talk with Reba and Vicky about some of the wonderful stops to make along the way on this drive. Hi everyone. I hope you're enjoying this episode so far. Just wanted to let you know about some other awesome things I have that can help you plan your trip. So first of all, if you are traveling to Alaska in 2025 don't miss out on getting one of the beautiful stickers that Jay has designed, and they're in my shop, which is shop dot ordinary adventures.com you can also find the link in the show notes. And in addition to that, I've also got a bunch of pre made itineraries for you there. Got my on demand workshops that you can use to help plan your trip, and my planners as well. So all kinds of great resources for you there, it's shop, dot ordinary dash adventures.com. Use the code podcast to save 10% as an Alaska uncovered listener in my shop, so head on over there. The link is in the show notes, and once again, that's shop dot ordinary dash adventure. Ventures.com now back to the show. We are back with Vicky and Reba, and we are talking about the Golden Circle route, which is a wonderful road trip that we're saying you should spend five days doing, but if you only have three, you should still do it, because it's really awesome going between the Yukon and southeast Alaska at the north end of the Inside Passage. So we thought it would be kind of fun to have Reba share some of her her favorite places when she is visiting the Yukon, and Vick to share some of her favorite places when she is visiting this part of Alaska. So let's imagine, for just for this discussion, that we're starting and ending this trip in Whitehorse, because if someone is going to fly up, you know, we already talked about how flying to Whitehorse and renting a car is the way to go. If you're driving the Alaska Highway back or forth, back and forth to Alaska from the lower 48 you'd be passing through Whitehorse. So Reba, let's start with the part of the drive that goes from Whitehorse down to the border with Alaska near Skagway. What are some things that you think can't be missed during that section?
Unknown:Well, I would honestly make my way from Whitehorse right over to the Haynes junction area. I like to camp myself. So there's a couple campgrounds I like to go to. In fact, I've already made my reservations for Kalani for the summer. I picked two dates out. Made the reservations to camp at this wonderful lake area, and I've got on my calendar we're going this summer, so I'm pretty excited about that, but we would bring our fishing poles and probably stop at Pine Lake area, and then in Haines junction itself, there's this little bakery. You can't miss a bakery in Hays junction, like it's a must, you just have to go the garlic cheese sticks. I mean, everything that they have is absolutely amazing and homemade in a way that Canada is really impressive about I mean, I live in a very, very small community, so keep that in mind. Yeah. So there's these certain treats that we look forward to when we leave town and going up in the Haynes junction area is completely a really, really special, special place. And then I would be like out of Haynes junction and kawani area, like driving down to Haines itself. That is where I would do the most wildlife viewing. You will see bears if you take your time. I mean, I saw there's a grizzly that we kept photographing this year. I made up about three times in the summer, and it was always in the same area, but, like, you cannot take this road trip and not see wildlife. It's almost impossible. I've seen links and just several other animals. I saw a peregrine falcon and it was carrying a rabbit. Like, oh gosh, where am I? Like, you feel like you're in this movie, like you're looking at in this the backgrounds just completely unbelievably beautiful. And depending on what time of the year you go, either the wildflowers are really out, or if it's really early in the season, the snow capped mountains, the way that the the scenic changes up there. The scenery changes so much. And then we call it, of course, the Golden Circle, because in the fall time, and in the fall, that's in August, it starts, you know, like, literally, the first week of August, sleeps can start changing colors in the Yukon. And then you have the mosses and the lichen on the ground that are just absolutely stunning. And the trees are changing colors. Million dollar falls. That's one of my favorite places to stop. I mean, it's kind of like this little campground, and it has a hiking trail around it, and then we actually like to what you call boondocking. Is camping in an undesignated campground which is totally legal, and there's a couple spots right outside the million dollar Falls area that's absolutely beautiful, like sandy beaches, beautiful water where you can swim in and though those are the things that I really like to do in that stretch between white horse and Hanes,
Jennie Flaming:yeah, and Reba, can you also just, while you're while you've got the mic, talk a little bit about, like, car cross and kind of the area between on that side of the loop in the Yukon, what are some highlights over there?
Unknown:Oh, yeah, absolutely. Well, for its we really like, again, camping. There's this campground. Called Conrad, which is closer to car cross than it is to Skagway. So it's, you know, about an hour outside of Skagway, up through the pass, and it's on this beautiful lake and this sheer mountain. I mean, I can't even describe it. It reminds me of those Prudential commercials they grew up with, like a rock. But it is absolutely beautiful. And then so we like to camp in the Conrad area. And then we make ourselves to car cross the and usually in the morning, right away, and we just get our coffee and have a meal there. And then we like to go to the beach in car cross. If there's a big lake, Bennett is there. And then there also is what is deemed the world's smallest desert. And there are these sand dunes there that we like to play on. We brought our four wheelers over before, but you can hike up to the top, and then you get a view of Lake Bennet. And Lake Bennett is absolutely gorgeous. It's, I don't remember how many miles long it's, Oh, it's over 30 miles long, I believe, yeah. And so you can, you know, it's, as far as you can see, it's like this beautiful lake surrounded by these majestic peaks. We haven't got it into mountain biking yet, but I really would like to do that, because car cross is really known for its mountain biking. And I'm a mom. I have a 12 year old, and that's what we'd like to do, is kind of just explore. So that's definitely in our list of things to do, yeah, just to chime in there real quick. Rebut, like, I can only speak for sort of the car cross side the mountain biking is incredible. Highly recommend it if you have your 12 year old excited about it. Like that area, the trails are incredible.
Jennie Flaming:Yes,
Unknown:yeah, I would like to go there and and the visit the visitor center and all of these areas, like, if you're not exactly sure, like, they're so welcoming and so kind, and they've got maps of the area, and they can make recommendations for you, tell you where to fill up your water jugs, or where you you know where the best restrooms are. I had this great experience. Went in there, and I was saying how much we liked going to Emerald Lake, because emerald Lake is, like this incredible. You would even it doesn't look really beautiful. It's so beautiful. And they were like, well, we have this other lake that's a little off the beaten path. If you're interested, I could show you where it is on a map, and I'm forgetting the name of it, lose Lake. Lose Lake, yes. And man, there was nobody else there. It was like, emerald Lake times 10. And it was absolutely incredible. We went fishing, we laid in the sun. It was really a nice, warm summer day, and we just had the best time in this new place. Like, there's just so much to discover in this area. It's absolutely stunning. Car cross is one of my favorite spots to go to. And then when we get back to Whitehorse, like I was asking my son, I was like, Well, you know, talking about my dork day today. And he's like, I asked him what his favorite thing to do and the trip is. And he's like, I like to go to white horse, to go to the pool. It's like, this white horse is a big city to us. You know, there's, I believe it's growing very fast, 35 to 40,000 people there now, and they've got all these wonderful amenities. And like being able to walk on the riverfront there, and the restaurants, the pool, we go shopping, like it's this and it's just so friendly. And I know there is a lot of tensions between our countries right now, but like, it's just so neighborly. We're all just so neighbors. We're more neighbors than anything else. And you really get that feel up there. And we just love spending time in Canada, for sure, in all these areas, but specifically we love and really appreciate all that Whitehorse has to offer.
Jennie Flaming:Oh yeah, absolutely. I'm just going to add as another American to love on Whitehorse, another a couple of my favorite things to do there are go to miles Canyon, which just has really cool trails. And I actually take people there. When I'm there on my tour, we usually go to miles Canyon, if we have time for that. It's such a cool little spot along the Yukon with trails and stuff. And then I also really love the like, relatively new Eclipse hot springs. Yes,
Unknown:highly recommend. Yeah, yeah, no, that is
Jennie Flaming:not a place I get to go when I'm there on tour, which is super sad,
Unknown:and it's, it's not a it's not for kids, it's an adult only place as well. So, but it is a beautiful and wonderful place to go. Those hot springs. Everything about it is absolutely amazing. Yeah, if, if you're looking for some relaxation, they are a Nordics bar, so highly recommend that one. But you are right, like even the Canada Game Center in the pool, like, for amenities, if you get to, you know, leave Skagway or Haynes behind. Right? This, this is nice to have, and even if you want to get your exercise and while you're on the road like it's a really wonderful place with a swimming pool and gym and everything you may need. But yeah, I agree, and I think what's so beautiful is with the Yukon River and with Miles Canyon, if you're into history at all, and even if you're driving from the lower 48 up, there is so much history to to explore and to learn more about the Gold Rush history and how it all ties together. And I just wanted to say thank you to Reba too, because it's like a little bit of a love letter to each of the other. Yeah. So it was really lovely to hear that. Thank you for sharing. Well, I sincerely mean it very, very, very deeply right now, I did want to ask you, there's one thing I've been meaning to to do that I haven't that definitely is on my list is to be able to take a flight scenic over the kawani, the ice, yeah, yeah, and then the tombstone area. I keep reading about the tombstone area, and I've never been I can't even pick it out on a map, but I've seen photos. Yeah. So for for everyone listening right now is the area you're coming through when you drive the Golden Circle and Haynes junction. So that is one area very popular for scenic flights, if you want to see the largest non polar ice field on the planet and Canada's tallest mountain. So highly recommend that there is a few operators out of Haines junction and north of Haines junction at guany Lake that I can highly recommend just Google search, and you will find them with their reviews. But yeah, Reba for you tombstone. So for anyone having a map in front of them. If you were to go six hours drive time north of Whitehorse, you'll hit Dawson City, the epicenter of the gold rush back in the day. And from there, you have the option to drive a gravel road that leads all the way to the Arctic Ocean in takti yaktak. And on that way, you hit up tombstone and tombstone. Territorial Park is a local favorite for all of us. So if you have more time to spare and you're interested in seeing more of the Yukon, I highly recommend it, especially, as Reba said during the fall, colors absolutely stunning. Everything turns orange, yellow and red, and yeah, you can do scenic flights up there. So highly recommend those. You can probably get a charter out of Whitehorse, but it will cost you a little bit more money because you have to get that far north first, but otherwise, if you get to Dawson City, so like I said, about a six hour drive north of Whitehorse, and then from there, you can book a scenic flight and check out the area. And it's absolutely incredible. I haven't done the scenic flight myself, but the area is incredible, really, like anything in the Yukon and Alaska, you can't go wrong with with wherever you decide to dedicate some time to seeing something. Yeah, sounds like a great side trip. I've been to Dawson before, and I love it. I tried to do the tow shot, I just couldn't do it. But I have to admit, shame on me. I am not an official Yukon, or because I have not put that toe in against my lips. I have not got my courage. Maybe, yeah, maybe I'm not a real Yukon, or after all. But see, you know some of you have and highly recommend it. If you have the courage and you feel like it, you get a certificate. So if that isn't reward enough, I think you have to,
Jennie Flaming:yeah, I have lost my certificate. And every No, no, I know, but it was a long time ago. I'm there usually a couple times a year with my tour groups. And yeah, so I haven't felt so strongly about it, that I needed to get another certificate.
Unknown:Well, there's picture approved, right? That's all that counts. Yeah, yeah.
Jennie Flaming:There is, you know, the 90s, so it's like an old photo, but yes, yes, and
Unknown:that's before it was popular. I just like to say that, you know, like, now everyone knows about it. Everyone
Jennie Flaming:plays on the toe. Yeah, you know, honestly, for me, the toe isn't as bad as, like, I'm not good with shots, so that part was a lot worse than the toe for me, even when I was, like, 24 years old. Anyway, um, so I'm gonna just mention a couple things before we get to the Alaska part. Number one, doing a trip up to Dawson City is another great addition onto this trip that we're talking about. We'll do an episode about that someday, but yeah, so mention that. And then the other thing I want to mention is that Jay and I did an episode that was about driving the dumpster highway and on driving the Dalton Highway, kind of comparing those that Dalton in Alaska and the dumpster in the Yukon and Northwest Territories. And so go back and listen to that episode if you want. Hear more about that drive, which is super cool, and we did it in September, and it was amazing. Oh, stunning. Yeah, it was stunning. Yeah. Okay, so Vicky. When you go down to Alaska, Haynes and Skagway area, what are some of your favorite things to do?
Unknown:Yes, I'm so excited to share this now, because it feels like I get to do the payback to my love letter to to both those communities, because they have such a special place. And honestly, every person that lives in the Yukon would adopt Skagway and hates as honorary members. We just love going there, and everyone is always so welcoming, like it's just wonderful special in the north. Gosh, there's so much that I love to do. But like Reba said, like every time I go, there's something else I want to I want to see, or I want to prioritize, some things I've done over and over again, and others are, like, still new corners that I try to explore. But on the hane side, for me, first of all, camping is great, so highly recommend that too, if you're into that. But otherwise, the Aspen suites hotel is really lovely and new. So for someone that is looking for a little bit more comfort, there are really great cabins. I personally love staying at the gathering place. They have, like, several rustic cabins. You're a little bit outside of Haines, so if you have your your car with you, that's a great option. And you overlook the inlet, and with some luck, you'll see some sea lions and lots and lots of eagles. Like Haynes is just the place. If you've never seen a bald eagle, you will see your bald eagle in Haynes. Fun fact, they all migrate there in the winter months. I know you might not visit in November, but if you ever find yourself there, I would highly recommend checking out the bald eagle festival. I think Reba, it's November, right? If I get that correct, correct, it's always the first weekend in November. Yeah, yeah. Highly, highly recommend that, but, and as soon as I get into Haines, I don't know, for me, it's the drive crossing the border and then driving along the river, getting into the community, that I just love so much. And for food, I don't know why. I would love to know how the locals feel about it, but for me, bamboo place is the first place I ever went for fish and chips and Ames and so this is sort of like the place I always have to go back to highly recommend. It has sort of this diner feel to it, and you gotta eat fish and chips when you're on the coast. So for us, this is really important when we come to Skagway or Hames, even though we're not too far away. But I want to eat it sort of as fresh as it can get. And I love going to, oh my goodness, Reba, you have to help me. But your local grocery store with the little coffee shop in it, like that's always, Mount market. Yes. Mount market, yes. So this is a place you have to stop it either it's a sandwich before you hit the ferry. For us, there is a big event that happens in the summer months, which is the bike relay. So you you have groups cycling from Haynes junction to Haines. And so for all of us participants, we spent the night there, and there's a little go live. And, you know, very rustic, but everyone loves it. And for us, anyways, the fuel is to go to the mountain market and get ourselves a treat once we complete our legs. So highly recommend that. But there really is so much. There is the brewery and the distillery. If you're into sort of like the craft brewery scene, you definitely have to check that out. And for me, activity wise, I love the ocean. Now, unfortunate for me that I'm sort of land locked on the Yukon side, but even better that Haynes and Skagway are so welcoming. So that's always my little escape. And there are so many wonderful hikes. So like, if you're into hiking, I honestly recommend that you do the Battery Point trail. That one is really friendly for sort of, like, easy to maybe a little moderate, like, you need to have good footing, but the trail is really good and and then it's Mount ripinski. I love that hike. Like, if you're in for a challenge and you have some time to spare, especially if it is a clear day, you have to do it like, the view is absolutely breathtaking. And you walk through sort of like this lush rain forest coastal area, and work your way up into the Alpine. Fun fact, if you do it in the summer months, you find some blueberries up top. If you know what they look like. Otherwise, don't eat them, please. But yeah, highly recommend that. So those are sort of like some of my top things to do in Haines. And then taking the ferry is the best. But if I don't get to take the ferry and I come the other way around into Skagway. Skagway, for everyone, again, on the map, is closer to us driving time wise, from Whitehorse. So this is sort of like a little bit of a default for the locals, if we're trying to get a little bit of an escape from the territory. And so with two hours, that's super manageable. And for. Me, Skagway is all about, like, history and culture, and that, like, little vibrant mix, very different in the summer time than it is in the winter time. And honestly, I love both for all the different reasons. But when I go to Skagway, sort of first order of business for me is to check out all the stores, because it's sort of like, it gives you that big city feel due to the cruise ships coming. And there's lots of things that we don't have in the territory that is just fun to check out and get yourself some treats and souvenirs, honestly, like, you know, as you know, with cruise ships, but like, it's just fun to get, like, postcards and little trinkets for family and friends. If you ever have the time you have to take the white pass railway like, I can't recommend that one enough, especially again, if there is a part of your travel group that's interested in history. But even if you're not interested in history, and maybe you're a Harry Potter fan, you know, it gives you Hogwarts train vibes like highly recommend it. The views are so I have not
Jennie Flaming:the White Pass railroad before, but it's been
Unknown:to the UK, and you want that feel, you know, take the white pass Come, come to the Yukon and Alaska. But I really love the train ride, and there's just so much to learn about the Gold Rush history, and really how closely connected we've always been to Alaska for so many different reasons, but particularly in that region, as all the people coming for the Gold Rush came across and basically went up in a ship, climbed mountains and try to find their way to Dawson. So really recommend that, again, lots of beautiful hikes if you're looking for sort of like something a little challenging, upper dewy lake that one will ask some energy of you. You have to bring some good snacks and water for that one. But again, rewarding views, absolutely stunning, because you work your your way from sort of like the coastal area, through the rain forest into the Alpine. You're just surrounded by mountains when you go to Haynes and Skagway. And it's just so humbling to be in that area, kind of like in these valleys and inlets, very different from what you'll see in the Yukon. Gosh. What else there's so much to do, really, like, I know we touched on it, if you can do it in three days, but hopefully you have more time than that to spare. I think if there is another interest in hiking, you know, of course we have the Chilkoot Trail, there has been some maintenance been done, and of course, through the years of the pandemic, there were some challenges, because we are still two different nations. But if it's open at the time of you listening to this, I highly recommend looking into that if you're really into backpacking and hiking, to really follow the footsteps of the people coming to the North during the Gold Rush, so much history to be seen and explored. But Skagway is just, if I had to compare the two. For me, Haines is sort of like that outdoor, you know, small community, cozy vibe, where you like, feel taken away into your little I, and I don't mean that in a bad way, but like your Hallmark movie of like, just, you know, everyone knows everyone. It's super cozy and outdoorsy. And then, if I have skeg way, and I'm talking summer season now, you have sort of like that eclectic mix of different people coming to visit on a cruise ship and locals coming on the Golden Circle route or driving down. And it's just sort of like very vibrant mix, super fun people from all over the states that are up there for the season too, which is so nice. And yeah, as as you Coronavirus, we just love going to both places for all the different reasons. And yeah, I mentioned the bike relay earlier. Is one event that we have. There is a road relay in the fall months that goes from Skagway to Whitehorse. If you're into running and punishing yourself, you know that might be something to sign up for, but there's just so much to do. And I think the really beautiful thing for anyone visiting is the relationship that we have with each other. Like, I don't know Reba, how you you feel, but it's sort of like we're just doing this together, and we just love sharing the love for where we both live. It doesn't matter if there's a border basically you have to cross, other than the fact that you need a passport, but otherwise it's just, it's absolutely stunning. You have to see it for yourself. Can I ask you, Victoria, what? What's your favorite where's your favorite places to eat in Skagway? Oh, my goodness, um, now I feel like this is every U corners favorite place to eat in Skagway, and you have to correct me, because I haven't been there in a while, but like, is Starfire still around? Oh, they, they, they are. They had. A season or two where they were not in business, but they have a food truck now. So in the summertime, you can go to a food truck, and it is just as good, if not better, perfect. Okay, so for everyone listening, then clearly, you know, I'm overdue for my visit to go to the food truck, but Starfire, that is like the default for many of us going, because it is Thai food, which we don't have in Whitehorse, even though we might be a metropolis two people in Skagway. So go to Starfire and then, of course, I really like the brewery. They have good pop food there. Again, if you're looking for fish and chips. I'm so bad with my names today. Bear with me here. I'm just cheating a little bit looking at Google Maps. Yes, the Fish Company. See, I should know that name. Clearly, you go there to eat fish, but the Skyway Fish Company is great. So highly recommend going there. You have another really cute coffee shop. Clearly, I'm blanking today, I apologize, but that coffee shop also makes like the most delicious London fog. Not sure that everyone is into that. But highly recommend those. They keep you nice and place your coffee shop. Yep, yes, thank you. This is what we got Reba for everyone so she can fill in the blanks that I have. Very, very embarrassing on my part, I apologize. But really, the good news is, Skagway and Haynes are very walkable, so even if you don't know the name, or I don't know the name, you ask someone or you'll find it if you give it five minutes. So that's a really beautiful thing too, maybe to mention in my defense right now,
Jennie Flaming:yeah, and you know, Vicky, I'm glad that you mentioned that, because, you know, when you were on a road trip, it's really nice when you have those times where you can just park and then just explore on foot. And both Haynes and Skagway are great places to be, like, not in the car and just walking around. And yeah for sure, yeah,
Unknown:yeah. Super, super friendly for people walking Absolutely. Okay,
Jennie Flaming:so let's, let's kind of keep, as we kind of move towards wrapping up here, let's keep the food theme going. So, Reba, you got us started by asking about Skagway. Let's move over to Haynes. Then we can finish up in white horse and Vicky. I you know you already mentioned a couple favorites. Any anything else that either of you want to specifically call out for Haynes? I'm going
Unknown:to cheat again and quickly pull up maps here. So bear with me, everyone. I will let Reba go first. I think you're probably looking for the fireweed as my best guess. Yes, but yes, next to the distillery. So unfortunately, the fireweed itself closed down, but they're reopening this year with a different owner, and they're going to be called dear heart. And it's really true to the sense of pains itself, like they're using a lot of locally foraged ingredients for their menu, which I think will change quite often. So you're going to just have to google dear heart, D, E, R, and as, like, actually a plant, yeah,
Jennie Flaming:spelled like the animal named after a plant.
Unknown:Correct, exactly. So it's exciting that we're going to have a new restaurant open here, and then also the local tribe that they're opening up a restaurant on the pier, which will be down there if you're here in Haines on the waterfront, there's a large dock and then a smaller dock. The smaller dock is owned by our try, the Chilkoot Indian Association, and they run a foot traffic shuttle between Skagway and Haynes in the summertime only. So you can't take your vehicle on it, but you can take a nice day trip between the two communities, if that's what you'd like to do. But they're also going to be opening up a restaurant this summer on the pier, and that location is beautiful, so I'm super excited to see what they do with that. But yeah, fish and chips, there's a couple restaurants that do it here, and every single one of them, they're just really good because you're using local halibut. And as an Alaskan, I just halibut. It's my favorite dish. It's so good. It's everything about it is so good. So wherever, wherever you're eating at here in southeast Alaska, definitely recommend getting halibut or salmon, but I like halibut, and Lincoln is great too. You have your link caught there, but halibut is my all time favorite. I agree.
Jennie Flaming:Yeah. Okay, that sounds awesome. So let's finish up. This is making me extremely hungry at this point in the podcast, when we start diving into food. All right, let's finish up with white horse. What are some of both of your favorite places to eat, in Whitehorse.
Unknown:Oh, that's a good question. I don't Reba, would you like to go first? Or shall I go first? What do you prefer? I'll go first, but you're going to have to help me with the name. Yes, I will. I love Mexican food. And there's two places there that I like, the iconic one, Sanchez, Cantina. Yeah, yes, thank you. That is so good, made from scratch. I mean, it is awesome. It's one of my favorite places to eat in Whitehorse. And then the other one we tried. It's connected to a glass bowling place. Oh, we I think it's rarely, fairly new. Only is that is, is it compadres burritos? I don't know that they're next to the bowling alley, though. Maybe they move. Let me see, I'm sorry, not the bowling alley, the glass blowing. It's connected to a COVID. Gather, sorry, sorry. Gather, yes, yes, gather, amazing. Oh my gosh, it was so good. And it's not just Mexican, it's like this infusion. And anything you order there is absolutely amazing. And then I like to get Indian food to there. And then, honestly, it sounds funny, but people like us to bring Tim bits back, don't it? Yes. And then also people like us to bring Kentucky Fried Chicken back. Sounds funny, but we are literally in the middle of nowhere, so any kind of chain restaurant is even sought after a little bit for a lot of people here, you need your chain food. Phil, occasionally there's nothing wrong with that
Jennie Flaming:you Tim. Tim Hortons is, is just the best. Yes,
Unknown:yes, it is. We're very proud of it. I know you are, and I
Jennie Flaming:love that. I love that about Canada. Yeah, I know Tim
Unknown:Hortons is just an institution to us. So for anyone that hasn't been to Canada, you should really go to Tim Hortons and order Tim bits to experience it. Oh, man, those are good choices that's going to be hard to follow up with. Maybe I'm going to start with sort of like the craft brewery scene, because that's maybe something interesting to some listeners. So we have just like skating. They have their breweries too, but we do have Yukon brewing, and they've been around the longest, so highly recommend checking them out. They have their little taste room, so you should go there if you're interested in beer. But we have winter long brewing. They are up at the local ski hill, but sold in our local liquor stores as well. And then one place that really popular, so if you're sort of like looking for a nice cocktail or beers, is woodcutters blanket. So I can highly recommend that, sort of like for for some you know, appies and drinks as one location gather is so hard to follow up on. Gather is delicious, but we also have now relatively new Big Bear eatery and tap house, and they're really well known for their donaires. So if you are in the market for donair, you have to stop there. That one is really popular if I'm getting myself a treat for the road, and it's not important, I like stopping at baked that's on Main Street. Again, Main Street is very walkable too, but they have great sort of coffees and teas and delicious scones and pastries. So that's the place you want to hit up. There's so much. What else do I really love Maybe a well kept secret is, and it's not in downtown Whitehorse, but if you have your car with you, and you're headed down the highway towards saints junction, there is a subdivision called Porter Creek, and they have whiskey jacks, and they have amazing wings. And Wednesday is wing night. So if you find yourself in Whitehorse on a Wednesday, highly recommend having wings there.
Jennie Flaming:Love it. Okay, I'm going to add one place that neither of you mentioned that I really love, in Whitehorse, which is burnt the burnt toast cafe. Yes,
Unknown:yes. And I guess in in, in next to it is the Klondike grip and salmon. And so I think for anyone visiting the Yukon for the very first time, burnt toast and the claw neck grip and salmon are sort of like a legacy up here. They have the change in ownership as well, but they are in this old historic building, and both both like delicious food, so highly recommended. But burn toast is delicious too. I haven't been there in a while, so maybe that's my inspiration for today. Yeah.
Jennie Flaming:Also, I believe that burnt toast is only open for breakfast and lunch. Yes, don't think they're open in the evening.
Unknown:That's correct. Yeah, great spot. Yeah, wonderful. Then you just move over to the quantitative grip and salmon for dinner, because that's exactly
Jennie Flaming:you just make two more minutes away. Yes, exactly, exactly. Well, Reba and Vicky, thank you so much for joining me today for this super fun episode and sharing all this international love. Thank you so much.
Unknown:Thank you so much for having me. This was a blast. I know Reba is already familiar with this, but as a first timer, thank you so much for the love and the warm welcome and it's it's been so fun to share my home with everyone listening. I hope you all come visit. Yeah, thank thank you both ladies. This means a lot to us right now. I mean, it's really hard not to feel the fracture that's happening on the national level. And this just really solidifies for me how much we are neighbors and how much positive there is, and if we can just keep that going, that's that is really important to the community of Hanes, and I do feel comfortable speaking for all of us, that we love our neighbors and we hope that everything gets settled here in the near future, because we we appreciate it, and we rely on you, and you're very important to us, and you are very important to us, doesn't matter how small you're part of the honorary Yukon family. So we would love nothing more than to see things get a little bit better. And we hope that everyone that local or not local, chooses to come visit because we know this is important to you.
Jennie Flaming:Well, thank you again, both of you. Thanks to all of you out there for listening, and from All of us honorary and yukoners, bye for now. You.
