Carcross, Yukon, Canada
Klondike Highway – Carcross
We are heading south on the Klondike
Highway:
- The Klondike Hwy links Skagway in Alaska with Dawson City in the Yukon and is 715 km long: we are at the moment on the South Klondike
- The route parallels the route taken by the prospectos in the 1898 Klondike rush: at that time it was a crueling.
- journey over the Chilkoot Pass or the White Pass to Carcross and then to continue by boat or raft along the Yukon river for another 965 km
- The last section of the Hwy from Skagway to Carcross was completed in 1978
The most beautiful lake of the Yukon:
Emerald Lake
- The colors are created by sunlight reflecting off a white layer or “marl” on the lake bed
- Marl is a white Calcium carbonate clays that forms in the water and settles unevenly on the lake bottom
- Diatoms are an algae they form a unique external structure out of Calcium carbonate and when they die their shells contribute to the layer of marl (if you look closely you can tiny little snail shells)
The weather is gorgeous today and the
views on the mountains as we head south are amazing, our first stop was this
lake – when I told Paul that they said that it is the most beautiful Lake in
the Yukon, Paul didn’t believe me. Once we were there we couldn’t believe on
how amazing the colors of this lake are. I think it is so special because you
have the green with deep contrast of blue and the little islands in between –
this is truly a gem. After stopping at the official viewpoint, we stopped again
at the end of the lake.
Carcross:
- Is the only community between Skagway and Whitehorse
- The Tagish people called it “Todezzane” meaning “wind blowing all the time” and the Tlingit called is Naataase Heen “water running through the narrows”
- Starting in 1899 it became a stopping point for prospectors heading to the Klondike – the White Pass railway survived it in 1899 and the railway was completed in 1900 and run until 1982
- At that time it was called Caribou Crossing because of the Caribou that crossed the narrows between Nares and Bennet lake
- In 1904 the Bishop Bompas aa missionary asked it to be changed in carcross
- The Caribou Hotel which opened in 1898 is still operating today
- The town got destroyed by a major fire in 1909 and quickly rebuilt
- And a fun fact: Frederrick Trump (the Grandfather of Donald Trump) made a fortune operating a hotel and bordello in Carcross in 1898 – he returned to Germany in 1901 and emigrated to the USA soon after
- Buildings from abandoned mining communities like Bennett City, Conrad city were relocated here
- by the way the town Bennett was at the south end of the lake where many camped before heading over the lake and by Carcross - in May 1898 more than 7000 boats sailed pass here towards Dawson
Sunshine – Sand and views on Bennet
Lake
With the weather mostly sunny, Gine
said we go to the Lake and have a nice afternoon here – before we did try to
check out the bakery but got told that it closed during COVID. Once we arrived
at that amazing viewing platform with picnic tables we walked down to super
fine and amazing sand and it was super warm sand – it is like being on
vacation. We had early coffee and then set up – we spend the whole afternoon here:
Suntaning – Reaading – Lake watching – walking along the shoreline. What an
amazing spot!!! This is one of my new highlights.
We decided to stay here for the night
and as we were setting up for BBQ a family of Mexico joined us with their van –
so we are not the only ones staying here for the night.
We were wondering on how many people
are actually living here, as a lot looks quiet abandoned.
Sunset over the lake
It’s end of June and at 10.30 at night you can still see the sun – it
is amazing. Gine had to go out once in while to see on how beautiful it looks.
The historic town of Carcross
We woke up to clouds – but
surprisingly the sun came out and we had breakfast with an amazing view on the
lake – as it looks like the weather will be nice today – so let’s do some
exploring in the morning, so we can have more beachtime this afternoon.
First off we walked around the block
through the historic buildings one cool fact about it: the owners along Bennett
Avenue and the Bennett Lake beachfront were considered squatters until the
regulations changed in 1983 allowing this properties to be titled:
- Arne Ormen Cabin: Arnulf Arne Ormen was a woodcutter from Scandinavia who lived on Tagish road from the 1940-60s, He skied in winter or biked in summer the 12 miles to Carcross to get supplies and visit the beer parlour. As we grew older he thought he should live in Carcross and built this little cabin where he claimed he could do what he always wanted to do: light his fire without getting out of the bed. He was a tall man and could not stand up straight in his cabin – only in the outhouse. As per Paul that cabin is smaller than our camper!! I mean this is a super cute small cabin
We walked by more older loghouses –
which were very cute and you can actually read up on everyone on who built them
and owned them or if they got moved from Bennett city or Conrad City.
- Unique was the Watson Cabin as it had a 1950s rusty Chevy out fron: it was built in the early 1900s and was one of the houses owned by Matthew Watson and it could be rented.
- Then the Cabin with the green door – yes each one has a name after it’s owner the Jones Cabin was built in 1938 but the logs came from a house from Conrad City from 1902
- The old School: this white unassuming building which looks like left behind, was the rebuilt school from 1939, after the 1st one burned down (by the way the first school from 1914 only accepted First Nations Children)
- St. Johnes Baptist Church: this church was originally in Conrad city and they brought it here in 1939
- The Barracks: a cute house with a big Sign Sourdough Bakery – yes it’s closed because we wanted to go there yesterday. This cute log house is from 1921. At one time here was the RCMP.
- The Sibilla: in 1932 some Yukon Carpenters built the sibilla and modelled is after the historic Sibilla a mail service boat in the Yukon Navigation fleet. It looks old – even it is not the original boat.
I think after that walk around the one
block we saw all the interesting old houses and we headed towards the:
The remains of the SS Tutshi
Yes it is not the whole ship – as we
learned the real one burned down and they made a memorial for this one: it’s on
the Lake and it is kind of cool as you can walk up to one floor to look out on
the burned hull and you can read about the boat:
- The steam wheeler Tutshi was built in 1917 to help move the tourists visiting Yukon’s southern lakes, later it was used to carry mail and freight to mines. Once the roads in the 1940s was completed it was the end of the era of the steam wheeler and she got decommissioned in 1955 and in 1971 the Yukon government bought it
- They started to restore it and she got open to the public in 1988 when in 1990 she burned down – today the remains are at the SS Tustshi Memorial
The visitor info or a whole town???
We could already see several buildings
with some super cool first nations art and decided we need to check it out: it
is like a whole Visitor info and tourist complex: with cool shops and a bakery
(yes we decided to buy something even it is totally overpriced – but we decided
that we deserve it). They are so super cool with totem poles around. And right
near it is also the:
St. Saviours Anglican Church: the
Bishop Bompas who renamed the town constructed this church in 1904 and walked
to an old passenger cart of the White pass train.
After checking it all out we went
towards:
the bridge
ok there are two bridges: one is the
Train bridge for the white Pass Train which is not routinely running anymore
and the other is a foot bridge: before we could admire it all we came by the
trainstation – sorry closed as the train doesn’t run, but they did had a
cute little small engine hanging out there and the old Caribou Hotel
which opened in 1910 and is one of the oldest buildings in the Southern Lake
region (by the way it got moved from Bennett City – so Canadian moving houses
around, but the original one burned in the 1909 fire – so that is why this is
from 1910) and let’s not forget the old car here.
The foot bridge is super cool as we
had an amazing view on the Train bridge and the old town – the Bennett Lake and
the sandy beaches with the background mountains. We did talk with a German guy
who is here with one of those you-can-drive-everywhere-unimogs who at the
moment is fixing up a house for someone. What is amazing is the colors of the
lake as you can see a blue section and a browny section in the water and they
don’t mix
at the first nations totem poles
nearly everywhere here where you have
a lookout you have this cool boards telling you what you can see in English
Tagish and Tlingit, and so we learned a lot during our trip around town
- We tl’atk ka we heen (is Tlingit) – Nenh ye tu (is Taglish) and in English it means the land and the water
- So we saw at one time a map of the South Yukon lakes drawn in 1887 by John Tagish he drew it for another explorer and it showed his knowledge of the land and travel routes – it was super amazing to see
We did stop here so we could take some
cool pictures of the art and the poles – we also recognize already some of the
poles and which tribes they are.
It’s hot in the desert
Ok you can’t come to carcross and not
visit the only desert in Canada – and it is super cool but we also learned why
there is a desert here:
- it is the smallest dessert in the world
- it is actually not really a desert: it is a series of northern sand dunes: the area is too humid to be considered a desert - the sand was formed during the last glacial period when a large glacial lake formed and deposited silt: the the lakes dried the dunes were left behind
- today the sand comes mainly from nearby Bennett Lake carried by wind and the dunes have several plants like the Baikal sedge and the Yukon Lupine
- The Yukon government wanted to protect it, but they failed as the locals use them for recreational purposes
- the "desert" is actually in a rain shadow caused by the surrounding mounts
As per Paul he said it is so hot I
don’t have to walk on the sand, so Gine set out to walk up on the first sand
dune – then down (by the way down is super cool and easy) and then over to the
tall sand dune, going up is sweating!!! As you sink in and you have to go up
and you get all in your shoes and it is hot and you sweat: but then I got
rewarded with amazing views over the teeny tiny desert and all the way to the
lake and the moutnains- super cool. On the way back suddenly Paul yells “Gine”
and see there he did wander into the desert and up on a sand dune and sits
there to enjoy the view. We had a lot of fun and it was amazing and hot. As we
think that it is time to head to the beach the first rain drops come: what!!!!!
We are in the desert!!!!
When it rains it’s internet time
We decided to head to the Tourist info
and go inside and go on the internet and get caught up with our daily tasks.
During that time the train actually came by several times – so cool. We also
see a bus with Holland America – guess that is why all is so nicely made here:
for all the tourists from the cruise ships. So what should we do with the rest
of the day: no it’s not beach time – that means let’s get going:
Coffee overlooking an island
We head towards Skagway and on the way
there is this view point: and to point it out we are now on Nares Lake and the
little Bove Island looks so amazing. To the right we look down the Windy Arm of
Tagish Lake.
Mandy is super eager to go outside and
sits in front of the holes of the chipmonks – really they are not for hunting,
she was not very impressed when we put her back in the camper.
This was a super spot for coffee
The last lake view side in Conrad
We decided to head to Conrad TP
campground and as we drive in there is one site with lake view available: it’s
like waiting for us – we are lucky as it is Saturday and everyone is out
camping. We have a little spot we can sit and enjoy the viewon the lake, walk
down the path to the lake front.
We did check out the official beach –
actually ours is nicer!!!
Conrad was once a town:
- Conrad city was a supply town and shipping depot for the Windy Arm Mining District
- It got abandoned in 1914 when the price of silver dropped
- At one time 3000 people lived here
Gine needs to check out Conrad city
and here is the old townsite: ok there is not much left the sites of an old log
house and some kind of dock and metal pieces down at the lake – but the view is
amazing. And see there this is the 3rd time Gine walks by the
German- American Couple.
We have a campfire
Here you get free firewood and Gine
said that being the case we make a fire: after preparing all and all that
walking – a rinse off is needed and then we have super Canadian supper: Kraft
Mac&cheese with fried hotdogs – yummy!!!
During we are enjoying Mandy is here
always on the go she can’t stay inside and she goes everywhere – you call her
she comes you put her inside and barely open the door and out she is and in the
bush. What was super cool when we went down to the lake she followed us like a
little puppy down and then back up. She is now such an outdoor car.
We didn’t wait until it’s dark for the
fire – as otherwise it will be an after-midnight fire: but it was super cool to
thave the fire when it got a bit cooler and read around it on what we will do
in the next days on our trip (thanks to Gine collecting all the flyers in the
Tourist info and Paul complaining that the truck gets to heavy).
And in between we always call Mandy
and try to make sure we don’t loose her.
We had again another amazing day.
Coffee in the warm sunshine
This morning we had coffee outside in
shorts and T-shirts as it was that warm – wow I think summer is finally here!!!
Gine had to go one last time down to the lake – and yes Mandy did also some
more exploring and then we are ready to head out towards Alaska.
2025-05-22