Haines Junction, Yukon, Canada
Haines Junction – Kluane Lake
Dirty Windows
As we started out this morning Gine
had one complaint: I can’t see out of the window – that means we stop at the
next stop and Paul cleans the windows perfectly!!! Now we can enjoy the scenery
again. It is amazing on how many bugs we kill everyday!!!
Not-so clean Water at Kathleen Lake
Our first stop is at Kathleen Lake,
Gine read that it is a very picturesque lake and it is in the Kluane NP. Once
we looked at the map and discovered that you camp 1 km away from the lake that
part was a no-go. We stopped at the Day use and the view on the mountains is
nice, but: the water is dirty and we would not go in for a swim.
Looking for a potential campsite
Where to stay for free: Gine found a
description near a Quilt River and we went there to check it out, we actually
found several possible spots and decided this will be perfect for tonight. Now
we can plan more:
At the Visitor info
Today is Canada day, and we learned
that there is free lunch – ok that goes on the list, we got info regarding
flights over Kluane – good now we can think about it and plan. And we learned
where to dump (very important as this morning we run out of water!!!).
Yummy lunch with fellow travellers on
Canada day
We did miss the parade – but we were
right on time for the burgers and hotdogs: and they were super yummy with Greek
and Caesar salad, free drinks, carrot cake and Canada cookies – we are
stuffed!! What was really cool we met the couple we met at the Clement Lake Rec
site again and talked about what we both did and where we went. That was super
cool.
A town or a Junction: Haines Junction
- Traditionally the name for this area is Dakwakada: meaning high cache place: because the Dan First Nations built storage structure here called dakwakats
- During the gold rush in 1903 they built the Kluane Wagon road along the Kluane Lake
- When the Alaska Highway got built it followed the route of the Kluane Wagon Road and construction camps were built along the road including Haines Junction
- The first building in this town was built in 1942
- Here live around 900 people and it is the gateway to the Kluane NP which got established in 1972
Organizing our Camping life
#1: Paul sees a car wash so we go and
Paul washes the car, that is when we afterwards searched for Mandy and
discovered she didn’t like pressure-washers so she was hiding underneath Gine’s
seat. #2 Gine calls around for a possible sight-seeing flight and discovers
even they are pricy they are nearly all booked out – but we got one!!! For
Sunday afternoon -guess we will have some nice relaxing days at the Kluane
Lake.
And then we dump and fill up the water
with a super slow water hose!!!!
Where should we go for a dip in the
water
Should we really drive 35 Min back to
the lake we were??? No!. We checked Kathleen lake and said no going in the
water, but we did see a river pull out with several cars close by, ok back the
1 km and we check it out: crystal clear water – super fast moving, perfect!!!
We make coffee and stand with our feet in the freezing cold water – but it is
so hot. After changing in the swim suits Paul shaves in the river and we both
wash our hair in the river as well rinse ourselves off, but we didn’t go
completely in – it is too freezing cold. Once you are out your feet are still
frozen. It’s a perfect spot with one down side: Mosquitos – yes we have new
bites!!!
Wind and sunshine at the Quilt River
We head to our river spot – set up and
see there we have wind here, perfect the breeze refreshes us during we are
sitting down and relaxing, enjoying the sound of the river and the view of the
Mountains. With heat like that we are glad we have some ham and cheese for
sandwiches and salad – everything else it too much!!!
What a wonderful evening do we have
here.
Paul & Mandy go for a morning walk
This morning was cute: it was sunny so
we went outside and Mandy came out too but meowed and complained, until we
figured out that she wants to go for a walk: first Gine started to walk along
the river bed and said Mandy come and like a doggy she followed along until we
found a dead butterfly. Afterwards Paul and Mandy did the same thing either
Paul walked and Mandy followed along. Now we only have to teach her to do that
all the time
Internet in the visitor Info
We headed back towards Haines
Junction: this morning after stocking up with fresh fruit we went to the
Visitor Info so we could get some internet time Paul to do the banking and Gine
to do some What’s app and also check for Ferries and that is when she
discovered there are no ferries available even close to the timeframe we are
interested in: ok that means we have to make a backup plan. Also as always we
pick up the info for the next stretch of our journey.
On the road again
Today we are heading only a little bit
north and will stay at the Kluane Lake. It was a short and scenic drive as
again we are driving along the Kluane Range with amazing views on the mountains
and then we can see that huge lake in front of us, drive a bit along until we
are at the end where the lake is “dried” up and over the bridge and up the
other side of the road. Amazing – it’s really a beautiful lake.
Pink flowers at the Kluane Lake
As per our App (yes the IOverland app
gave us a lot of great ideas) there are plenty free spots to pull out and one
of them is an “old campsite”: as we see it we drive down the little dirt road
and end up at the lake: super gorgeous. It’s sunny and a bit windy (no mosquitos
at the moment in site – perfect). The wind makes it not boiling hot, but hot
enough to be in the sun.
Gine sets up the paddleboard and Paul
takes the door apart as he didn’t like the squeaking noises when Gine opens and
closes the windows (off the panel in with WD40 and it’s fixed-sadly only for
one day).
Gine then paddles along the shore
north to discover new views and little creeks going into the lake – back it’s
time for coffee and some relax time in the sun. Then Gine heads out again this
time with some big waves (yes you get wet) and then let’s herself drift back –
the views are amazing. The water is crystal clear only a bit cold – so we don’t
really go in it except with the feet. We have an amazing afternoon.
Kluane Lake:
- Depending on the light this is another jade-green lake
- Kluane Lake is the largest lake in the Yukon
Fresh buns for supper
Tonight we have homemade fresh buns
for supper again – as it is a bit cloudy we eat inside and were expecting to be
inside for the rest of the evening – but no, the sun comes back out again in
force and we enjoy sunshine until nearly 10pm even we are that close to the
mountain as the sun goes perfectly down with the mountain range.
When should we go to sleep????
this
is a really important question as it is not really getting dark – we are at the
moment in an area with nearly 22 hours of sunlight… so when to go to bed and
when to get up: the idea to sleep when it’s dark gives us not enough sleep….
But it is cool waking up and the sun is already fairly high and you can enjoy
the sunshine
2025-05-22