When driving to Alaska from the USA, there are two traditional routes, the Alaska Highway and the Cassiar Highway. I had the joy of driving the Cassiar Highway on my way up to Alaska. While Driving the Cassiar highway, you will have nice views, but the various detours you can do off the highway were the highlight for me.
Where and What is the Cassiar Highway?
The Cassiar Highway is Highway 37 that runs largely South to North in northwestern British Columbia and southern Yukon. It connects the Yellowhead Highway to the famous Alaska Highway about 23 km west of Watson Lake, Yukon. The Highway is 722 kilometers long and will take about 10 hours if you drive without stopping, but there are plenty of things to see so you will be stopping.
What to See on the Cassiar Highway
The following were my favorite things to do and see on and near the Cassiar Highway, going from south to north:
Gitwangak Battle Hill National Historic Site
The first stop is almost immediately after you start your drive on the Cassiar. You can take a short detour to this battle hill. There are interpretive signs in three languages – English, French, and native and you can hike one km to the summit of the battle hill.
Gitanyow Hereditary Chiefs – Totem Poles
Head a couple km into Gitanyow town to see the incredibly high totem poles. This is also the last place to get gas before Meziadin junction.
Detour: Nass Valley
One of the interesting things to see as a detour from the Cassiar Highway is the Nass River Valley. The Nass Valley is home to several interesting first nations villages, free hot springs, nice waterfalls, and the most recent lava flows in Canada (approximately 250 years ago). Tip: it’s better to visit this from Terrace, BC and then take the short-cut over to the Cassiar Highway on the Nass River Forest Road (check locally for conditions as this is not a maintained road). Read more about the Nass Valley here.
Meziadin Lake
Meziadin Lake is a beautiful lake and one of the busiest State Park campgrounds in this part of BC. Make sure you look for the white-ish Spirt Bears that live around the lake. You will be extremely lucky if you see these elusive bears.
Detour: Hyder, AK and Stewart, BC
At Meziadin Junction, you can head west on highway 37A to Stewart, BC and Hyder, AK. If you only have time to do one detour while driving the Cassiar highway, make sure you do this one! The highlights include lush valleys, waterfalls, bears, and glaciers. Read more about Hyder and Stewart here.
Detour: Telegraph Creek
Another fun detour you can take from the Cassiar Highway is the exciting drive to Telegraph Creek. The drive takes you through the Grand Canyon of Canada on roads that are at times one lane with 20 degree inclines. You definitely need to keep your eye on the road for this detour. Read more about my crazy drive to Telegraph Creek here. Mudslides were involved.
Cassiar Mountain Jade Store
In nearly every country other than the USA, the cable Discovery Channel airs a series on Jade Mining in the Cassiar area of British Columbia. The girl in the gift shop said they hope eventually it will be aired in the USA, as it will bring even more business. The store has free coffee (although that’s a trick to guilt you into buying something – I ended up buying a cute, tiny bear figurine made of white Yukon marble, with a tiny little jade fish in it’s mouth. They have loads of jewelry, statues, and merch from their TV show like mugs and T-Shirts. The jade items are quite pricey but they have a few things for under $20 CAD.
Detour: Cassiar Asbestos Mine
I didn’t know what to expect when taking the short detour to the abandoned town of Cassiar. All the information I had read or been told was that the town had been demolished and the only reason to go there was to see the scenery. But the old mine and a massive pile of greenish-gray dirt were still there, it was super fascinating. Read more about my trip to the abandoned Cassiar Asbestos Mine here.
Boya Lake Provincial Park
It was very smoky and hazy (due to Yukon and Alaska wildfires of 2019) during my visit to Boya Lake, but this lake is gem blue on a sunny day. You can camp and rent kayaks at this provincial park.
The Magnificent Views
There are lots of great mountain views on the Cassiar Highway. I especially liked the northern half of the highway from Dease Lake to the Yukon border. Even driving through the barren wildfire areas was great, with some beautiful ponds and lakes (even saw a pair of loons in one pond).
British Columbia/Yukon Border
Of course you need to stop at the border to get your photo of the Yukon sign! The British Columbia side has toilets and signage.
Cassiar Highway – Other Logistics
There were well-stocked pit toilets every 90 km or so along the Cassiar Highway, so a bathroom break is never too far away. Some of the stops also have interpretive signs, including maps and mileposts to nearby services and campgrounds.
Know where the gas stations are and fill up if you go below half a tank. Some of the gas stations have limited hours so you don’t want to be stuck waiting all night for a station to open.
How Long Does it Take to Drive the Cassiar Highway?
According to Google maps, the total driving time to do the Cassiar Highway is a little over 10 hours. Hypothetically, you could do this in a day, but I would recommend at least 2 days to do the Cassiar and more if you plan on doing any of the detours listed above.
Cassiar Highway Wildlife
I met a guy in a rest area near Smithers, BC who said “there are so many bears on the Cassiar highway! I got so many pictures I eventually didn’t stop for all of them!” So I was excited. I had seen a couple bears near Barkerville and again near Smithers, but I was waiting for that great National Geographic type of shot of bears. Well, after driving the entire length of the Cassiar highway, I saw but one bear, and it crawled into the bushes after a few seconds of seeing it! I did see a couple other things along the Cassiar including a moose, a beaver, a fox, and a porcupine. It was the first time I’ve ever seen a porcupine in the wild – I pulled over to the side of the road when I spotted it walking towards me and it just took it’s time walking by my van and beyond. The best time to see wildlife on the Cassiar Highway is early morning or evening, most of my wildlife fines were seen early one morning as I got an early start for my drive. I have the maps.me app on my phone and that allowed me to find water features like rivers, lakes, and ponds that might be good places to spot wildlife.
Where to Get Gas on the Cassiar Highway
The cheapest gas on the Cassiar Highway was at Kitwanga (actually, it’s even cheaper at New Hazelton, so fill there if you can). Next cheapest was in Stewart, BC and then at Iskut. You can check gas buddy for recent prices.
Where to Stay on the Cassiar Highway
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If you’ve detoured to Stewart and Hyder, you definitely should spend a night there (Check Rates and Availability in Stewart/Hyder).
There are several cottages, B ,n Bs, motels, and campgrounds along the Cassiar Highway. The largest concentration is around Dease Lake, a good half-way point if you’re planning to drive the Cassiar highway in two days (Check Rates and Availability in Dease Lake).
A couple places I camped on the Cassiar Highway included the $10 per night Lion’s club campground just south of Dease Lake, and the free Sawmill Point Rec Site, shown below.
Are you planning to travel the Cassiar Highway? Make sure you have the Milepost guide, the bible for driving to Alaska with all attractions, campgrounds, gas stations, and other notable markers on the way.
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1 comments
This would be an epic road trip. I’d be beyond thrilled to see a moose cow so closely and a porcupine in the wild. How cool!