Have you ever driven almost 150 miles on a dead end road? That’s basically what you’re doing if you’re driving the Haines Highway from Haines Junction, Yukon (located on the historic Alaska Highway) to the charming town of Haines, Alaska. Driving the Haines Highway and hanging out in Haines for a couple nights was one of the highlights of my trip to Alaska. I hadn’t originally planned to do the trip to Haines as it was quite a distance to back track, but after hearing several other travelers rave about it, I decided to make the trip and I’m glad I did!
The Haines Highway
Haines Highway is highway 3 in Yukon and British Columbia and highway 7 in Alaska that runs from Haines Junction to Haines. The quality of Haines Highway is excellent! It’s paved all the way from Haines Junction to Haines and beyond. The only parts that weren’t maintained were the last few miles of gravel road to the Alaska State Park and state recreation park and those road bits were terrible – many potholes so be careful. I ended up with a low pressure tire, perhaps from the poor conditions of those gravel roads to the parks.
What to See on the Haines Highway
The entire drive is scenic, with views of many mountains, lakes, and glaciers. A worthy stop along the highway is the short detour to Million Dollar Falls (accessed through the Million Dollar Falls campground). It’s worth doing this drive during any kind of weather – from sun to gray days. It looks different under all conditions and the glaciers change with the sky. I was even lucky enough to see a rainbow after a mix of a short downpour and sun.
Crossing the Border to Haines
Unlike Hyder, Alaska which has not connections to anywhere else in Alaska and therefore no US customs, since Haines is on the Alaska Marine Highway, you will need to stop at immigration/customs both going into Alaska and back into Canada on the way back. You will need a passport or enhanced driver’s license. Questions going both ways asked about weapons, alcohol, and cannabis products (event CBD). Going into Alaska, they also asked about items purchased in Canada and produce (but they didn’t confiscate the half bag of carrots I declared).
Wildlife on the Haines Highway
While I did not see loads and loads of wildlife on the Haines Highway, I was lucky to see a wide variety of animals including swans, hawks, foxes (8 of them in total), ground squirrels, and a single black bear eating berries. But the highlight of all was making an evening stop at the day use area at Kathleen Lake where I saw a lynx! The foxes were also amazing, including a male with a massive tail that just found his lunch, to a mother fox playing with her pups – I watched them play for nearly 15 minutes. The best place to look for animals on the Haines Highway is between the pullout at Chilkat Pass and Twin Lakes, as this is where the fox dens are located. As mentioned earlier, if you visit in the fall, the eagle viewing is also excellent on highway 7 along the river just north of Haines.
What to Do in Haines
Haines is a small town. If possible, avoid when there is a cruise ship in port (there are not ships every day). Here are my favorite things to do in Haines:
Go to the Chilkat State Park. There are great views of the glacier and waterfalls across the bay. Also watch for moose, a mother moose and young ones are often seen in the park. The Alaska State Parks around Haines are free for day use only (fee only applies for camping), unlike most other parts of Alaska where state parks are $5 a day – somehow the fee hasn’t made it’s way to Haines (yet).
Hit one of the museums and go shopping in downtown Haines.
Watch the Alaska Marine Highway ferry of cruise ships sail into dock. At nighttime, you can see the commercial cruise ships that visited Skagway sail out to the ocean.
Look for Bald Eagles. Haines is famous for their eagles. If you visit in the fall, there are many along the river in the eagle reserve. But during my visit I saw a couple dozen bald eagles around town and towards the state park and reserve.
Go to the cannery. If you visit during the work week, you can see them processing fresh caught salmon. There are windows to watch the workers and see them in action. Warning: if you’re squeamish about fish guts and blood, this free self-guided tour isn’t for you. There’s also a gift shop with locally made crafts and a shop selling canned salmon and fresh seafood on site. The cannery is located about half way between town and the state park. Watch for eagles here – there was an eagle catching fish in the turquoise bay just outside the cannery.
Use the wifi at the public library and get cheap used books at their book sale for your journey (25 cents).
Head out on Lutak road towards Chilkoot State Recreation site to look for bears, either Grizzly or Black Bears. The weather had been warm right before my visit so many of the bears had headed for the hills, but I was lucky to see a young Grizzly Bear digging in the seaweed at low tide for his dinner. He patiently hunted and ate for over half an hour. Near the reserve there is a salmon weir where there were plenty of salmon were crossing but my visit was a little too early to see bears. In a typical year, in late summer and early fall, around 8 grizzlies will regularly hunt in this space.
Best Time to Visit Haines
According to locals, my visit was just a little too early. While I visited in mid-July, it seems late August or early September would be a better time.
Where to Stay in Haines
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For boondockers, there are many free places to stay along the bay either on the drive to the state park or state reserve. I stayed at a sweat little picnic area with a bathroom halfway between the town and the Alaska ferry terminal – it was one of my favorite free campsites in Alaska. If you’re not camping in a van, there are RV parks in town and several great choices for people who aren’t camping (Check rates and availability in Haines).
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