The Taylor Highway and the Top of the World Highway stretches 171 miles from Tetlin Junction, Alaska to Dawson City, Yukon. The highway is paved in Alaska, but the driving the Top of the World Highway (Yukon portion) is gravel. This highway is great for views and unique experiences in Chicken and Dawson City – it’s like a step back in time to the wild west. Note that this road is only open seasonally, from April to October. Check if it is open before traveling if you travel in the months of April or October.
The Taylor Highway
The Taylor Highway, Alaska Highway 5, stretches from Tetlin Junction to Eagle, AK. I didn’t do the last portion to
What to Do in Chicken Alaska
The best thing to do on the Taylor Highway is to spend the night in Chicken. Chicken, AK is a very unique place. It’s the summer home to men, and a few women, who are living their lifelong dream of gold prospecting and a place for tourists to explore and stay along the Top of the World highway.
The most famous legend of Chicken is how it got its name. The town founders wanted to call it Ptarmigan (a type of small Grouse), but they didn’t know how to spell it, so they named it Chicken instead.
The town of chicken seems to have 3 different town centers – each one having a café, gas station, camping (and in some cases other accommodation), and shopping. The souvenir shopping is divine – you can buy all sorts of gold mining supplies and lots of chickens – from chicken socks to magnets that say “I got laid in Chicken, Alaska”.
Some things you can see and do in Chicken:
- The post office on the hill
- The pieces of
- F.E. Company Dredge No. 4 (Pedro Dredge), part of the Chicken Gold Camp
- Downtown Chicken
- Chicken statues – each section of Chicken has its own Chicken Statues.
- Gold prospecting – you can pay a daily fee to mine of the claims around Chicken. It’s also possible to buy some pay dirt and learn gold panning.
But my favorite thing about Chicken was hanging out in the Chicken Saloon. The drinks are a bit pricey (the camping was free, but I paid $20 for 4 cans of PBR). But I met some interesting people. I met some Canadians doing a similar trip to mine, a 40-something doing his Alaska bucket list which included gold dredging in Chicken, and
Alaska/Yukon Border
The border is located on a high mountain pass. Note that entering Canada, you cannot bring firearms (except those for which you have a special permit) and limited tobacco and alcohol. Pepper spray is also forbidden, but I was able to declare and bring bear spray over the border.
Top of the World Highway
Make sure you stop at the pass to see the Alpine flowers and wild cranberries. It’s also interesting to stop in the defunct villages, with dusty rusting gas stations and decrepit motels – the deserted dreams of people who tried to open businesses in Alaska and around – you see so many abandoned businesses all around Alaska. If you’re super lucky, you might encounter the Porcupine Caribou herd on the highway. I met another traveler that saw 100’s of caribou along the highway in July 2019.
Yukon River Ferry
Just before Dawson City, you will have to take a seasonal ferry to cross to the city. The ferry is small – only room for a few vehicles, but the Top of the World highway is not heavily traveled. The ferry operates 24 hours when in season. Low clearance vehicles, like my camping van, need to take extra caution when entering and exiting the car ferry.
Dawson City
There are some great festivals in Dawson City, like the annual music festival and Dawson City Discovery Days. It’s worth attending one of the festivals if your trip coincides with that. Some of the highlights of Dawson City:
- Jack London and Robert Service Cabins – you can visit the wild west homes of these famous writers.
- Yukon riverfront and SS Keno Riverboat
- Diamond Gertie’s Gambling Hall and dancing girls – you pay $15 for an annual pass to this gambling and drinking hall with 3 can-can shows daily. The three shows are different – the first is the most tame (for the many cruise ship passengers), the second show is a little racier, and the third show features modern music and costumes.
Top of the World Highway Driving Tips
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Take the Milepost Guidebook
The highway is 171 miles and takes 4 hours to drive without stopping, but leave lots of extra time to stop, and plan to spend a night in Chicken as that’s such a unique place.
There is limited cell phone reception and wi-fi only at a few locations, so plan to be disconnected – and ENJOY being disconnected!
Gas is so much cheaper in Alaska, so if you’re going from Alaska to Canada, fill up in Tok, AK and then fill up again in Chicken.
Bring any automotive essentials you might take on a remote gravel road (spare tire, repair kit, etc)
Warning – your car will be dirty after driving the highway if there’s been any rain. But there are several car washes in Dawson City.
Where to Stay on the Top of the World Highway
You must stay in Chicken! If you’re in a smaller vehicle, you can camp for free at Downtown Chicken, where the only amenity is a composting toilet. If you need a motel or camping with amenities (showers and RV hook-ups), you might want to stay at Chicken Gold Camp or Town of Chicken (Chicken Creek RV Park).
On the eastern part of the highway, it’s well worth staying in Dawson City for a couple nights (See Rates and Availability in Dawson City).
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