The Klondike Highway is a highway that runs from the Alaska Panhandle through the province of British Columbia and the territory of Yukon in Canada, linking the coastal town of Skagway , Alaska , to Dawson City , Yukon. Its route somewhat parallels the route used by prospectors in the 1898 Klondike Gold Rush .
31-575: In both British Columbia and Yukon, the highway is marked as Yukon Highway 2 . In Alaska, the Highway is marked as Alaska Route 98 (as in "route of 1898"). Until 1978, the unopened section between the Yukon–BC border and Carcross had no official highway number, while the section north of Carcross to the Alaska Highway was Highway 5, and the section from Stewart Crossing to Dawson
62-491: A hill pass . A mountain pass is typically formed between two volcanic peaks or created by erosion from water or wind. Mountain passes make use of a gap , saddle , col or notch . A topographic saddle is analogous to the mathematical concept of a saddle surface , with a saddle point marking the minimum high point between two valleys and the lowest point along a ridge. On a topographic map , passes can be identified by contour lines with an hourglass shape, which indicates
93-562: A few weeks before seasonal closure. The first full summer season of use was in 1979. The highway originally was built for tourist traffic, but in 1986 became important as a commercial transportation route, coincident with what seemed to be inevitable abandonment of the White Pass and Yukon Route railway (WP&YR). The new owners of the Faro mine secured government agreement to open the highway for trucking. The last winter closure ended in
124-564: A low spot between two higher points. In the high mountains, a difference of 2,000 meters (6,600 ft) between the summit and the mountain is defined as a mountain pass. Passes are often found just above the source of a river , constituting a drainage divide . A pass may be very short, consisting of steep slopes to the top of the pass, or a valley many kilometers long, whose highest point might only be identifiable by surveying . Roads and railways have long been built through passes. Some high and rugged passes may have tunnels bored underneath
155-694: A mile measurement along the Mayo Road. [REDACTED] Media related to Klondike Highway at Wikimedia Commons White Pass White Pass , also known as the Dead Horse Trail (elevation 873 m or 2,864 ft), is a mountain pass through the Boundary Ranges of the Coast Mountains on the border of the U.S. state of Alaska and the province of British Columbia , Canada. It leads from Skagway, Alaska , to
186-531: A nearby mountainside, as with the Eisenhower Tunnel bypassing Loveland Pass in the Rockies, to allow faster traffic flow throughout the year. The top of a pass is frequently the only flat ground in the area, and may be a high vantage point. In some cases this makes it a preferred site for buildings. If a national border follows the ridge of a mountain range, a pass over the mountains is typically on
217-527: A short section with that highway until north of Whitehorse, where it diverges once more to Dawson City. The highway is 709 km (441 miles) long. The original 53 km (33 mi) section known locally as the Carcross Road was actually made into a part of the Alaska Highway in 1942, until the Marsh Lake route was opened the next year. As Yukon Highway 5, it formed a loop road with Highway 6,
248-786: A style of street racing which may take place on these roads. There are thousands of named passes around the world, some of which are well-known, such as the Khyber Pass close to the present-day Afghanistan-Pakistan border on the ancient Silk Road , the Great St. Bernard Pass at 2,473 metres (8,114 ft) in the Alps , the Chang La at 5,360 metres (17,590 ft), the Khardung La at 5,359 metres (17,582 ft) in Ladakh , India and
279-676: Is a U.S. National Historic Landmark . Due to the harsh climate, grueling conditions, and length of journey, travelers on both the Chilkoot Trail and White Pass suffered from widespread starvation. Many of the starving people on the White Pass made meals of dead horses they found along the road. There is a weather station for the Captain William Moore Bridge on the Alaskan side of White Pass, located near
310-888: Is also used, particularly in Europe. In the highest mountain range in the world, the Himalayas, passes are denoted by the suffix "La" in Tibetan, Ladhakhi, and several other regional languages. Examples are the Taglang La at 5,328 m (17,480 ft) on the Leh-Manali highway , and the Sia La at 5,589 m (18,337 ft) in the Eastern Karakoram range. Scotland has the Gaelic term bealach (anglicised "balloch"), while Wales has
341-771: Is the Brenner pass in the Alps . Some mountain passes above the tree line have problems with snow drift in the winter. This might be alleviated by building the road a few meters above the ground, which will make snow blow off the road. There are many words for pass in the English-speaking world. In the United States, pass is very common in the West , the word gap is common in the southern Appalachians , notch in parts of New England , and saddle in northern Idaho . The term col , derived from Old French,
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#1732783774147372-594: The Palakkad Gap at 140 metres (460 ft) in Palakkad , Kerala , India . The roads at Mana Pass at 5,610 metres (18,410 ft) and Marsimik La at 5,582 metres (18,314 ft), on and near the China–India border respectively, appear to be world's two highest motorable passes. Khunjerab Pass between Pakistan and China at 4,693 metres (15,397 ft) is also a high-altitude motorable mountain pass. One of
403-525: The Tagish Road (now numbered as 8). It was renumbered as Highway 2 in 1978, being incorporated into the Klondike Highway designation. The road underwent alignment improvements during the 1980s. Residents living as far south as 25 km (16 miles) from the Alaska Highway still give their residential addresses as historic mile measurements that start at zero at the Alaska Highway, even though
434-460: The cheechakos (newcomers to the Klondike). These con artists were believed to be members of the infamous Soapy Smith gang from Skagway, Alaska. In 1898, Smith was killed at the famed Shootout on Juneau Wharf and his gang were run out of Skagway and the White Pass. So many horses died during the gold rush, the trail became known as the "Dead Horse Trail". The trail ended at Lake Bennett, where
465-638: The Yukon territory in order to survey and mark the international boundary on the Yukon River. In June 1887, Ogilvie's expedition was at the head of Taiya Inlet doing a survey from Pyramid Island up through the Chilkoot Pass . William Moore , who had travelled up from Juneau on the steamer, had experience building roads in mountainous areas and wanted to try this route since the Chilkoot Pass
496-458: The border, and there may be a border control or customs station, and possibly a military post. For instance, Argentina and Chile share the world's third-longest international border , 5,300 kilometres (3,300 mi) long, which runs north–south along the Andes mountains and includes 42 mountain passes. On a road over a pass, it is customary to have a small roadside sign giving the name of
527-699: The chain of lakes at the headwaters of the Yukon River (Crater Lake, Lake Lindeman , and Bennett Lake ). The White Pass was closely controlled by the Chilkoot Indians and was unknown to non-natives until 1887. While in Juneau , William Ogilvie had heard reports of a low pass near the Deyes Inlet to the headwaters of the Lewes River ( Yukon River ). The Ogilvie expedition was on its way to
558-422: The cruise ship industry, or to/from Carcross and Whitehorse to the north. The quality of roads from Whitehorse to Dawson City prior to 1950 was poor and only for the hardiest of travelers and motorized vehicles. The "Whitehorse-Mayo Road," Yukon's original Highway 2, extended along today's route from Whitehorse to Stewart Crossing , then turned northeast to Mayo , Elsa and Keno City . The last of three bridges
589-458: The distances are no longer accurate, and kilometre posts count distance from Skagway's ferry terminal . Construction of the "Carcross-Skagway Road" began in the 1950s, was abandoned partway up a mountain from Skagway, and resumed in 1976-1977 when the Captain William Moore Bridge was constructed. The entire road was completed between Skagway and Carcross in August 1978. It was only open for
620-605: The entire Klondike Highway was gravel, but by 1982, some paving had been laid down as far north as Carmacks. Rebuilding and some rerouting was completed in the late 1980s. Approximately, the first 30 km (19 mi) of the North Klondike Highway are still often known as the Mayo Road to the residents of Whitehorse. Although kilometric distance markers have been in place since the early 1980s, residents in this area still identify their residential address as
651-479: The pass and its elevation above mean sea level . Apart from offering relatively easy travel between valleys, passes also provide a route between two mountain tops with a minimum of descent. As a result, it is common for tracks to meet at a pass; this often makes them convenient routes even when travelling between a summit and the valley floor. Passes traditionally were places for trade routes, communications, cultural exchange, military expeditions etc. A typical example
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#1732783774147682-671: The pass was Skookum Jim Mason , who, with his family, discovered the rich gold deposits in the Klondike. Moore did a rough survey of the new pass and returned with the satisfaction that he had found the route for his wagon road. The White Pass was named for the Canadian Minister of the Interior Thomas White by William Ogilvie. William Moore and his son returned to stake a homesteader's claim in Skagua, as it
713-525: The prospectors built or purchased rafts or boats to float down the Yukon River to the Klondike gold fields near Dawson City . The White Pass and Yukon Route (W.P. & Y.R.) narrow-gauge railroad was built between 1898 and 1900 through White Pass. The southern end of the Klondike Highway also uses the White Pass and parallels the railway. The Skagway Historic District and White Pass
744-696: The similar bwlch (both being insular Celtic languages). In the Lake District of north-west England, the term hause is often used, although the term pass is also common—one distinction is that a pass can refer to a route, as well as the highest part thereof, while a hause is simply that highest part, often flattened somewhat into a high-level plateau. In Japan they are known as tōge , which means "pass" in Japanese. The word can also refer to narrow, winding roads that can be found in and around mountains and geographically similar areas, or specifically to
775-522: The spring of 1986. The Carcross-Skagway Road portion of the highway underwent substantial rerouting, widening and (cold mix) paving in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Mining ore trucks and fuel tankers are the primary current (2013) commercial users of the highway, which also remains a popular tourist route (cars, RVs, buses), and provides a means for the WP&;YR to offer economically-priced train excursions connecting at Fraser to buses based at Skagway for
806-484: The summit at an elevation of 2250 ft (686 m). 59°37′29″N 135°08′17″W / 59.62472°N 135.13806°W / 59.62472; -135.13806 Mountain pass Aa mountain pass is a navigable route through a mountain range or over a ridge . Since mountain ranges can present formidable barriers to travel, passes have played a key role in trade, war, and both human and animal migration throughout history. At lower elevations it may be called
837-544: Was Highway 3. The BC section is now maintained by the Yukon government as a natural extension of Highway 2. The Klondike Highway winds in the state of Alaska for 24 km (15 miles), up through the White Pass in the Coast Mountains where it crosses the Canada–US border to British Columbia (BC) for 56 km (35 miles), then enters Yukon where it reaches the Alaska Highway near Whitehorse and shares
868-614: Was finished in 1960 to replace ferries at Carmacks, Pelly Crossing and Stewart Crossing. Yukon's original Highway 3, the Dawson-Mayo Road, was opened in September 1955 between Stewart Crossing and Dawson City. The Dawson-Mayo Road became part of Highway 2 in 1978 and was named the Klondike Highway, while the road northeast from Stewart Crossing became Highway 11, and was later named the Silver Trail . Even as of 1979,
899-697: Was made into a toll road by George A. Brackett , and the North-West Mounted Police guarded the passes and briefly maintained a post in Skaguay, which Canada claimed. The White Pass trail was one of the two main passes used by prospectors during the Klondike Gold Rush . The White Pass was an easier route to Lake Bennett than the Chilkoot Trail a few kilometers to the west, but it harbored a criminal element that preyed on
930-452: Was reported to be too steep for a wagon road. They had heard rumors about another lower pass that the Chilkoot Indians controlled. Ogilvie made inquiries and learned there was such a pass. An Indian named Jim, after much talk and encouragement, was persuaded to reveal it. Moore and his guide went over this low altitude pass. Ogilvie and his surveying party ascended the Chilkoot Pass. Among the many Chilkoot Indians hired to carry their supplies up
961-547: Was then known. They built a cabin and a wharf and surveyed a town site they called Mooresville. In 1894, the North-West Mounted Police arrived at Dyea and Mooresville on their way to Canada's Yukon Territory . The first group of prospectors hiked up Moore's crude trail over the White Pass. Once the gold rush began, the Moores were overrun. Mooresville was resurveyed by Frank Reid as Skaguay. The crude trail