Alaska Adventure: The Road to Chicken and Back to Canada

July 27 – From Fairbanks to Tok

After the excitement of the previous few days—including our adventure to the Arctic Ocean and the stressful wait to escape Utqiagvik—we left Fairbanks around noon and headed southeast toward Tok.

The drive took almost four hours.

Like much of Alaska, the road kept us on our toes with rolling frost heaves appearing on and off along the way. The scenery gradually improved as we travelled farther from Fairbanks and back toward the Alaska Range.

By the time we arrived in Tok, the mountains were once again becoming a major part of the landscape.

We checked in, got settled and spent a quiet night at the campground.

After the previous few days, quiet sounded pretty good.

July 28 – A Beautiful Day in Tok

What a difference a little sunshine makes!

We woke to a beautiful sunny day in Tok and decided it was a perfect day to get back on the bikes.

We ended up riding about 50 kilometres, travelling up and down the Alaska Highway on the bike path. The path followed the highway for approximately 25 kilometres, giving us plenty of room to stretch out our legs and enjoy the sunshine.

Along the way, we stopped at a couple of Tok’s shops.

The final stop was particularly memorable.

The shop owner, a 79-year-old lady, was celebrating her birthday.

And how was she celebrating?

By smoking a joint!

Only in Alaska.

July 29 – One Last Look at Denali

We had a lazy morning in Tok before checking out at 11:00.

After filling up with gas, we continued on toward one of Alaska’s most famous—and certainly most unusual—communities.

Chicken.

The two-hour drive was very enjoyable. The weather was good, and while the road was basic, it was in surprisingly decent condition. There were no major potholes to deal with, although there were plenty of frost heaves and patches of gravel.

As we travelled, we were treated to one more incredible sight.

Denali and the Alaska Range appeared in the distance.

After all the days we had spent waiting for the clouds to clear in Denali National Park, followed by our spectacular views from the airplane, this felt like one final farewell from North America’s highest mountain.

We arrived in Chicken around 2:30.

June went for a walk while I took it easy, and we spent much of the late afternoon reading.

Then we experienced something we hadn’t encountered for quite a while.

No cell service.

No Wi-Fi.

Nothing.

Chicken is truly remote. The campground supplied 75 MB of data per day, which is basically nothing in today’s world. There was no cell service in Chicken or anywhere nearby.

For the first time in a long while, we were completely disconnected.

Welcome to Chicken, Alaska.

July 30 – Exploring Chicken

We had a full day in Chicken, and the weather was beautiful.

Chicken is one of those places where the word town needs to be used rather loosely. It is remote, basic and wonderfully quirky.

We started by visiting the post office and then got on our trail bikes to explore around “town.”

Between biking and hiking, we covered more than 18 kilometres.

We ended up riding up the hill twice to reach the recreation trail for a hike. The extra climb gave us a good workout, but it was a nice way to see more of the surrounding area.

Later, we checked out the few shops around town and eventually made our way to the saloon, where we enjoyed a couple of drinks.

We also spent some time chatting with a young couple from Langley. Even in one of the most remote places we’d visited on the trip, we still managed to meet fellow British Columbians!

Later in the day, we cycled out to the airport.

And then did something you don’t get to do very often.

We rode our bikes down the runway from one end to the other!

That pretty much summed up Chicken.

Remote, quiet and definitely unlike anywhere else we’d been.

July 31 – The Top of the World Highway and Back to Canada

We slept in this morning, took our time getting ready and finally pulled out of Chicken around 10:30.

It was time to head east toward Canada.

And what a drive it was.

The first 50 kilometres were gravel washboard road, followed by a winding switchback section that was actually a lot of fun to drive.

We met about 20 RVs coming in from Canada, but for much of the journey, the road felt like it belonged entirely to us.

Not long after leaving Chicken, we spotted a moose—one final Alaska wildlife sighting to send us on our way.

Then came the famous Top of the World Highway.

The route from Chicken to Dawson City is about 127 kilometres long and takes you through some spectacular and very remote country. The road climbs high into the hills, offering sweeping views across the wilderness.

The final 15 kilometres approaching the Canadian border were the only paved section on the Alaska side.

After that, we crossed the border into Canada at around noon.

Welcome back to the Yukon!

The Yukon side of the road was gravel as well, but much smoother and easier to travel.

After weeks of travelling through Alaska—glaciers, whales, bears, moose, caribou, Denali, the Arctic Ocean, whitewater, endless daylight, broken appliances and some unforgettable adventures—we had finally crossed back into Canada.

Alaska was behind us.

But the adventure wasn’t over yet.