usbackroads destination--Top of the World Highway, Chicken, Alaska

usbackroads destination--Top of the World Highway, Chicken, Alaska

travel date--August 17th, 2016

The Dead Dog Pull-Out was a great spot that just happened. I was sure that the stretch of road to Chicken, Alaska and then beyond to the Top of World Highway would be the icing on the cake. There were long stretches of road on the map with little in map detail.
I was thinking that the road would be great and Chicken was just a bump in the road.

Chicken, Alaska is really cool. The road there, no so much. As you can see by the picture it is pleasant, but very similar mile after mile. For some reason the Bureau of Land Management decided that this part of Alaska was prone to overuse and limits overnight camping to designated campgrounds. Really?? You really need to invite friends for the trip for company!!

Chicken, Alaska was really cool. Yeah, there is a big chicken in town. These might not be SST toilets, but they were clean and get the job done.

There is a huge dredge right in the middle of town. A relic from the mining days. There are a few stores in town, two fuel pumps and a great bakery bookstore.

Chicken, Alaska is a great place. And it is a very hard place to ruffle anybodies feathers in town, particularly the Chickens!

The road from Chicken to the Top of the World highway is primarily dirt and wanders for hours. It is not that long in miles, but takes forever it seems. I got paid for driving roads like this. It was ok, on vacation, but I was not thrilled. Here is the cut-off to Eagle. You can see the condition of the road.  Pretty good, but mostly dirt. I drove it in dry weather under almost perfect conditions. It would be less fun if it was raining.

The road in Canada is much better and the road pulls out of the river valleys and up on the ridge.

The views go on and on, but no jagged or snow-capped peaks to grab your attention.

If you are into natural resource management the area is part of one of the most famous Caribou herds in the world. Click on the photo to enlarge and read the text.

There are pull-outs along the route. The Ram and Casita look pretty comfortable particularly next to the motocycles.

It was a long drive. Would I do it again?? Probably not. There are more scenic and interesting places to spend your time. Dawson City for one. That is the subject of the next posting.