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CHAPTER 8: CHOOSING A ROUTE
Just getting to the start of the Alaska Highway will be an adventure for most people. There are dozens of possibilities. In the following pages, suggested and alternate routings are presented for people starting from anywhere in the United States or Canada. All lead to a single town in northern British Columbia, Dawson Creek, Milepost 0 of the Alaska Highway.
MIDWEST PRIMARY ROUTE
Probably no greater contrast exists for scenery on any route leading to Dawson Creek than starting in the corn and soybean fields near Chicago and winding up in the north woods in Canada.
Leaving Chicago on I-90, drivers pass through low, rolling terrain, mostly farmers’ fields interspersed with wooded creek bottoms, in northern Illinois, Wisconsin, and on into Minnesota. This is good, easy driving, all on interstate highways. Stay on I-90 to Tomah, Wisconsin, and then change to I-94 for Minneapolis.
As you approach Minneapolis, and later driving through Minnesota, cultivated fields give way more and more to forests, though small rural towns continue to dot the landscape. Travelers wishing to add Voyagers National Park to their itineraries will turn off I-94 in Minneapolis and head north on I-35. Voyagers, a relatively new national park, celebrates the legacy of the Canadian voyageurs who first explored south-central Canada and the north-central states more than 200 years ago. Voyagers National Park is primarily water, a chain of lakes on the US–Canada border in northern Minnesota. Absolutely the best way to experience it is to rent a houseboat from one of the concessionaires near the park and spend several days lazily motoring from one anchorage to another. The fishing’s good, and the scenery wonderful, especially in the fall when the leaves turn.
For those not visiting Voyagers National Park, continue out of Minneapolis on I-94 to Fargo, North Dakota. At Fargo, turn north on I-29. I-29 follows the eastern edge of North Dakota to the US–Canada border. From the border, Manitoba 75 leads north to Winnipeg, the capital and largest city in the province. North of Winnipeg are some of the largest freshwater lakes in North America: Lake Winnipeg, more than 250 miles long; Lake Manitoba, 120 miles long; and Lake Winnipegosis, about 150 miles long.
From Winnipeg, head west on Canada 1 to Regina, Saskatchewan. Much of this route is multilane highway, and it’s a comfortable drive. Saskatchewan is considered one of Canada’s prairie provinces, and as you head westward, more and more wheat fields can be seen filling the horizon in all directions.
At Regina, turn northwest on Saskatchewan 11, another multilane highway leading to Saskatoon. In Saskatoon, those who wish to detour through Banff and Jasper national parks should turn west on Manitoba 7, which becomes Alberta 9 at the Manitoba–Alberta border. Alberta 9 continues to Calgary; from there, follow Canada 1, and then Alberta 93 to Banff and Jasper national parks. Routing through the parks and on into Dawson Creek is described in the Rocky Mountain States–Western Plains section of this chapter.
From Saskatoon, Canada 16 leads on to Edmonton, Alberta. Routing from Edmonton to Dawson Creek has already been described in the Rocky Mountain States–Western Plains primary route earlier in this chapter.
MIDWEST PRIMARY ROUTE
Chicago, Illinois, to Dawson Creek, British Columbia
Time Required: 5 days (without side trips)
Mileage: 2,050 miles (3,400 kilometers)
Overnight Stops: Minneapolis, Minnesota; Winnipeg, Manitoba; Saskatoon, Saskatchewan; Edmonton, Alberta; Dawson Creek, British Columbia
Possible Side Trips En Route (and minimum additional time required):
Voyagers National Park, Minnesota (two–three days)
Banff and Jasper National Parks, Alberta (two days)
Routing:
Chicago to Minneapolis:
I-90, Chicago to Tomah, Wisconsin
I-94, Tomah to Minneapolis
Minneapolis to Winnipeg:
I-94, Minneapolis to Fargo, North Dakota
I-29, Fargo to US–Canada border
Manitoba 75, border to Winnipeg
Winnipeg to Saskatoon, Saskatchewan:
Canada 1, Winnipeg to Regina, Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan 11, Regina to Saskatoon
Saskatoon to Edmonton: Canada 16
Edmonton to Dawson Creek:
Canada 16, Edmonton to Wabamum
Alberta 43, Wabamum to Grande Prairie
Alberta/BC 2, Grande Prairie to Dawson Creek
Insider’s Tips:
- For 10 days in mid-July, Calgary stages the Calgary Stampede, probably North America’s finest rodeo–western party. It’s well worth a few days to take part in the fun.
- Beaches and boat-launching facilities are available, particularly on Lake Winnipeg about 35 miles north of Winnipeg.
