Day 35 Ends @ the Yukon River

The distance from Central to Circle may only be 34 miles, but it took us nearly 1½ hours to drive that portion of the gravel road. Unlike the earlier section of gravel — from about the midway point of the Steese to Central — this section was in really — and I mean, really — bad shape ... lots of big potholes that had us doing some interesting maneuvers to avoid them.

We ran out of road when we reached Circle — so named because the miners who established it in 1893 thought the location was on the Arctic Circle. In fact, it is about 50 miles south of that imaginary line. Between the summer fires of 2009, the flood that covered the area in 2013, and the pandemic of 2020 ... well, the area has suffered a great deal and felt like a ghost town today ... regardless of the few locals we encountered.

The road dead-ended at a dirt picnic area on the banks of the Mighty Yukon ... Alaska’s largest river ... born in Canada ... draining into the Bering Sea after traversing the state east to west. We had come prepared for a picnic here, but one table was in use by the locals ... the other one was upended near them for shade. So, we ate in the car and then stepped out to chat with the trio and take our photos.

The return drive on the Steese was uneventful. As is par for the course, we didn’t make many stops on the way back. And once we put the gravel section from Circle to Central behind us, we made good time.

If one has the time and inclination to do so, the Steese would be a good day drive ... long but good. Especially when the summer wildflowers come into full bloom in a week or so.Okumaya devam et