Day 47 Ends with a Drive to the Border

Today’s plan was to drive the section of the Alaska Highway from Tok to where it ends at the border with Canada.

Our purpose wasn’t to cross the border, though. After all, it’s closed ... and will remain so for at least another month. No, what we wanted to do was check out the Tetlin National Wildlife Refuge ... which covers some 730,000 acres along the Alaska Highway. Established in 1980, the refuge includes hundreds of lakes, ponds, marshes, streams, and rivers ... including two that are glacial in origin. It’s definitely a haven for wildlife.

As it turns out, we didn’t get to see much of the refuge, except for glimpses from the road. Unlike the refuges in the Lower 48, there are no roads to drive ... no trails to walk. Except for a Bufflehead on Yarger Lake and a moose grazing in a distant pond, we saw no wildlife either. To boot, the Visitor Center, which I understand has some great exhibits, was closed. Oh well.

We wandered in and out of some of the campgrounds — just to get close to a couple of lakes; enjoyed distant views of the Wrangell Mountains, which we hope to see in closer proximity soon; and found a pond at the Seaton Roadhouse Interpretive Center that served as a nice setting for an al fresco lunch.

The day did not turn out as expected, but we mostly enjoyed ourselves and now we don’t have to wonder if we missed anything by not driving this section of the Alaska Highway.Read more