California to Alaska: The Puppy Dog Edition is an eight part series. If you missed the start of the trip, Day One, click here. For notifications, subscribe to the Retirement Monkeys Newsletter.
Today’s Itinerary –
Morning visit to Ingledew Dog Park
1st Stop: Ft. St. John, BC Dog Park
Lodging: Pomoroy Fort St. John
Sometimes you just need a break. Today will be a short day of driving. It will give us time to regroup and chose our route: Alcan or Cassiar. I’ll also have time to make our arrangements for the next few days, buy supplies and relax. We are halfway there!
Prince George is the place where you have to decide if you are taking the Cassiar Highway or if you will travel up the Alcan. I’ve taken both and either is a great choice, they just offer different things. No matter which route you take, I highly recommend consulting The Milepost. This “bible” of northern travel offers mile-by-mile descriptions of roads in Alaska, Yukon, British Colombia, Alberta and Northwest Territories. The Milepost covers both the Alaska-Canada Highway (Alcan) and the Cassiar Highway.
Alcan vs. Cassiar
Taking the Alcan is longer by 100 miles but only adds around an hour, if that, to your drive. I find the Alcan is a better road. If you are comparing the section from Prince George to Watson Lake, the Alcan is smooth pavement, seems straighter with more passing lanes. There are a couple of hours of mountain driving through the Northern Rockies. But the Rockies are beautiful, and we’ve always seen lots of wildlife around the summit and Muncho lake area. Elk, caribou, bison, stone sheep, mountain goat, deer, moose, and both grizzly and black bear are prevalent. You’ll see a lot more vehicles too but that does give you some peace of mind should your car breakdown or you have a problem.
The Cassiar highway has gentle curves but is less traveled. If you are looking for isolation, this is your road. Gas stations are few and far between so be sure to fill up whenever you find one open. The road is two narrow lanes with no shoulder, and you have to watch for the logging and mining trucks that barrel down the road at highspeed. Except for the very start, there are no passing lanes. The scenery is spectacular. We didn’t see a lot of wildlife, only a few bears but the animals are there so your experience may be different.
On this trip, I’m heading up the iconic Alcan. As a solo traveler, it seems the Alcan is the better choice for this trip. The pups and I head out toward our day’s destination, Fort St. John. We do a little exploring in Chetwynd, a town known for its international chainsaw carving competition. Driving through you get to see some of the more than 120 carvings that decorate the town.
I hear there is a new dog park in Chetwynd, behind the Legion but we didn’t check it out. Our destination, Fort St. John, has an awesome dog park and that is going to be our first stop.
Fort St. John Dog Park
We roll into town early – The drive is just 4.5 hours today. We head straight to the dog park located at the corner of 93rd St. and 93rd Ave. in Fort St. John. This fully fenced 9-acre park has three sections, one for super small dogs, one for small/medium dogs and a full 7.6 acres for large dogs. The large dog area has forested trails, expansive areas for throwing the ball plus picnic tables and benches for human visitors. There is a doggie water fountain too. Buster and Lily are having the time of their life on the trails. There are logs to jump over, bushes to sniff and birds to chase. It has everything a Labrador would want! We’ll spend a good hour here, then go check into our hotel and come back for a second visit in the evening.
I use the time in Fort St. John to map out our next stops, make our reservations and stock up on food. Tomorrow we will head into the Northern Rockies and then on to the Yukon. From experience, my AT&T service will be spotty at best for the next three days. I often have no cell service and WiFi at the hotel can’t be relied on. I book my accommodations for the next three days to give me some peace of mind. This is also the section of road where the dog-friendly places can fill up fast. Tomorrow’s stop is at Muncho Lake and will be our priciest place to stay.
Note: Dawson Creek is the official start of the Alcan. On this trip, we skipped the first 46 miles of the Alcan but if this is your first trip on the Alcan, head to Dawson Creek so you do the complete route.
