I'm an experienced hiker back east and have spent a lot of time out in the Sierra Nevada's back country alone as I lived in California for awhile while attending school in Davis. This summer, starting tomorrow actually, I am leaving Middle Tennessee to drive the ALCAN hwy in hopes of eventually winding up in Denali. I am going to do my damndest to avoid all the yuppie RVers who will be teaming along the highway at this time of year and the best way I can think of doing that is to go where most of them are not! I've looked into day hikes and a few short over nighters along the way and as there is so much to do I was hoping someone might help me sift thru all the options so that I can hit all the most memorable spots. so to help me hit the highlights, or at least the highlights in each of your own opinions, do this southern kid a favor and give me your two cents worth. thank you for all the help, I'll be checking this over the next couple of days. ps. the dates of the trip are fairly tentative...I'm leaving in the morning(5/10) and do not have to be back in Tennessee until the 30th of August (junior year of college starts the next morning).

thanks again!

ps if more information is needed from me concerning my trip, just ask!

To clarify the question: You're driving the main route via Dawson Creek/Ft Nelson/Watson Lake, etc? And you are looking for hikes along the route of march, not so much after you cross the border into AK?

Yes, thanks for the reply, I am going to travel along the standard route unless you would advise me on taking a different one. I am very flexible at this point as to how I get there as long as I make the most of the journey. Also, I am not limiting the information that I am looking for to Canadian backpacking trails only, if there are spectacular hikes that you would recommend once I cross the border into AK then I am interested in those as well.

I'm new to summitpost forums and as this is my first time posting on them I am just interested in trying to gain information as to what people consider are the best hikes in the area so I don't miss out on a great hike for a poorer once due to ignorance of the area.

Again I am an experienced backpacker down here, but I am very cautious about what I will actually get into once I am up there since there are a lot less dangers when hiking fifty miles solo in the Appalachians than I feel like there are when exposing oneself to the lonelier places of the north even if I am only within just a few miles of the trailhead. With that said, I am confident of my own abilities and am not going to run out into the woods unprepared in a fashion that would be worthy of jon krakauer seeking to write a sequel to Into the Wild.

I wish to get out into the AK/CAN backcountry but I don't want to do it blindfolded, and I would prefer to hit the most beautiful spots while still having to budget at least a little bit of my time to driving the ~13,000 miles round trip back home before school starts on the 31st of August.

Someone else will have to take the laboring oar on this one, since I've only driven the route fast. There were certainly some places it would have been tempting to stop over. Check this for some general leads: http://www.bcadventure.com/adventure/hiking/peace/index.html

I think you'll find that most RV-ers traveling the Alcan are not yuppies, but rather the retired set. Consequently, you won't find a whole lot of hiking activity beyond a half mile from the highway. You also won't find a whole lot in the way of trails. Stop where you want and start hiking where you'd like to go. Virtually all of Alaska, the Yukon, and northern British Columbia (northwest of Fort Nelson) is like this - vast untrammeled acreages. As for ideas, Muncho Lake is pretty, so are the foothills of the Saint Elias Mountains northwest of Haines Junction. Any place off the Denali Highway is scenic, but you'll likely hit that area during hunting season (ATVs everywhere) unless you hurry.

When you reach Stone Mountain Provincial Park in the Yukon, the Summit Pass campground is next to the highway. There is an easy trail up to Summit Mountain from the Summit Pass campground area. My brother and I did it around 11 p.m. at night with decent daylight. I have some pictures of the mountain and views on this page <a href=http://www.willhiteweb.com/alaska/alaska_highway_sights_100.htm>http://www.willhiteweb.com/alaska/alaska_highway_sights_100.htm</a>

On the highway, our record was passing 10 RV's at one time.

Acquire a Milepost travel guide and you will have just about any questions answered with respect to highway conditions, milepost beta, & etcetera. Have fun.

Just to clarify an earlier post - Stone Mt park around Summit Lake is in BC between Toad River and Ft Nelson. I 2nd the recommendation of this scenic and accessible hike. Liard hot Springs is not to be missed.