#haines

Another magnificent drive, this one on Haines Highway from Haines up to Haines Junction and onto the Alaska Highway heading northwest. The drive started in rain and clouds as we headed up in elevation, we ended up in blue skies. The Canadian custom's agent described the drive perfectly: "the drive is soft, green and rounded hills much like the Scottish highlands". As opposed to the drive in from Skagway which she described as "dark, rocky and craggy, kind of like the Lord of the Rings". I found both descriptions to be spot on! The drive is across the mountain tops and the views are dramatic. We even got to have a snow ball fight! Temperatures were in the low 40's on the drive near the top of the mountains.

Our stopping point for the night sits on Kluane Lake in the Yukon Territory. A gorgeous lake in the middle of snow-capped peaks. The lake is a clear, crystal deep blue (with the sun shining on it) that is up to 200' deep in places. It's water temperature is 40F at its maximum during the summer months. Brrrrr! The campground in which we are staying is a Yukon provincial park. We have come to love the Yukon provincial park system for a number of reasons. Their locations are usually phenomenal, they are well maintained, they cost only $20/night and they provide free fire wood! They have no utilities (electric, water, sewer) but as I've mentioned before we are setup so that we can "boondock" for several days at a time without losing any of our creature comforts. By the way, we did utilize the offer of free firewood - it takes the chill off and the smoke keeps any bugs away. I had hot dogs over the roaring fire (one of my favorites) and we cooked a nice piece of fish over the fire for my Bride. Add baked beans and macaroni and cheese and you have a meal fit for a king and queen!

We ended the night with a short hike along the lake shore with light breeze and the the sun lowering in the sky (it never seems to set).

The scene was so peaceful, it gave no portending of the perils of the next day...

We took the Alaska Marine Highway System from Skagway, AK to Haines, AK. We made advance reservations($217) to take our 53' setup (truck & 5th wheel) on the ferry. We had to check out of the campground, 500' from the ferry entrance, by 11 am. The Alaska Marine Highway System personnel allowed us to get in the ferry line at that time (normally we would have had to wait until 12:45 pm to get in line). The ferry from Haines arrived at 1:45 pm. We loaded up (we were first on) and departed at 2:45 pm. Fortunately, the ferry had doors on both the starboard and port sides. As a result, we were able to drive in on one side and out on the other, thus eliminating the need to turn around or back out of the ferry. Yay! The crew directed us onto and off of the ferry, keeping an eye on all parts of the camper and truck. Just go slow they requested - no problem there! The ferry ride over to Haines (1 hour) was truly awesome, cold and windy, but spectacular as we traversed the Lynn Canal down to Haines. We were able to sit inside in comfort or stand outside to experience the wind (thought we might get blown off the deck) and cold. Brrrrr! Once off the ferry, it was about a 5 minute drive to our campground in Haines.

Oceanside RV Park was excellent - asphalt parking (thought it was going to be gravel), directly on the water with a thin stretch of lush green grass at our backdoor. The views from our back window were breathtaking (in fact we had people coming from the cruise ship non-stop to take pictures from our back yard). The campground had excellent customer service, ultra clean bathrooms and laundry areas and it was within easy walking distance of downtown Haines.

We fell in love with the small town of Haines. The scenery is unequaled. It's a lovely small town that has all the essentials - multiple grocery stores, restaurants, hardware store, gift shops, visitor center, etc. It's just a quiet and friendly town. Love it!

We made a couple of trips out to Chilkoot Lake about 9 miles outside of Haines. The Chilkoot River flows directly into the lake. Just below the entrance to the lake is the Chilkoot River fishing weir and just below that you can watch many fly fishing persons doing their best to reel in the prized salmon catch. Close by are bears (we didn't witness them personally this time) and Bald Eagles waiting to catch any that the fly fishers might miss. As were standing beside the river watching all of the activity. We watched a Bald Eagle fly right over our heads (maybe 50' from us). In his talons, he was holding a very large fish. Just in front of us, the eagle let loose of the fish and SPLASH it landed in the water just at our feet! It was like he was delivering it to us. What's the real reason he dropped the fish? We are not sure but perhaps "he had bitten off more than he could handle" and had no choice but to let it go, we will never know for sure...

The highlight of this area had to be the dramatic views from our backyard, it will stick with me a long, long time. The glaciated mountains completely surrounding us - 360 degrees and the water in front of us (emerald green when the sun shines down on the Chilkoot Inlet). I could sit and watch it forever. Even on our last day when we had a fair amount of clouds and rain, the different layers formed making each change more dramatic than the last. I think the size of the whole scene is what is most striking and something you can't capture with a camera or a video. I had this unusual (for me) urge to try and draw it with all of its intricacies, knowing full well that is not a skill I possess. I'll just have to keep it in my memory!

Did you know? A fishing weir is a fence built across a creek or stream to catch or retain fish so they can be counted. This count is published and used by state fish & game personnel to determine levels of commercial fishing that will be allowed downstream and still maintain a healthy fish population. It is used mainly during the salmon spawning months.

Cute visitor in Alaska

Adam RittenbergDec 12, 2025, 09:21 PM ET Close College football reporter; joined ESPN in 2008. Graduate of Northwestern University. Indiana has reached an agreement with defensive coordinator Bryant Haines that will make him one of the nation’s highest-paid assistants, a source confirmed to ESPN. Haines, a 2024 finalist for the Broyles Award — given to the nation’s assistant coach — oversees the…