We had one more day to explore around Dawson City and today we decided that we would drive the Top of the World Highway. Unfortunately we could not get a third night at the Holland America Dawson City Inn. So we packed up the car before heading out for breakfast back at the Riverwest Bistro. We also picked up some sandwiches from Bonanza Market for our road trip.
The Top of the World Highway stretches approximately 106 kilometres from Dawson City to the Alaskan border. This spectacular ridge top drive offers panoramic views of the Yukon wilderness. There are no services on this road so make sure to gas up and pack snacks for the drive. The highway is only open from May to September.
This epic drive starts by taking the George Black Ferry across the Yukon River. This road is mostly gravel with a few paved sections here and there. I found it much better than the Klondike Highway. As we drove up and up, the views became more stunning.
At about kilometre 70 of the drive, we stopped and pulled over to take a look at the map. At this point it was 12:30pm and we had been driving approximately two hours. We then checked to see how much farther it was to the Alaskan border and Google Maps said it would be another hour. That meant that if we continued, the drive back to Dawson City would take about three hours to get back. We then decided that we would turn around and head back. But first we enjoyed our sandwiches amongst the gorgeous scenery.
We switched drivers and began the trip down. Because there were not that many pullouts and with next to no traffic, we ended up just pulling over slightly on the road whenever we wanted to take photos. I can see why they call this The Top of the World Highway.
As we approached the staging area for the ferry crossing, there were quite a few cars. We thought that we would have to wait for the next crossing. But luck was on our side and we got on the immediate crossing. When we got back to Dawson City, we did a little bit more shopping before checking into The Eldorado Hotel. Once we got settled into our room, we relaxed for a little bit.
We walked back to Front Street and had supper from La Taqueria which we enjoyed across the street by the Yukon River. We did a short walk along the river and then treated ourselves to some ice cream.
After that, we headed over to the Sourdough Saloon inside the Downtown Hotel for one of Dawson City’s most famous and unusual traditions — the Sourtoe Cocktail Club. The club was founded in 1973 by riverboat Captain Dick Stevenson after he discovered a preserved human toe in an abandoned cabin. The toe is said to have been from a rum runner who lost it due to frostbite in the 1920’s. The club has welcomed more than 100,000 members from around the world. To become a member, you purchase a shot of liquor and a real dehydrated human toe is dropped into your glass. The club’s famous rule is simple: “You can drink it fast, you can drink it slow, but your lips have gotta touch the toe.”
I purchased my shot of Yukon Jack ($16.75 CAD) and waited for my turn. It did not take long for Captain Dan to call my name. When I sat down, he explained the rules and then dropped the toe into my glass. As I put the glass to my lips, I tried not to think about the toe as I was drinking. I had to give the glass a little shake to get the toe to touch my lips. I placed the glass on the table and then I collected my certificate. Check that off the list of wild things that I have done.
We decided to catch the 10:00pm show at Diamond Tooth Gerties Gambling Hall. This one was completely different from the 8:00pm show we had seen the night before. As we were leaving, one of the cast members stopped and asked if we would be back for the midnight show. We joked that we would see how we were feeling. In the end, once we got back to the room, that was the end of our day.
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