Haines Junction

Haines Junction is a village in southwestern Yukon with a population of 613 (2016). It is a major administrative centre for the Champagne and Aishihik First Nations.

Understand

History

For around 2,000 years, the Southern Tutchone people had seasonal hunting and fishing camps in the area of present-day Haines Junction. The original name of the area was "Dakwakada", a Southern Tutchone word meaning "high cache". It was common for Tutchone people to use raised log caches to store food year-round or temporarily while they hunted and fished in an area.

The Haines Junction area was also important for trade between the coastal and interior peoples. It lies at the interior end of the Chilkat Pass, one of only three passes that allowed travel between the coast and the interior, which was used extensively for trade between the coastal Tlingit and Southern Tutchone people.

Haines Junction was established in 1942 and 1943 during the construction of the Alaska Highway. In 1943, a second highway, the Haines Highway, was built to connect the Alaska Highway with the coastal town of Haines, Alaska, over the Chilkat Pass, hence the name of the community. Situated at the junction of these two highways, Haines Junction was a construction camp and a supply and service centre for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers building the highway.

Get in

By car

There are two highways that intersect at Haines Junction:

  • Highway 1 (Alaska Highway) (historical mile 635), approximately 154 km (96 mi) from west of Whitehorse.
  • Highway 3 (Haines Highway) travels between Haines Junction and Haines, Alaska.

By plane

Haines Junction Airport has no scheduled airline service.

See
  • 🌍 Da Ku Cultural Center, 280 Alaska Highway, ☏ +1 867 634-3300, . The Da Kų Culture Centre is an innovative cultural facility and celebrates the culture and traditions of the Champagne and Aishihik First Nations. (updated Oct 2018)
  • 🌍 St. Elias Convention Centre, 178 Backe St. It houses the municipal offices and is home to a local history exhibit depicting significant events of the Kluane region since 1890. The Haines Junction Permanent Art Collection includes acrylic painting, ceramics, a Millennium Quilt, silk screen wall hanging, and carvings by local artists. (updated Jul 2019)
  • Exterior artwork can be found at the James Smith Administration Building – the Homeward Bound dogsled sculpture. Atop the local waste management facility sign is a large metal raven sculpture, and a truck box planter with three metal ravens is located at the main intersection, next to the RCMP station. On the opposite corner, the Village Monument sculpture illustrates local wildlife. Nicknamed "The Muffin", this is probably the most photographed spot in "The Junction".
  • 🌍 Our Lady of the Way Catholic Church (along the highway towards Whitehorse). Built in 1954, the church uses parts from an old army Quonset hut left over from the highway construction days. (updated Jul 2019)
  • 🌍 St. Christopher's Anglican Church (across the highway from Our Lady of the Way). An eight-sided log church designed and constructed by a local craftsman. The church basement houses a local art gallery during the summer months. (updated Jul 2019)

Do
  • 🌍 Kluane National Park and Reserve. Composed of two parts: a national park and a national park reserve in the southwest corner of Yukon. It is part of the Kluane-Wrangell-St. Elias-Glacier Bay-Tatshenshini-Alsek UNESCO World Heritage Site (main article: Kluane National Park). (updated Oct 2018)
  • Kluane Glacier Air Tours (based at Haines Junction Airport), ☏ +1 867-634-2916. Flightseeing tours of Kluane National Park and Mount Logan (Canada's highest mountain). (updated Oct 2018)
  • Icefield Discovery, ☏ +1 867 841-4204, . Flightseeing, glacier landing, and icefield camp. Fly from Kluane Lake, follow Kaskawulsh Glacier, cross the St. Elias Mountain divide to the Mt. Logan massif. (updated Oct 2018)
  • On the edge of town, 🌍 Pine Lake is a popular spot for swimming, picnicking, fishing and boating with a beach and playground area that make it a perfect family destination.
  • At the other end of town, just north of the Dezadeash River bridge, a parking lot on the west side of the Haines Highway is the starting point the 5.5-km Dezadeash River Trail.
  • The 15-km Auriol Trail provides a close up look of the St. Elias Mountains and great views of Haines Junction. The trailhead is 7 km south of town on the Haines Highway.

Buy

Eat

Drink

Sleep

Bed & Breakfast

Motels

Hostel

Camping
  • 🌍 Haines Junction FasGas and RV Park, 270 Alaska Highway, ☏ +1 867 634-2505. Gas station, convenience store and RV park located across the Alaska Highway from the Champagne and Aishihik Cultural Centre. (updated Oct 2018)

Go next
Routes through Haines Junction
Tok ← becomes ← ←  W  E  → Whitehorse → Dawson Creek
END ←  N  S  → → becomes → Haines


This article is issued from Wikivoyage. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.