Robert Campbell Highway
Encyclopedia
Yukon
Highway 4, also known as the Robert Campbell Highway or Campbell Highway, is a road
between Watson Lake, Yukon
on the Alaska Highway
to Carmacks, Yukon
on the Klondike Highway
. It is 583 km (362 mi) long and mostly gravel-surfaced. It serves the communities of Faro
and Ross River
and intersects the Canol Road
near Ross River.
The first portion of the Robert Campbell Highway, between Watson Lake
and Miner Junction, was built in the early 1960s as part of the project to complete road access to Tungsten, Northwest Territories
. The portion east and north of Miner Junction is now known as the Nahanni Range Road
, and is presently Yukon Territorial Highway #10.
During the late 1960s and continuing to 1971, highways were built to connect Carmacks with Ross River, with a spur road to Faro to serve the new lead-zinc mine that opened in 1969. Additional road work was also completed between Ross River and Miner Junction. The completed road complements the Canol Road, providing two loops and bringing year-round access to Ross River.
The Campbell Highway is mostly gravel, and the most improved section is between Carmacks and Faro, where it has taken the most abuse from trucks hauling ore to Whitehorse and beyond.
The highway was originally route 9, but became route 4 in 1978. For travelers from the south whose destination is Dawson City
, this route is some 20 miles shorter than going through Whitehorse
.
Yukon
Yukon is the westernmost and smallest of Canada's three federal territories. It was named after the Yukon River. The word Yukon means "Great River" in Gwich’in....
Highway 4, also known as the Robert Campbell Highway or Campbell Highway, is a road
Road
A road is a thoroughfare, route, or way on land between two places, which typically has been paved or otherwise improved to allow travel by some conveyance, including a horse, cart, or motor vehicle. Roads consist of one, or sometimes two, roadways each with one or more lanes and also any...
between Watson Lake, Yukon
Watson Lake, Yukon
Watson Lake is a town at historical mile 635 on the Alaska Highway in the southeastern Yukon close to the British Columbia border. Population in December 2004 was 1,547 ....
on the Alaska Highway
Alaska Highway
The Alaska Highway was constructed during World War II for the purpose of connecting the contiguous U.S. to Alaska through Canada. It begins at the junction with several Canadian highways in Dawson Creek, British Columbia and runs to Delta Junction, Alaska, via Whitehorse, Yukon...
to Carmacks, Yukon
Carmacks, Yukon
-History:The community consists of the Village of Carmacks and the Little Salmon/Carmacks First Nation and was named after George Washington Carmack, who found coal near Tantalus Butte in 1893. Carmack built a trading post and traded with locals near the present site of Carmacks and also started a...
on the Klondike Highway
Klondike Highway
The Klondike Highway links the Alaskan coastal town of Skagway to Yukon's Dawson City and its route somewhat parallels that used by prospectors in the 1898 Klondike Gold Rush....
. It is 583 km (362 mi) long and mostly gravel-surfaced. It serves the communities of Faro
Faro, Yukon
Faro is a small town in the central Yukon, Canada, formerly the home of the largest open pit lead–zinc mine in the world as well as a significant producer of silver and other natural resource ventures. The mine was built by the Ralph M. Parsons Construction Company of the USA with General...
and Ross River
Ross River, Yukon
Ross River is an unincorporated community in the Yukon, Canada. It lies at the juncture of the Ross River and the Pelly River, along the Canol Road, not far from the Campbell Highway. Primary access to the Campbell Highway is a nine-mile access road of superior alignment, not the six-mile Canol...
and intersects the Canol Road
Canol Road
The Canol Road was part of a project to build a pipeline and a road from Norman Wells, Northwest Territories to Whitehorse, Yukon during World War II. The pipeline no longer exists, but the long Yukon portion of the road is maintained by the Yukon Government during summer months...
near Ross River.
The first portion of the Robert Campbell Highway, between Watson Lake
Watson Lake, Yukon
Watson Lake is a town at historical mile 635 on the Alaska Highway in the southeastern Yukon close to the British Columbia border. Population in December 2004 was 1,547 ....
and Miner Junction, was built in the early 1960s as part of the project to complete road access to Tungsten, Northwest Territories
Tungsten, Northwest Territories
The townsite of Tungsten is located at Cantung Mine in the Northwest Territories. It is accessible from Watson Lake, Yukon. Tungsten was built in 1961 and the tungsten mine went into operation in 1962 as a large open pit mine high in the Mackenzie Mountains. It originally consisted of several small...
. The portion east and north of Miner Junction is now known as the Nahanni Range Road
Nahanni Range Road
The Nahanni Range Road was completed in the early 1960s from Watson Lake, Yukon along the present alignment of the Robert Campbell Highway to Cantung Junction, thence along the Highway 10 route, across the border into the Northwest Territories to the privately-owned mining town known, confusingly,...
, and is presently Yukon Territorial Highway #10.
During the late 1960s and continuing to 1971, highways were built to connect Carmacks with Ross River, with a spur road to Faro to serve the new lead-zinc mine that opened in 1969. Additional road work was also completed between Ross River and Miner Junction. The completed road complements the Canol Road, providing two loops and bringing year-round access to Ross River.
The Campbell Highway is mostly gravel, and the most improved section is between Carmacks and Faro, where it has taken the most abuse from trucks hauling ore to Whitehorse and beyond.
The highway was originally route 9, but became route 4 in 1978. For travelers from the south whose destination is Dawson City
Dawson City, Yukon
The Town of the City of Dawson or Dawson City is a town in the Yukon, Canada.The population was 1,327 at the 2006 census. The area draws some 60,000 visitors each year...
, this route is some 20 miles shorter than going through Whitehorse
Whitehorse, Yukon
Whitehorse is Yukon's capital and largest city . It was incorporated in 1950 and is located at kilometre 1476 on the Alaska Highway in southern Yukon. Whitehorse's downtown and Riverdale areas occupy both shores of the Yukon River, which originates in British Columbia and meets the Bering Sea in...
.