Top of the World Highway
Encyclopedia
The Top of the World Highway is a 127 kilometres (78.9 mi) long highway, beginning at a junction with the Taylor Highway
near Jack Wade, Alaska
traveling east to its terminus at the ferry terminal in West Dawson, on the western banks of the Yukon River
. The highway has been in existence since at least 1955 and is only open during the summer months. The entire roadway is treated with Bituminous Surface Treatment. The entire portion of the highway in Yukon is also known as Yukon Highway 9. The Alaska portion is short and apparently not numbered. The Alaska Department of Transportation refers to it as Top of the World Highway.
The highway is so named because, along much of its length, it skirts the crest of the hills, giving looks down on the valleys. It is also one of the most northerly highways in the world at those longitudes. Two nearby, farther north highways are the Dempster Highway (Yukon Route 5)
and the Dalton Highway (Alaska Route 11)
. It is not particularly safe in winter, even for snowmobile
use, due to the lack of trees for shelter.
A ferry
connects West Dawson to Dawson in summer, and residents living in West Dawson and nearby Sunnydale cross on the ice during the winter. A bridge
is presently planned by the Yukon government, although there is significant division among Dawson area residents as to whether such a bridge should be built. The west-bank residents only recently received improved phone service in 2004 but do not have a public electricity supply.
A 30 mile branch road off the highway was used to reach the town of Clinton Creek, Yukon
, site of a former asbestos
mine
shut down since 1979.
The border, known as Little Gold Creek in Canada and Boundary (or Poker Creek) in the U.S., features one of the few jointly-built single building customs ports of entry along the Canada-U.S. border. There is presently a one-hour difference in standard time zone
s at this border, which is only open in summer during the 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. period (Alaska time). The immense Alaskan Taylor Complex Fire
of 2004 burned up to the Canadian border and was visible from the westernmost portions of the highway.
Taylor Highway
The Taylor Highway is a highway in the U.S. state of Alaska that extends 160 miles from Tetlin, about 11 miles south of Tok on the Alaska Highway, to Eagle....
near Jack Wade, Alaska
Jack Wade, Alaska
Jack Wade is an unincorporated community in Southeast Fairbanks Census Area, Alaska, United States. Its elevation is 2,428 feet , and it is located along Wade Creek at , about 46 miles south of Eagle near the Canadian border...
traveling east to its terminus at the ferry terminal in West Dawson, on the western banks of the Yukon River
Yukon River
The Yukon River is a major watercourse of northwestern North America. The source of the river is located in British Columbia, Canada. The next portion lies in, and gives its name to Yukon Territory. The lower half of the river lies in the U.S. state of Alaska. The river is long and empties into...
. The highway has been in existence since at least 1955 and is only open during the summer months. The entire roadway is treated with Bituminous Surface Treatment. The entire portion of the highway in Yukon is also known as Yukon Highway 9. The Alaska portion is short and apparently not numbered. The Alaska Department of Transportation refers to it as Top of the World Highway.
The highway is so named because, along much of its length, it skirts the crest of the hills, giving looks down on the valleys. It is also one of the most northerly highways in the world at those longitudes. Two nearby, farther north highways are the Dempster Highway (Yukon Route 5)
Dempster Highway
The Dempster Highway, also referred to as Yukon Highway 5 and Northwest Territories Highway 8, is a highway that connects the Klondike Highway in Yukon, Canada to Inuvik, Northwest Territories on the Mackenzie River delta...
and the Dalton Highway (Alaska Route 11)
Dalton Highway
The James W. Dalton Highway, usually Dalton Highway is a 414-mile road in Alaska. It begins at the Elliott Highway, north of Fairbanks, and ends at Deadhorse near the Arctic Ocean and the Prudhoe Bay oil fields...
. It is not particularly safe in winter, even for snowmobile
Snowmobile
A snowmobile, also known in some places as a snowmachine, or sled,is a land vehicle for winter travel on snow. Designed to be operated on snow and ice, they require no road or trail. Design variations enable some machines to operate in deep snow or forests; most are used on open terrain, including...
use, due to the lack of trees for shelter.
A ferry
Ferry
A ferry is a form of transportation, usually a boat, but sometimes a ship, used to carry primarily passengers, and sometimes vehicles and cargo as well, across a body of water. Most ferries operate on regular, frequent, return services...
connects West Dawson to Dawson in summer, and residents living in West Dawson and nearby Sunnydale cross on the ice during the winter. A bridge
Bridge
A bridge is a structure built to span physical obstacles such as a body of water, valley, or road, for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle...
is presently planned by the Yukon government, although there is significant division among Dawson area residents as to whether such a bridge should be built. The west-bank residents only recently received improved phone service in 2004 but do not have a public electricity supply.
A 30 mile branch road off the highway was used to reach the town of Clinton Creek, Yukon
Clinton Creek, Yukon
Clinton Creek was a company-owned and -operated asbestos mining town in the western Yukon near the confluence of the Yukon and Fortymile Rivers...
, site of a former asbestos
Asbestos
Asbestos is a set of six naturally occurring silicate minerals used commercially for their desirable physical properties. They all have in common their eponymous, asbestiform habit: long, thin fibrous crystals...
mine
Mining
Mining is the extraction of valuable minerals or other geological materials from the earth, from an ore body, vein or seam. The term also includes the removal of soil. Materials recovered by mining include base metals, precious metals, iron, uranium, coal, diamonds, limestone, oil shale, rock...
shut down since 1979.
The border, known as Little Gold Creek in Canada and Boundary (or Poker Creek) in the U.S., features one of the few jointly-built single building customs ports of entry along the Canada-U.S. border. There is presently a one-hour difference in standard time zone
Time zone
A time zone is a region on Earth that has a uniform standard time for legal, commercial, and social purposes. In order for the same clock time to always correspond to the same portion of the day as the Earth rotates , different places on the Earth need to have different clock times...
s at this border, which is only open in summer during the 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. period (Alaska time). The immense Alaskan Taylor Complex Fire
Taylor Complex Fire
The Taylor Complex Fire was a 2004 wildfire in Alaska that consumed approximately of land. By acreage, it was the largest wildfire in the United States between 1997-2007. The fire also was part of the record-breaking 2004 Alaska fire season that burned more than , the most in recorded history....
of 2004 burned up to the Canadian border and was visible from the westernmost portions of the highway.