Atlin Community Website - Travelogue Highway 7

Note: It has been some time since Jake’s has had a Jake.

The Atlin Road (Hwy 7) is 60 miles or 100 km long, mostly gravel, paved at Atlin end. When you turn off the Alaska Highway onto Hwy 8 West, the sign says Tagish 22 km, Carcross 53 km, Atlin 100 km.

Ahead of you is a long broad valley. Atlin Lake, Little Atlin Lake and Atlin are in that valley. There are mountains to your left made of white granite, with evergreens at the base. If you look off to your right, the big flattened cone-shaped mountain at the farthest end of the valley is Mount Minto. It’s on the border between Yukon and BC. Minto almost always has a cloud stuck to the top.

Highway 7 runs down the East (left) side of the Atlin Lakes; sometimes it runs along the lakes and sometimes inland; sometimes it’s scenic and sometimes not. Different terrains.

1.8 km Intersection of Hwys 7 and 8. Turn left at 7 South Atlin. Speed limit 90 km (54 miles) which you should have no difficulty keeping.

The pretty little lake on your right is Little Atlin Lake. It drains south into Atlin Lake; Atlin Lake then drains west and north, becoming the Yukon River, which flows 1500 miles to the Bering Sea. Atlin Lake, and the glaciers which feed it at the south end, is the headwaters of the Yukon River. We’re just passing a little stop with 2 outhouses and a boat launch.

7 km You can look across the lake here; you are up on a fairly high bench. Along the left side is a mountain stocked with mountain goats. There is a pulloff at 9.8 km. You can often see mountain goats on the face of the mountain. Take care driving, the goats sometimes wander down onto the road. You might also see sheep on the road. One thing to look for along the ledges are bald eagles.

20 km A stretch of road where you’ll see a sign requesting that you put on your chains. No, they mean in the summertime.

22 km Long steep hill: 12 Mile Hill. Get your speed up and keep it up. Stay in your own lane. This in the area of interior lakes. Lots of rockfall on road. There was a burnover in this area 50 years or so ago. Trees grow slowly here due to climate and soil; the slow regrowth is obvious. Look deep into the pine forest, you can see burnt out stumps.

Tarfu and Snafu Lakes were named this when the road was built in 1949. They are obviously named with a WWII sensibility. Prior to 1949: supplies and passengers came by ice travel over Tagish, Marsh, etc. in the winter.

32.5 km Sweet little log cabin. Affordable. Much photographed. Not really very old; just falling down.

38 km Nice view of Mount Minto - cloud stuck on top? Hitching Post - nice ranch for horseback riding, good accommodations.

42.5 km Long stretch of road - border coming. Precisely where you see the Super Natural BC sign and the Yukon Welcome to the Magic and the Mystery sign, is the 60th parellel. If you stop and get out, you will see a cutline for line-of-sight surveying. It is wide enough to be seen from commercial airplanes descending into Whitehorse. It goes down the hill to the lake and across and up the other side. I have been told that Tlingits used the uphill cutline as a route to get to Teslin.

52 km Atlin Lake laid out before you. Beautiful! At the very end is Atlin Mountain; Atlin is directly across the lake from the mountain (the lake is 4 miles wide in front of town.)

61.3 km Base Camp Creek - name is from 1949, has a WWII quality.

65 km Property for Sale - huge property. 80 Acres? Gravel road is almost over; "chipseal" is on its way. at 67.1 km.

70 km Ranchlands , outskirts of Atlin - note the various kinds of fences. Horses used to be allowed to free-range. Since most horses were only used for fall hunting, they were turned out for the rest of the year. Horses would wander throughout town.

74.5 km Carlson’s Ranch is noted for the huge cabbages they grow. Gardening note: Atlin has 61 growing days and has frost every 30 days all summer. I envy any gardener here that can grow a tomato big enough to eat.

82.6 km Davey Hall Lake - Straight ahead, you’ll see a snow-covered mountain - Teresa Island Birch Mountain is the highest peak in a freshwater lake in the world. To its right is Atlin Mountain.

86.2 km to the left, road to MacDonald Lakes. See our Fishing page

88 km near Fourth of July Creek - named turn of the century on 4th of July gold strike by Americans

Radio transmitter stations - 2 radio stations, both retransmitted on FM: CBC AM Whitehorse, CHON FM Whitehorse CBC Van CTV Van Knowledge Network

95 km "Welcome to Atlin" sign; straight ahead is Birch Mountain, to the right is Atlin Mountain. You can see the gravel glacier for which Atlin Mountain is known.

97 km Intersection that goes in to Atlin (right).