Most Americans that make the long drive through Canada to Alaska use the Al-Can Highway going both directions, to me that’s just plain crazy talk. If you’re going to take a long road trip like that, the least you can do is mix it up a bit!
When we took our road trip from Florida to Alaska we made sure to find an alternate route back, and in doing so enjoyed some of the finest scenery one could ask for. We took the lesser known Cassiar Highway and had the opportunity to drive through beautiful British Columbia.
Planning Your Cassiar Highway Road Trip
The Cassiar Highway in BC is a much smaller road than the Alaska-Canada Highway and requires a bit more planning as the area can be quite remote.
No matter what time of the year you plan on taking your Cassiar road trip though, it’s always recommended that you check road conditions before you head out . We found lots of good information via the Drive BC website.
The other key thing to remember when planning on taking the Cassiar, is to ALWAYS GET GAS!!! Depending on the time of year you travel, many of the gas stations close early or don’t open at all, so when you see one fill up.
There’s a junction town at each end of the Cassiar Highway, but you’ll have to fill up at least once along the 450 mile stretch that we took. Take a look at the bottom of this post for a list of gas stations along the route.
Just an FYI, the Cassiar Highway won’t take you all the way back to the US (as you can see below) so you’ll have to connect to Highway 16 E and then 97 South to get to Vancouver, BC then ultimately Seattle. In total the full itinerary took us 4-days of driving to complete the 1500 mile trip.
Driving the Cassiar Highway Through Beautiful BC
We started our 4-day trip along the Cassiar Highway from the small city of Whitehorse in the Yukon Territory. We began our drive headed East on YT Highway 1 (the Al-Can highway) for about 250 miles (400 KM) to get to the entrance of the Cassiar Highway. While it’s a bit of a haul, the drive there is full of absolutely beautiful scenery.
There is one point you definitely want to check out while on this part of the drive. Look for the Johnsons Crossing rest area (the intersection of YT Highway 6) and you’ll find the mouth of the Canol Road. It’s a neat tribute to the road built to support WWII and has some awesome old vehicles and historical information.
After passing Johnsons Crossing and Teslin Lake, you’ll start to see signs for Watson Lake. The turn off for the Cassiar Highway (Also labeled Highway 37) will be a very small 2-lane road before the actual town. Look for the Beaver Post gas station and convenience shop and make sure to fill up. You’ll know you’re in the right place when you see this sign.
If you’re wondering why it says you’re going south to Alaska, don’t forget the Alaskan Panhandle runs for miles along the Pacific Coast of Canada. As you head down the road you’ll come across one of my favorite features of the roads in BC, a cool map that outlines the whole route.
You’ll also get to wave goodbye to the Yukon Territory.
Then immediately say hello to BC, which is apparently the “Best Place on Earth”! :-)
If you make this drive in the Winter, like we did, expect the road to have a pretty constant snow pack and some rough frost heaves. I’m told there is a lot of road work in the summer to keep it maintained, but the weather conditions here are pretty severe.
I have to admit, as we first turned down the road we were pretty worried. We were in our trusty GTI of course, but this road looked worse than the Dalton Highway.
We set out with a bit of trepidation, but most adventures that are really worth while are always a bit scary. With our luck, a snow storm hit us as we made the drive, so we spent the next 24 hours in and out of near blizzard conditions. One of the interesting things that happen when you drive through so many elevation changes though, are constant changes in both the weather and the scenery. One minute we would have near zero visibility, then come around a corner and down a hill and run into this.
Of course, the other part of the elevation changes, is the constant worry about avalanches. :-)
Occasionally, we would drive through a small town or tourist attraction that was shut down. We always like stopping to take a look as they give you that “ghost town” feel.
As we made our way along the Cassiar Highway, all concerns about the road conditions were for naught. While I definitely recommend having some driving experience in the snow, our little VW hatchback did just fine.
Thankfully, early on the second day of our stretch along the Cassiar Highway, the winter weather broke and we were treated to some choice sites.
As you come to the end of the Cassiar Highway you’ll drive into another junction town called Kitwanga. Keep your eyes peeled for a small church on the East side of the road, and take a moment to check out the coolest and most unexpected bell tower we’ve ever come across.
Sadly, at this point our drive on the Cassiar Highway came to an end. We turned onto Highway 16 and continued on our way to Vancouver over the course of the next two days. The drive along 16 took us through some really great places as well, but alas that is for another day. :-) We’d love to hear from you in the comments if you’re planning your own Cassiar Highway Road Trip, or you’ve had your own experiences in beautiful BC.
List of Cassiar Highway Gas Stations
Here is a list of gas and diesel stations along the way. The mileage is calculated from South to North starting in Kitwanga. Note that some gas stations do not accept credit cards and operate with varying hours.
- Kitwanga 0 km
- Bell II 249 km
- Tatogga 392 km (summer only)
- Iskut 405 km
- Dease Lake 480 km
- Good Hope Lake 628 km
- Junction #37 & Alaska Hwy 727 km
Where to Stay Along the Stewart – Cassiar Highway
Here are some of the best Pet Friendly places to stay in some of the anchor cities along our route that will get you from Whitehorse, YK to Vancouver, BC:
Whitehorse, YK
Westmark Hotel & conference Centre
201 Wood Street
Whitehorse, YT
- Pet Friendly, Centrally Located Downtown, Free Internet
Canada’s Best Value
102 Wood Street
Whitehorse, YT
- Free Internet, Budget Chain, Business Center
Dease Lake, BC
Northway Motor Inn
158 Boulder Street
V0C 1L0 Dease Lake, BC
- Pet Friendly, Free Wifi
Smithers, BC
Sandman Hotel
3932 Highway 16 W
Smithers, BC
- Pet Friendly, Free WiFi, Fitness Centre
Quesnel, BC, BC
Sandman Hotel Quesnel
940 Chew Road
Quesnel BC
- Pet Friendly, Free WiFi, Pool, Fitness Center, Breakfast Included
Billy Barker Casino Hotel
308 McLean St.
Quesnel, BC
- Pet Friendly, CASINO, Free WiFi
Vancouver, BC
Hotel Blu Vancouver
177 Robson Street
Vancouver, BC
- Luxury Property,Pet Friendly,WiFi, In Room Espresso, Pool, Hot Tub
La Quinta Inn Vancouver Airport
8640 Alexandra Rd
Richmond BC
- Pet Friendly with no Fee, Free parking, Free Breakfast, WiFi
We love roadtrips! Have never driven the Cassiar highway but we’re heading to BC in summer and really looking forward to seeing the roadside scenery there.
Jill,
BC is absolutely beautiful. You’re sure to enjoy it.
My husband and I will be driving the Cassiar Highway in mid-August, only we’ll be going in the opposite direction – toward Whitehorse. We’re driving from Montana to Port Hardy on Vancouver Island then taking the Prince Rupert Ferry. At Prince Rupert we’ll take the Yellowhead Highway to connect with the Cassiar. We’re also taking a side trip down to Stewart B.C./Hyder, AK to see the bears at Fish Creek. Driving the Cassiar in the winter must have been some adventure. Did you camp at night? I’m thinking that most of the lodging was closed for the season.
Can I come?!?!?!? :-) We didn’t camp, the weather was way to rough for that with the dogs. We found a hotel that was open in Dease Lake and crashed there. The only bad part was it was the only dog friendly place around so we paid quite a bit.
Wow. Fabulous photos (as always). Never been to BC, but now I want to go more than ever! Thanks!
Thanks :-) It’s really beautiful and serene. A great outdoor adventure.
Interesting to read more about the province we live in – funny how we explore afar, but often not close to home…
I have an article on things to do in Florida that I worked very hard on because I wanted people to see it from the eyes of a native. We don’t explore our home city nearly as often as we should :)
Beautiful pictures! We live in Alberta and have driven through BC a number of times to get to Kelowna and then to Vancouver but we have never driven further north then Edmonton\Jasper. I’d love to go the Yukon and to Alaska one day :-)
We drove from Memphis, TN. To Anchorage, AK. in May of 2013. We drove a lot of miles every day and drove the Cassiar Hwy to Hwy1. We spent the night at Bell 2, in VERY nice cabins. They also had gas/diesel. I probably took pictures of every mountain along the way. Beautiful scenery and wildlife. Probably the greatest trip I have ever taken. Just remember…BUY GAS whenever you can. And it doesn’t hurt to fill a thermas with coffee every day and have snacks.
We are heading down to phx from wasilla, ak in a week ( end of September ). Was looking at the 37/Cassiar hwy and saw your info.
Looks like it would save 100 miles but is it much slower than the ALCAN? We drove up to the Anchor first of January this year 2014 and it was quite the Adventure. Hoping to see some different beautiful country on the way back and hwy 37 might just be the ticket.
Lem, It’s nearly impossible to compare the time/distance between the ALCAN and the Cassiar considering they leave you in two entirely different parts of the country. If you’ve taken the ALCAN already, the Cassiar is well worth it for the different scenery/adventure.
Cheers!
Coming from Ventura County, CA, it appears that the Cassiar would take less time and be shorter than the ALCAN. If I do this drive in July, should I expect a semi-smooth road and a lot of construction? Thanks for posting about your adventure.
Hey Scott,
The Cassiar is MUCH shorter if you live on the West Coast. July should be fine for road conditions, just expect to deal with logging trucks and lots of RVs.
Thank you for all the info (especially the link to find current road conditions). I work seasonally in Alaska and this year will drive from NC to Homer, AK (crossing the border in Montana and heading to Calgary, Banff and Jasper on the way). My question is about one part of my planned route… Trying to decide if I should go from Jasper directly up to the Alcan or if I should go west from Jasper and go up the Cassiar to catch the Alcan where 37 intersects. Thoughts? I’ll be driving in April and looking for good travel times. An alternative would be to take the Alcan all the way in April and on my outbound trip in October, take the Cassiar and western route down to Seattle, travel along the US West Coast for. While and then drive east back to NC.
Is highway 37 suitable for hauling a 30 foot trailer with truck. How are the road for width and roughness. Are there places to camp for the night. It would likely take us a few days. We are planning to return from Whitehorse this way back to Ontario in september 2016. Any info would be really appreciated. Thanks from rving together.com
Hi Joseph,
The road is regularly used by logging trucks so I would think you’re going to be ok in a Truck with a 30-ft trailer. There are definitely a bunch of small towns along the way so I wouldn’t imagine it being too difficult to find a camp site.
This is my first time or my family to go a road trip from Anchorage going to Seattle with an RV. I’m scared with heights and narrow road besides the ditch. Which one is better for me to take? the Alcan or the Cassiar. Tnx
The trip to Seattle would be a bit shorter on the Cassiar, but the road is definitely much smaller and less trafficked. So of you’re concerned about narrow roads you’ll be much better off taking the Al-Can to Dawson Creek, and then cutting SW down to Prince George, BC on HWY 97.
Hey – can you tell me what time of the year you took this trip. I know you said winter but just wondering a more specific time frame. I drove the Al-Can to Alaska at end of June. I will be leaving to go back home toward the end of October. I am hoping to drive the Cassiar on the way back but I am concerned about snow, etc. I am from SC so I am so not use to snow. Thanks in advance for info.
Hey Milissa!
We took the trip beginning 10.31 from Tok, AK. It was mid-fall, but felt like Winter to us Floridians :-)
Thanks for your insight. We are going to be leaving Seattle for Anchorage on Oct 22; expect to hit the Cassiar around the 24th. I have some minor trepidations due to the season, but we bought a truck in Oregon and are driving it back home. Since we traveled the AK Hwy when we moved here (in summer), figured we’d try something different. We always pull an RV, but not this time. I have the Milepost, so we should be ok, but I do have some concerns about lodging availability and fuel. (Thanks for your list!) We will carry chains and sleeping bags, just in case! Maybe we will pass Melissa (from previous post) on the road!
Nice!!! I’m heading back up to Alaska in 3 weeks after a 15 year hiatus. I usually traveled the ALCAN back and forth between the lower 48 when I lived in Palmer AK. Just curious if you noticed or found any hot springs along the Cassiar? One of my favorite things to do was to stop at Liard Hot Springs on the way up the ALCAN.
Thanks for the beta!!!