Alaska Highway W est & Haines Road Interpr etive Plan Yukon Depar tment of Tourism Heritage Branch March 2002 Inukshuk Planning & Development In Association with Aasman Design Inc. Table of Contents Executive Summary................................................................... 3 5.0 Implementation & Operations .......................................... 88 5.1 Recommended Priorities............................................... 88 1.0 Introduction......................................................................... 4 5.1.1 Alaska Highway West ......................................... 88 1.1 Program Background and Plan Context .......................... 5 5.1.2 Haines Road........................................................ 88 1.1.1 How will this plan be used?.................................... 6 5.2 Talking Signs ................................................................. 89 1.2 Purpose & Objectives...................................................... 6 5.3 Directional Signage....................................................... 89 1.3 Planning Approach ......................................................... 7 6.0 Sign Design Concepts ...................................................... 91 2.0 The Tourism Context ........................................................... 8 6.1 Alaska Highway............................................................. 91 3.0 The Existing Situation....................................................... 11 6.1.1 Corridor Identity Image ....................................... 91 3.1 The Alaska Highway (km 1487 to 1965)........................ 14 6.1.2 Colours ................................................................ 91 3.2 Site Inventory Issue Summary ...................................... 40 6.1.3 Materials and uses .............................................. 92 3.2.1 Alaska Highway West Summary .......................... 41 6.1.4 Typical panel design elements............................. 92 3.2.2 Haines Road Summary ....................................... 43 6.2 Haines Road ................................................................. 93 3.3 Existing Sign Text & Comments .................................... 44 6.2.1 Colours ............................................................... 93 6.2.2 Typical panel design elements............................. 93 3.3.1 Alaska Highway West .......................................... 44 3.3.2 Haines Road ....................................................... 71 3.4 Analysis of Thematic Representation ........................... 72 3.4.1 Alaska Highway West .......................................... 72 3.4.2 Haines Road ....................................................... 74 Maps 4.0 Alaska Highway West/Haines Road Alaska Highway West/Haines Road Interpretive Plan ................. 2 Interpretive Plan................................................................ 75 Alaska Highway West Interpretive Plan Existing Sites .........12 –13 4.1 Approach ...................................................................... 75 Haines Road Interpretive Plan Existing Sites ............................ 31 4.2 Thematic Representation Rationale .............................. 82 Haines Road Interpretive Plan Proposed Sites ......................... 79 4.2.1 Historical Context and Road Alaska Highway West Interpretive Plan Proposed Sites...... 80–81 Construction Theme ........................................... 82 Alaska Highway West Interpretive Plan Thematic Units............. 84 4.2.2 First Nation Territories Theme ............................. 82 Haines Road Interpretive Plan Thematic Units .......................... 85 4.2.3 Ecoregions Theme............................................... 82 4.2.4 Distinctive Features Theme ................................. 82 4.3 Media and Audience ..................................................... 82 4.4 Highway Interpretive Units ............................................ 83 4.5 Sign Types & Locations ................................................. 86 4.5.1 Signage Recommendations/Haines Road ........... 86 4.5.2 Signage Recommendations/ Alaska Highway West .......................................... 87 1 Alaska Highway West and Haines Road Interpretive Plan Pelly Crossing ALASKA HIGHWAY WEST / HAINES ROAD Beaver Creek Wellesley INTERPRETIVE PLAN Lake Alaska Highway Haines Road YUKON ALASKA N.W.T. Scale : Kilometres 2010 0 10 20 40 60 80 100 Carmacks er iv R e t i h W B.C. r e v i Klutlan R k Glacier e j n o D Burwash Landing Aishihik Kluane Lake Destruction Bay Lake Lake Laberge ALASKA YUKON Canyon Kluane National Park Haines Junction Champagne Whitehorse Dezadeash Lake Kusawa Klukshu Lake Carcross Wrangell-Saint Elias National Park YUKON and Reserve BRITISH COLUMBIA r e v i R k e ALASKA s l ALASKA A Skagway Tatshenshini/Alsek Park Haines 2 Alaska Highway West and Haines Road Interpretive Plan Executive Summary These recommendations cover the Alaska Highway Heritage Branch uses the plan recommendations in In the case of the BC portion of the Haines Road between Whitehorse and the Alaska/Yukon border several ways. First, they indicate program priorities maintained by the Government of Yukon under north of Beaver Creek as well as the Haines Road and provide a rationale for annual budget requests. contract, the recommendations in this plan are ideas south to the BC/Alaska border. In all cases, affected Second, the plan provides a framework for Heritage put forward for consideration by the Tatshenshini- First Nations and local communities will continue Branch to work with others to deliver the program Alsek Park Management Board. to be consulted on the actual design and content of more effectively. For example, it makes good The implementation priorities shown in the chart each sign before they are constructed. Wherever economic sense to coordinate the development of a below reflect the need to update and replace some possible partnership opportunities will be pursued new interpretive site with reconstruction of the signs, add new stories to make the traveller more to achieve economies in program delivery and Alaska Highway. Finally, the plans provide a way aware of the region they are passing through, and enhance the traveller’s experience. to assess how much work needs to be done and take into account opportunities to coordinate and measure progress. schedule changes with initiatives undertaken by others. Sign Plan Implementation Priorities Priority #1 Priority #2 Priority #3 Alaska Highway West Jct Alaska/Klondike Hwy Takhini Crossing Mendenhall Landing Champagne Cutoff** Marshall Creek—PC Takhini Salt Flats Canyon Creek Kluane Lake White River Bridge Dry Creek Haines Road Haines Summit*** Blanchard River*** Mansfield Creek*** Mule Creek*** Kathleen River—RR, PC Klukshu Wetlands Pringle Tower* UNESCO site—PC Seltat Nadahani Creek*** Haines Jnctn. Overlook Tatshenshini Overlook***—V NOTES: Implementation coordinated with each affected First Nation * work with CAFN V—potential CHRS Tatshenshini Plaque site ** coordinate with road construction PC—coordinate with Parks Canada *** work with CAFN/BC Parks/ RR—coordinate with Renewable Resources Tatshenshini-Alsek Park Management Board 3 Alaska Highway West and Haines Road Interpretive Plan 1.0 Introduction This plan covers two roads: the Alaska Highway Columbia, Yukon and Alaska worked together to With Alaska the primary destination, the challenge West from Whitehorse (km 1487) to the Alaska/ erect 183 milepost markers, 58 Northwest Highway is to encourage the traveller to stop more frequently Yukon border north of Beaver Creek (km 1966) Staging Route (NWHS) site identification signs and learn more about the region they are passing and the Haines Road between the Alaska/Yukon and 38 interpretive panels. In the Alaska Highway through. border at Pleasant Camp, BC (km 145) to Haines West section, 10 interpretive panels, 14 NWHS Junction (km 1635). In the case of the Alaska site identification signs and 48 historic mileposts Highway, this document supports and complements were erected. The simple milepost markers were the Interpretive Plan for the Alaska Highway East important for two reasons. First, most locations section (km 1008 to 1470) that was completed in were known by their milepost and second, with March 1999. Together they form the Alaska road reconstruction, distances have changed signif- Highway Plan. icantly making it difficult to find the old locations. The Alaska Highway was built in 1942 linking Visitor statistics confirm that a significant number of Dawson Creek, BC to Big Delta, Alaska 2300 km veterans, now in their late seventies and eighties, to the northwest. Built in just over 8 months and returned for a last visit in 1992. With reconstruction, employing up to 30,000 people, the road dramati- the allure associated with having worked on or cally changed the life and landscape of the Yukon. driven the old gravel Alaska Highway or Haines The Haines Road link was built the following year. Road is no longer so evident. Many sites that were In the intervening years, both roads have been historically important in terms of highway construc- significantly upgraded, widened and straightened. tion have little significance for the current highway The Haines Road has been completely rebuilt and traveller. As a consequence, continuing the current the remaining sections of the Alaska Highway will emphasis on initial road construction themes is not be completed over the next decade during the life of productive. The story