The Haines Highway links Haines Junction, Yukon, on the Alaska Highway with Haines, Alaska, on Lynn Canal. In Canada its official name is the Haines Road (Yukon Highway 3); in Alaska it is the Haines Highway (Alaska Route 7). The drive is about 238 km (148 mi). It runs past Kluane National Park and Reserve, over Chilkat Pass in northern British Columbia and down the Chilkat River valley to the sea.
The road is paved and open all year, but it crosses a border that is not open 24 hours, there is almost no fuel between the two towns, and the pass can get severe winter weather. Below are planning tips, a road log, campgrounds, history and FAQs.
| Length | About 238 km (148 mi), Haines Junction to Haines. Canadian kilometre posts read about km 246 at Haines Junction because they start at about km 72 at the border; see the road log. |
|---|---|
| Names and numbers | Haines Road, Yukon Highway 3 (Canadian section, in Yukon and British Columbia) · Haines Highway, Alaska Route 7 |
| Route | Haines Junction → Kathleen Lake → Dezadeash Lake → Klukshu → BC–Yukon boundary (about km 146) → Chilkat Pass (about km 102) → Pleasant Camp and Dalton Cache border crossing → Chilkat Bald Eagle Preserve → Haines, Alaska |
| Driving time | About 3.5 hours without stops, according to Travel Yukon. Add time for the border. |
| Border crossing | Pleasant Camp (Canada) and Dalton Cache (US), about 64 km (40 mi) north of Haines. Both are open 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. Alaska time, every day. Not open 24 hours. |
| Time zones | Yukon and British Columbia are on UTC-7 all year. Alaska is 1 hour behind in summer and 2 hours behind in winter. |
| Surface and season | Paved, with a chipseal section of about 22 km near the BC–Yukon boundary. Open and maintained all year. |
| Highest point | Chilkat Pass, about 1,070 m (3,510 ft), in British Columbia |
| Fuel | Haines Junction · 33 Mile Roadhouse (Alaska, Mile 33) · Haines. No fuel on the Canadian section. |
| Camping | Kathleen Lake (Parks Canada) · Dezadeash Lake and Million Dollar Falls (Government of Yukon) · Mosquito Lake, Chilkat and Chilkoot Lake (Alaska State Parks) |
| Ferries at Haines | Alaska Marine Highway (all year, Lutak Road terminal) · Haines Skagway Fast Ferry (passengers only, usually May 1 to September 30) |
| Road conditions | 511 Yukon (Canadian section) · Alaska 511 (Alaska section) |
Kilometres are approximate and follow Government of Yukon kilometre posts on the Canadian section. In Alaska, mileposts count from Haines. Last updated: November 2026.
From the Alaska Highway at Haines Junction it is about 173 km (108 mi) to the border at Pleasant Camp and about 64 km (40 mi) more to Haines, for a total of about 238 km (148 mi). Travel Yukon gives the same distance and allows about 3.5 hours of driving. About 74 km of the Canadian section is in British Columbia.
The Haines Highway is also part of the Golden Circle Route: Haines to Haines Junction, east on the Alaska Highway to Whitehorse, south on the South Klondike Highway to Skagway, then by ferry back to Haines. See Travel Yukon’s Golden Circle itinerary.
Northbound you stop at Canada’s Pleasant Camp port of entry; southbound, at the US port at Dalton Cache, Milepost 40. Neither is open 24 hours; if you arrive after closing, you wait until morning.
Everyone in the vehicle needs a valid passport or another accepted document, such as a NEXUS card, a US passport card or an enhanced driver’s licence. See the CBSA’s travel documents page and the CBP’s Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative page. Some visitors also need a US I-94 or an ESTA. Don’t bring Canadian firewood into the US.
Since November 1, 2026, British Columbia has stayed on Pacific Time (UTC-7) all year, the same clock as Yukon. So there is no time change between Haines Junction and the border. Alaska still changes its clocks: Haines is 1 hour behind Yukon and BC in summer and 2 hours behind in winter. Border hours are set to match on both sides, so the Alaska-time hours above always apply.
There is no fuel on the Canadian section. Fill up in Haines Junction or Haines. The only fuel in between is the 33 Mile Roadhouse, a small private business in Alaska, about 12 km south of the border.
| Stop | Where | Distance to next fuel |
|---|---|---|
| Haines Junction | Junction with the Alaska Highway | About 185 km (115 mi) to the 33 Mile Roadhouse |
| 33 Mile Roadhouse | Haines Highway Mile 33, Alaska | About 53 km (33 mi) to Haines |
| Haines, Alaska | End of the highway | Full services |
Its hours can change, so leave Haines Junction or Haines with enough fuel for the whole drive.
The highway is a paved two-lane road with long climbs over Chilkat Pass. The Government of Yukon road network shows pavement on almost all of the Canadian section, with chipseal (BST) from about km 137 to km 159, between Million Dollar Falls and the BC side of the Blanchard River. Watch for frost heaves, gravel patches and summer construction.
June to September brings the longest days, open campgrounds and the salmon runs at Klukshu and Million Dollar Falls. Late October to January is the time for bald eagles on the Chilkat River near Haines. Snow is possible on Chilkat Pass in any month.
The highway is kept open all year, but winter driving over Chilkat Pass can be hard. High winds, blowing and drifting snow and poor visibility are common, and storms can close the road. Avalanche control work on the Alaska side can cause delays. Use winter tires, carry emergency gear, food and warm clothing, and check 511 Yukon and Alaska 511 right before you leave.
Expect long stretches without cell service. Parks Canada says cell phones do not work in most of Kluane National Park and Reserve. Download maps and tell someone your plans. The Yukon emergency number for satellite phones is 867-668-9911. The Parks Canada 24-hour emergency line for Kluane is 1-780-852-3100.
This log runs north from Haines. Alaska mileposts count from Haines. On the Canadian section, Government of Yukon kilometre posts start at about km 72 at the border, even though the border is only about 64 km from Haines, so subtract the post number from about 246 to get the distance to Haines Junction. Treat all figures as approximate.
| Campground | Location | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Kathleen Lake (Parks Canada) | About km 219, 27 km south of Haines Junction | 38 sites, including 5 oTENTiks. Some sites can be reserved. Closed for the season; reopens in May 2027. |
| Dezadeash Lake (Government of Yukon) | Km 198 | 20 sites, no pull-throughs. First come, first served. Serviced May 21 to October 1 in 2026; the gate stays open all year. Known for high winds. |
| Million Dollar Falls (Government of Yukon) | Km 159 | 34 sites, no pull-throughs. First come, first served. Serviced May 21 to October 1 in 2026. |
| Mosquito Lake State Recreation Site (Alaska State Parks) | Side road at about Mile 27 | 5 sites, US$15 a night |
| Chilkat State Park (Alaska State Parks) | Mile 7, Mud Bay Road, south of Haines | 35 sites, US$20 a night |
| Chilkoot Lake State Recreation Site (Alaska State Parks) | Mile 10, Lutak Road, north of Haines | 32 sites, US$20 a night |
Yukon campgrounds need a Yukon camping permit. Both towns also have private RV parks.
Long before the road, the Chilkat Tlingit of Klukwan traded along a route from the coast over Chilkat Pass to the interior, often called the “Grease Trail”. Southern Tutchone and Tlingit people gathered at Shäwshe (Dalton Post) on the Tatshenshini River, probably the largest Indigenous settlement in Yukon before contact, according to the Canadian Heritage Rivers System.
In the early 1890s, Jack Dalton improved the old trails into the Dalton Trail, a pack-horse route to the interior. He set up a trading post at Shäwshe in 1894 and a cache at Pleasant Camp around 1896. During the Klondike Gold Rush, cattle were driven over the trail to the Yukon River near present-day Carmacks. After the White Pass and Yukon Route railway opened in 1900, the trail lost most of its traffic.
The highway was built in 1943, during the Second World War, as a second supply route to the Alaska Highway in case the White Pass railway was blocked. The Government of Yukon says US Army engineers started south from Haines Junction in March 1943 and met Public Roads Administration contractors near Chilkat Pass on August 1. A wartime camp at the Takhanne River gave Million Dollar Falls its name: it was rumoured to have cost a million dollars and was never used. A fuel pipeline from Haines to Fairbanks, built beside the road in the mid-1950s, ran until 1970.
The road was not kept open all year until the 1960s. Under the Shakwak agreement of 1977, the United States paid for the Canadian section to be rebuilt in the 1980s. Tatshenshini-Alsek Park was created in 1993, and the Alaska section was named a National Scenic Byway in 2009.
Both. In Canada its official name is the Haines Road (Yukon Highway 3). In Alaska it is the Haines Highway (Alaska Route 7). Most travellers call the whole route the Haines Highway.
About 238 km (148 mi), from Haines Junction, Yukon, to Haines, Alaska. Travel Yukon allows about 3.5 hours of driving. Canadian kilometre posts read about km 246 at Haines Junction because they start at about km 72 at the border.
Yes. It is paved and maintained all year. Its highest point is Chilkat Pass, at about 1,070 m (3,510 ft), where winter storms, high winds and blowing snow can make driving hard or close the road.
The Pleasant Camp (Canada) and Dalton Cache (US) ports are both open 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. Alaska time, every day. On the Canadian clock that is 9 a.m. to 1 a.m. Pacific Time from November 1, 2026 to March 14, 2027, and 8 a.m. to midnight in summer. Neither port is open 24 hours.
Yes, at the border. Yukon and British Columbia are on UTC-7 all year. Alaska is 1 hour behind in summer and 2 hours behind in winter.
Fill up in Haines Junction or Haines. There is no fuel on the Canadian section. The only fuel in between is the 33 Mile Roadhouse at Mile 33 in Alaska, a small business whose hours can change.
Highlights include Kathleen Lake in Kluane National Park and Reserve, Dezadeash Lake, Klukshu, Million Dollar Falls, the views of Tatshenshini-Alsek Park, Chilkat Pass and the Chilkat Bald Eagle Preserve near Haines.
Parks Canada runs Kathleen Lake (38 sites), and the Government of Yukon runs Dezadeash Lake (20 sites) and Million Dollar Falls (34 sites). In Alaska, Mosquito Lake State Recreation Site is off the highway at about Mile 27, and Chilkat State Park and Chilkoot Lake are near Haines.
From mid-October to January, when more than 3,000 bald eagles gather on the Chilkat River. The main viewing pull-outs are at the Council Grounds, about Mile 19 to 21 of the Haines Highway.
Yes. The Alaska Marine Highway carries vehicles and passengers from its Lutak Road terminal. The passenger-only Haines Skagway Fast Ferry takes about 45 minutes and usually runs from May 1 to September 30.
Haines Junction
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Haines Junction
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