Fires are not uncommon in spruce forests, occurring roughly every 50-150 years. I passed through a couple of recently burned areas where blackened trunks of spruce trees combined with bright purple patches of Fireweed to produce a gloomy yet beautiful display of the forest's regeneration.

The Klondike Highway forms an 808 km loop together with the Taylor and Top of the World Highways. On this stretch south of Dawson City it runs through some beautiful spruce covered terrain and gives the occasional panoramic view of the Yukon River.

The highway began as a trail first used by Natives, trappers and prospectors, and then by stampeders during the Klondike Gold Rush of 1896-1899. In 1960 the last of 3 steel bridges, crossing the Yukon, Pelly and Stewart Rivers, was completed. The only remaining ferry crossing is the Yukon River crossing at Dawson City.