Atlin from across its harbor, fireweed in foregroundCopyright 2006 Lydia Hinshaw
ATLIN, BC -- The isolated village of Atlin is only about 80 miles from our summer base in Skagway, AK, but that's as the crow flies. Since we could find no crows willing or able to give us a lift, we were forced to drive 164 miles to get there, and then, inevitably, 164 miles to get back.
Atlin is 62 miles south of the Alaska Highway, and about 30 miles of that is unpaved, including four miles that are worse than unpaved because they are also under construction. There are, it goes without saying, no services on this 62-mile stretch.
There is not much in Atlin either, except for tremendous lake and mountain views one restaurant, one general store, one small grocery, two gas stations, an RV park, a few small lodgings and lots of historic markers. Fuschia-colored fireweed, a common wildflower here, brightened many yards and all vacant lots.
Although it was a weekend, and a sunny one to boot, Atlin was remarkably short on tourists, which was refreshing after our most recent week in cruise-ship central.
We stayed at the town's campground, $5 per night on the honor system. We pitched our tent in the woods on a bluff overlooking a rushing creek. Later, we paid for the site by depositing a $5 bill in the campground jar at the town's restaurant. We became restaurant regulars because we hadn't brought along any picnicking provisions, which is living dangerously in these parts.
Atlin is an old gold-rush town turned artist colony, with a year-round population of about 400. The town's biggest event of the year, a music festival, was two weeks ago. It brought 2,000 people to town, and they camped in a field and bought their meals from concessionaires. They also nearly froze, since temperatures dropped into the 30s that weekend.
We lucked into more balmy weather. The sunshine was a pleasant change from a week of low overcast in Skagway, and we were able to do a 5-6 mile hike up and down Monarch Mountain.
Like most weekends, this one ended too soon. As we approached the now-familiar mountains we must cross to get "home" from each of our road trips, the now-familiar dingy-cotton cloud-cover was just as we had left it.
Northbound, headed home from Atlin
Atlin is 62 miles south of the Alaska Highway, and about 30 miles of that is unpaved, including four miles that are worse than unpaved because they are also under construction. There are, it goes without saying, no services on this 62-mile stretch.
There is not much in Atlin either, except for tremendous lake and mountain views one restaurant, one general store, one small grocery, two gas stations, an RV park, a few small lodgings and lots of historic markers. Fuschia-colored fireweed, a common wildflower here, brightened many yards and all vacant lots.
Although it was a weekend, and a sunny one to boot, Atlin was remarkably short on tourists, which was refreshing after our most recent week in cruise-ship central.
We stayed at the town's campground, $5 per night on the honor system. We pitched our tent in the woods on a bluff overlooking a rushing creek. Later, we paid for the site by depositing a $5 bill in the campground jar at the town's restaurant. We became restaurant regulars because we hadn't brought along any picnicking provisions, which is living dangerously in these parts.
Atlin is an old gold-rush town turned artist colony, with a year-round population of about 400. The town's biggest event of the year, a music festival, was two weeks ago. It brought 2,000 people to town, and they camped in a field and bought their meals from concessionaires. They also nearly froze, since temperatures dropped into the 30s that weekend.
We lucked into more balmy weather. The sunshine was a pleasant change from a week of low overcast in Skagway, and we were able to do a 5-6 mile hike up and down Monarch Mountain.
Like most weekends, this one ended too soon. As we approached the now-familiar mountains we must cross to get "home" from each of our road trips, the now-familiar dingy-cotton cloud-cover was just as we had left it.
Northbound, headed home from Atlin
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