Five Books to Read Before Driving the Alaska Highway
- Oct 8, 2020
- 2 min read
Updated: Mar 19
The Alaska Highway is a grand adventure - before you set out, pick up one or more of these five books to learn more about this incredible road.
By Heath Twichell
Building the Alaska Highway was a task that would take years today. During World War II, however, the road was built in less than a year. Northwest Epic gets into the herculean effort it took to construct this road across the wilderness in the middle of a war. Unfortunately, the book is no longer in print, so you'll have to get a copy on the used market.
By Howard Blum
Other than the building of the Alaska Highway, no event shaped the wilderness through which it passes more than the Yukon Gold Rush. The Floor of Heaven tells the story of the Yukon Gold Rush, a time when fortunes were to be made and lost by a cast of characters that could have stepped out of a movie.
By Stan Cohen
Trail of '42 is an excellent book to pick up if you are someone who enjoys having photos to learn about the history of a place. The photographs in Trail of '42 give a glimpse into the difficulties of building a road across an inhospitable wilderness as words could never do.
In many years of travel, I have never come across a more comprehensive look at a road. In The Milepost, you get a mile-by-mile rundown of what you can expect to see as you drive the Alaska Highway. On a road where services can be few and far between, it's an invaluable resource.
Shameless self-promotion! If The Milepost gives you a mile-by-mile look at the Alaska Highway, 101 Travel Bits gives you the story of the places you are passing that The Milepost cannot. From the road's history to its wildlife and the stories that have made the road legendary, 101 Travel Bits is a great companion to those driving the Alaska Highway.
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