Destination: Canada

Itinerary: Alaska Highway

TWO WEEKS/DAWSON CREEK TO FAIRBANKS

Open roads, big skies, breathtaking scenery and enough wildlife to give you that safari feeling are what await you on this legendary 2451km road trip from northern British Columbia to Alaska via the Yukon. Resist the temptation to race through it: nature's true charms don't reveal themselves at high speeds.

A marvel of engineering, the Alaska Hwy meanders through a vast land shaped by forest, tundra, muskeg and ice fields. Your adventure starts in Dawson Creek, a pint-sized town and one-time railroad terminus some 360km northeast of Prince George. Snap a picture of yourself at the Mile Zero sign and hit the road. You'll soon leave the prairies behind as you reach the foothills of the Rockies. Fort St John and Fort Nelson are good supply stops for the upcoming trio of provincial parks. First up is Stone Mountain Provincial Park, a jumble of steep mountains and U-shaped valleys inhabited by moose, caribou, stone sheep, mountain goats and other critters. Further north, Muncho Lake Provincial Park is named for its jaw-droppingly beautiful lake, the color of which ranges from the blue of Cameron Diaz' eyes to cloverleaf green. After a day on the trail, a soak in the natural hot tubs at Liard River Hot Springs Provincial Park is in order. The highway enters the Yukon at Watson Lake, famous for its bizarre 'forest' of 50,000 signposts. If you're ready for a bit of civilization, you'll find it in Whitehorse. Enjoy its museums and the historic SS Klondike sternwheeler. Ready for more wilderness? A highlight awaits in Kluane National Park, home to the world's largest nonpolar ice fields and soaring mountains, including Canada's tallest mountain, Mt Logan (5959m). The highway enters Alaska shortly after Beaver Creek, from where it's about another 450km to Fairbanks.