Northern Highways - Alaska, the Yukon & northern British Columbia

In the summer of 1942, United States Army Engineers began construction of the Canol Road at Johnson's Crossing to provide access for construction of the Canol pipeline. The following Spring, civilian contractors started working southwest from Camp Canol near the Mackenzie River. In 1944 the road was upgraded to all-weather standards but was closed the following year when Canada waived its right to purchase the project from the United States.

The Canol Road now exists as a seasonal exploration route from the Alaska Highway to MacMillan Pass, the Northwest Territories border. In practice it is divided into 2 sections, the South Canol and the North Canol. The South Canol often follows ridges that rise above treeline in the Pelly Mountains. The North Canol passes by several large lakes and the spectacular Itsi mountain range.

Km 12 - Mile 8: Summit

Km 22.4 - Mile 13.9: Moose Creek

Km 75 - Mile 47: Quiet Lake

Canol Road Links

Oil for Victory: The Canol Project
This is the reason the Canol Road was built during World War II.

Exploring the South Canol Road
A photojournal (with 42 photos) from a 14-hour, 820-km trip from Whitehorse, up the South Canol and back to Whitehorse via Carmacks in July 2011.

North Canol Road
A 2-page pdf map and information brochure from the Yukon government.

South Canol Road
A 2-page pdf map and information brochure from the Yukon government.

Canol Road, 1972
A map and brief information from a 1972 brochure published by the Yukon Dep't of Travel and Information.

Cruisin' the Canol
Michael Pealow has posted a short but very good photojournal of a very quick drive up the Canol in August 2006.

Canol Heritage Trail
Jason Vorderstrasse has compiled this comprehensive collection of photos, trail reports, news articles and a bibliography.

388th Engineer Batallion
This excellent site commemorates the members of the 388th, who worked on the Canol Project in 1942-43.

Backpacking the Canol Heritage Trail
This site details a backpacking trip by Steve Queen, Dave Cobb and Roberta Cobb from August 9-22, 1998.

Mackenzie Breakup
This historical novel is based on the author's experiences working on the Canol Project.

CANOL Heritage Trail Park Reserve
Information for hikers and mountain bikers from the NWT government.

SueT's RV Adventures
If you spend any time on Alaska/Yukon forums you'll likely run into SueT - her photo-journal of a 2007 Campbell, Canol and Nahanni Range Highways trip is excellent.

Travel the Canol Trail
Information from the Town of Norman Wells.

Canadian Oil
A historical "magazine" produced by the Yukon Archives.

Canol Road
A video of a song by Stan Rogers.