10-Aug-2019 -- I’m making my first visit to Canada’s Yukon Territory, for a short vacation. I was intrigued by this Degree Confluence Point; it is close to the territorial capital of Whitehorse, yet had been visited only once - by Hermann Grebner, 18 years ago. The problem is that the point lies on the ‘wrong’ side of Lake Laberge - a widening of the Yukon River, north of Whitehorse. Hermann Grebner hired a boat to take him across the lake.

However, satellite imagery shows another possible way to reach this point. There is a dirt road running near the eastern side of the Yukon River - and then Lake Laberge - that passes just 1.8 km from the point. This road is accessible from Whitehorse (by crossing its sole road bridge across the Yukon River). When I learned that my rental car was 4WD, I decided to try taking this dirt road, to attempt to reach this point.

I made good progress northwards along this road (backtracking a couple of times after taking wrong turns), but eventually found that the road got too muddy to safely continue. I had to turn back when I was still 12.4 km (‘as the crow flies’) south of the point. However, someone with a better 4WD vehicle will likely be able to reach this point this way.

My attempt wasn’t completely in vain, however, as I got to see (and photograph) a young brown bear sauntering along the road in front of my car. (It ran off into the forest once it noticed me.)

The next day, I drove north from Whitehorse to Takhini Hot Spring (before heading west to Haines Junction). En route, I stopped on the western side of Lake Laberge, to look towards the point, 6.93 km away. (This got me closer to the point than my attempt the previous day.)