CANADA TRAVEL DOCUMENTARY | Road Trip from BC to Alaska

imagine you are in nature what do you hear the gentle sound of raindrops the singing of a bird in the forest the huffing and puffing of the wild animal will the swooshing of a snow still follow us on our journey for Canada and Alaska where it is a beautiful rainforest while the last I see you seen abundance of wildlife and it's for the unforgiving Arctic it is an adventure worth living [Music] think of island in autumn is wet the four creates mysterious atmosphere while the rain leaves the waterfalls with no shortage of water with all this moisture it is no wonder some parts of the island are covered in a mossy rainforest as soon as the Sun emerges the landscape shows its incredible beauty we will be wild Pacific trails in such a moment and are spellbound by the magnificence of British Columbia's coast in the trees above a colorful bird called astonish change is posing for the perfect shot Moody landscapes are also symbol for mainland British Columbia with the trees in full color the fog performs a serial dance [Music] during these autumn days nature is dominated by the yellow golden color of the large needles this is an extraordinary place we've just driven down this graver road and we've come to this Lake right here and right there on the shore we saw two moves they never jump into the wood moves are the biggest animal and the deer family they can reach a shoulder height of more than two meters they are solitary animals but calf stay with their mothers for almost one year if food is plentiful the cows may give birth to twins loose feed on a variety of plants and are not limited to the solid here they are sometimes humorously called swamp donkeys as they clumsily wait for ponds in search of aquatic plants they're smaller cousins the mule deer are regularly seen along the roadside today mushrooms are on the diet even for kragle Road this is almost all of a road we've had a trivet on it's less travel and the reward for during such a horrible road is a visit to the natural looser Hot Springs where the steaming body the appropriate way to cool down is to take a dip in the clay shale River zenok rivers and waterfalls are abundant in this part of Canada at the Trop of 141 meters hum can fall as Canada's 4th highest order for the massive amount of water rushing down even creates clouds along our journey we found many places where we wished we could have stayed longer this free campsite with a lake framed by mountains was pure magic and it were the mountains that enchanted us most the Rockies are a world of their own snow-capped peaks are piercing the sky while tranquil Lakes are surrounded by high fir trees water the Lakes National Park bordering the US we follow the splendid mountain range north the only way to really experience a good part of this landscape is on a road trip as there is so much to see it is important to leave time for exploring in kananaskis country the golden light of sunset puts on a real show for us no matter which direction you look nature's artwork is everywhere [Music] on our way for these pristine landscapes we are always on the lookout for wildlife elk also refer to as were pity are another large member of the deer family they can frequently be seen feeding on crosses knots and leaves in forest edge areas male Alex have large endless which they shed each year females are smaller and do not have Angelus they do share a common interest in scratching themselves though during the night we were wondering why it was so freaking cold and we slept next to this beautiful lake you can see the mountains right over there and this morning we realized well it was that cold because it was just some freezing temperatures for the first time in Canada Oh wind chills frozen and as you can see we are prepared in November the signs are obvious that winter is just around the corner mountain passes are long snowed in hiking trails are covered in ice and almost impossible to walk on and even in lower altitudes snow starts to fall regularly when we woke up this morning we thought it was it a little bit wide outside and so we had a look at a window and we figured out that it has snowed quite considerably during the night 12 to 15 centimetres of news now see the drive down the roof we cleared it off a little bit but they saw a lot coming down there are only two ways to survive the Canadian winter hide in a den or live in the ski resort they are many adventures to be heard at a mountain resort riding a ski-doo flying over the mountaintops as a paraglider or going hiking in the deep snow we make young people from Canada Australia New Zealand Sweden the Czech Republic and many more countries from around the club all of us share the passion for winter sports and the outdoor lifestyle we've ordered fresh powder snow and double cake diamond runs we hit the park and practice our tricks starting small but soon progressing from one ieaves to three succeeds and accidental 540's throughout the winter our techniques include which started to eat boxers and also to bigger jumps sometimes the top of the ski lifts just wasn't enough and a little hike Pradas to the really memorable places in case you wonder how happiness looks like well there you go with views like these who would ever want to leave at the end of winter we were all full professionals well almost professionals with a slight preference for trading with the first sign of spring approaching we decided to roadtrip again heading north we trove straight back into winter in Banff National Park winter didn't get the memo to leave Iver although massive icicles still cover a big part of the waterfall in Johnson Canyon some water already breaks its way through the ice the intricately woven ice crystals are a true masterpiece of nature in spring the icefields pkway does honor to its name everything is still covered in snow but with more sunshine than in winter glaciers can be spotted all along the mountain sites along this truly scenic drive this completely covered viewing platform shows the amount of leftover snow in April more than once we just sat down and marveled at the incredible beauty of the Rockies living in the Rockies for almost one year allowed us to witness the change of scenes at some iconic locations [Music] the world-famous Lake Louise changes its appearance dramatically in winter it is completely frozen and covered in snow and summer it is perfectly crystal clear while an autumn moody clouds are hanging low on the mountainside the vibrant turquoise color peyto lake makes this our favorite lake in Canada in summer you can even go stand-up paddleboarding or kayaking on this glacier lake while the color really shines in the summer sunlight it is slightly darker in the misty autumn in winter the lake is completely frozen only accessible during the summer months moraine lake is the crown jewel of the Rocky Mountains the lake is surrounded by seven peaks an early morning visit is an unforgettable experience one of our favorite spots in all of Canada was Medicine Lake the partially frozen Lake framed by mountains was so press taking that we stayed for several hours to take it all in driving through Jasper National Park the visitors should always keep their eyes another impressive animal a bighorn sheep the sheep know clearly who has the right-of-way they can often be seen feeding on crosses along the roadside beacon she are named for their massive horns male sheep through large horns throughout their lives females also have horns although smaller other than deer elk or moose because she do not shed their horns each year one can even tell the age of an individual by counting the prominent rings on the horns those are also referred to as annual rings similar to the trees they develop in the stressful mating season when Rams barely feed driving towards Northwest Territories we leave the rocky mountains behind and enter the frozen prairies where we are welcomed to by yet another snowstorm Canada's true north begins above the 60th parallel a place that has the coolest sign plates on earth soon after entering the Northwest Territories we come upon Alexandra Falls even though almost everything is still frozen the sheer amount of water has forced the way through the ice huge icicles frame the waterfall and the difference in temperature between water and air lead to the creation of a snowbank at the bottom of the form although may sounds like spring to most of us up north it is still bitterly cold one night the temperatures plummeted to minus 18 and all the water in our therein froze the reward for braving these cruel in temperatures are the Northern Lights that bends over the night sky [Music] [Music] this intense cold does not only free spawns and rivers but also the ninth largest lake in the world the Great Slave Lake every year this vast water source completely freezes for several months walking on it is no problem at all even ski-doos in cast rival the lake we also spot a predator hunting along the edge of the lake coyotes are sometimes mistaken for wolves but they are generally smaller in stature and can be recognized by their very bushy tail instead of hunting in packs they usually forage for smaller rodents in pairs visit new virtuals behavior is very interesting it plays around with a small rodent most likely a vowel or a mouse which still seems to be alive and then marks it with its scent a lot of time in Northwest Territories is spent driving on gravel roads if you are in search of loneliness this is your place to be on one particular stretch of 600 kilometers we encountered a total of 12 other cars although the hours spent riding along it doesn't get boring along the way many animals can be observed we spotted this Raven feasting on a dead ptarmigan bird the dexterity of the Raven is clearly visible as he methodically plucks the feathers even though it is traffic it was incredible to watch this scene of raw nature when visiting the Northwest Territories one should not miss out on Canada's largest National Park Wood Buffalo National Park is larger in size than Switzerland and stretches far into alberta the name of the park derives from the large animals that can be found here with buffalo also called with bison are the largest terrestrial animals in northern america male wood bison can weigh more than 900 kilograms they regularly engage at dominance fights wood bison feet mainly on Sacha's and cross and can often be seen along the road [Music] mothers usually give birth to singer carbonate so this car can only be a couple days old although they look very peaceful portion is advised as they can become aggressive when they feel threatened fighting against the 900 kilogram bull is not advised the park isn't the only place where bison can be seen though along the iconic Alaska Highway it is likely to spot some of these magnificent animals as well driving the Alaska Highway is one of Canada's best road trips the scenery is absolutely stunning and a lot of wildlife can be observed along the way along the many rivers we realized that spring had finally arrived this far north as well innumerable ice shots were drifting downstream sometimes even large pieces broke loose after so many kilometers spent driving the naturally occurring layered hot springs a welcome place to relax from time to time it is worth to leave the highway behind and follow a little unknown path into the wild you never know what you may find there although there's plenty of space sometimes a traffic jam is unavoidable as groups of caribou walk or stand directly on the road these woodland caribou are one of the several subspecies of caribou that live in Canada both male and female caribou crow Anthes which they shed each year furthermore groups of barren crown caribou roam landscape they mainly feed on Legion searches tweaks and mushrooms and are fully adapted to live in the cold north their split hooves help them to walk on snow what their double coat keeps them warm in winter soon after entering the yukon watson lake is the first city along the Alaska Highway it is famous for a signpost forest started by a homesick GI in 1942 they are close to 80,000 signs from all over the world today [Music] we had a lot of fun hunting for signs from our own hometown the entire you conscious bear country it is always exciting seeing a fully grown brown bear in its natural habitat bears living inland uh known as Grizzlies while their cousins living at the coast are called Brandes they might vary in size and weight as their food sources differ Grizzlies usually feed on berries plants and some fresh meat the strong paws help them to equal roots and the occasional krantz crawl brown bears feast and a large supply of fresh fish which allows some of them to grow to an enormous size weighing more than 800 kilograms in Carcross the well-advertised smallest desert on earth is in truth the scent low from nearby Lake Bennett the scent was formed thousands of years ago when Klages deposited large amounts of silt the small town further boasts an impressive display of First Nation art [Music] south of car cross the road crosses British Columbia on its way toward see less can Panhandle the scenic drive completely omits the hardships the gold-seekers of 1899 had to endure crossing the white pass on their way to the Klondike Gold Fields the historic White Pass train was completed in 1900 in stead of gold seekers it carries tourists from Skagway to Carcross today in tourism is what's gateways about cruise ships deposit the holes of people in the historic gold rush town omit the many souvenir shops it is sometimes hard to see the original character the settlement some buildings remain to tell the story of the old times a glimpse into the past is a hot on the Gold Rush Cemetery the graves of known and unknown gold seekers can be found here another Alaskan town called Hanes can similarly only be accessed borough from the Yukon Crossing a high mountain pass we met a decent snowstorm just as we thought that the spring had finally arrived we were driving down to Cannes and it appears there's a with Wonderland up here so just have a look at the road you can see that winter definitely is still strongly only 24 hours later we cross the same pass again and were welcomed by a beautiful sunshine an incredible winter wonderland with magnificent mountain peaks surrounded us perfectly adapted to these conditions is the ptarmigan these birds are seasonally camouflaged in winter they wear a white coat which transforms to a prone plumage and spring their feathered feet leave tiny footsteps that can be found all over the snow at the end of the road lies the lovely village Haines which is surrounded by water rivers flowing into the inlet spring an abundance of fish fishermen and young and old flocked the river to secure their catch [Applause] [Applause] thousands of seabirds can be observed as they glide for the air with the mountains forming an incredible backdrop the lucky might even spot hungry seals riding on the waves of the hittite hunting the fish our favorite town in all of the Yukon is Haines tension bordering on to Khloe National Park it is surrounded by impressive mountains we thought this would be a good place to get married and so we did [Music] [Music] [Music] or our honeymoons we thought it appropriate to experience the grandeur of this landscape on a scenic flight the Sancta Liars range border in Canada and Alaska is home to most of the highest mountains of North America [Music] above all of them Towers Mount Logan Canada's highest peak at almost 6,000 meters and the world's largest massive the ice and the surrounding ice fields is up to one kilometer thick and at its mouth thousands of years old numberless Klages flow down the mountains and medon confluences so vast they could hold an entire city [Music] crevices show where the Klages move fastest as the enormous pressures ripped the ice apart at other points the ice fields are so stupendous that they appear completely smooth on top of the ice temperatures can reach up to 50 degrees Celsius during the summer leaving meltwater pools with the cereal blue color flying towards the mouth of the glacier reveals some magnificent carving activity icebergs have an impressive sized drift in the clay jelly for the downstream the glacial rivers look like abstract paintings after crossing the border to Alaska once more we marvel at the single eyes range from a different perspective it is impossible to not be enchanted by these prominent feats the raw natural beauty of the mountains also applies to the wildlife encounters [Music] this young bald eagle is feeding on the remains of some unidentifiable animal bald eagles mostly prey on fish but are opportunistic and won't miss the chance to feed on carrion this individual uses its large hooked beak to pull small morsels of flesh from the corpse all eagles are very skillful at using one Talon to hold their prey the plumage of this bald eagle is mostly prone with some white streaks which means it is about three years old only after they reach maturity at the age of five will they develop the characteristic head plumage on the first glimpse Alaska's largest city Anchorage appears to be like any other American settlement a closer inspection reveals that this is not entirely true high mountains frame the city and moose are regularly seen in private Gardens climb too flat up mountains shows the beautiful landscape the city is set in Southwood we follow the scenic Turnagain arm which is similarly flanked by high mountains until we reach the Kenai Peninsula the warmer temperature of the ocean allows us to use our kayak for the first time on this calm morning it was delightful to pedal with such scenery even though most hiking trails were still covered in snow it was a lot of fun to explore the landscape countless pleasures adorn the mountainside at this time of the year most of them are still covered under a blanket of snow and do not shine in their striking blue color the semi-frozen glacier lates allow us to hold a piece of clay sure in our own hands [Music] address the warning other signs at exit pleasure starting in several kilometers distance from today's closure Tong they show the massive retreat the eyes is undertake in the last hundred fifty years of course there are many rough roads to be explored in the far north as well notable among those is a Denali highway with no road maintenance during most of the year this is one of the wildest tribes of Alaska it is also one of the best places to spot Denali the highest mountain in North America with a height of six thousand 190 meters it towers above every other mountain on the continent the mountain is so high it creates its own microclimate and is often covered in clouds the Denali Highway is so remote that its prominent theme is silence most of the time nothing else than a little bit of wind and the soft trickle of water is heard with the little ice floes slowly moving on the lake this is a truly tranquil scene from time to time the attentive observer will hear a sudden splash the source behind the sound is a swimming rodent beavers used tail slaps as a communication measure to warn each other in case of frets they are the second largest rodent in the world beavers are known to build dams on rivers and streams to create calm ponds in which they construct their lodges as they do not hibernate they have to store large amounts of sticks and locks and net Wellings they mostly feed on the under bark but will also consume sedges pond weed and water lilies not far away Denali National Park is one of the greatest natural reserves of North America the park is dominated by mixed coniferous forests and tundra landscapes and is teeming with wildlife moose and caribou can be observed feeding peacefully while ptarmigan cautiously crossed the road and Arctic Ranch girls are on the lookout one of the funniest animals we met in the park is the porcupine this prickly road and whose name derives from the Latin quill pick has a coat of needle-like quills for protection their life span of up to 30 years is testament to the effectiveness of their defense porcupines are very short sighted so they often react to sounds rather than sights and get confused if they are approached from two directions three thousand years people have been hooking up dogs to sleds and realizing that they could cover much more ground it wasn't until the last thousand to five hundred years however that people started using dog teams so hooking up multiple dogs to their sleds and they realized that they could cover much more ground and pull much we had all of these European settlers coming over here and then quickly realized that in the winter months the only way to effectively traverse these huge expanses of wilderness that we have was what the native peoples of the area were already doing actually post-world War two the park did try and replace our sled dog kennel with its snow machines but that was very short-lived we found that snow machines did not like to start up in conditions as low as 60 70 below whereas dogs never seemed to have that issue so machines are simply not much fun to cuddle with in your tent after a long day of patrolling as well if you think about it that way they're also better for the environment do you think about all of the emissions that a snow machine could put out whereas all the emissions that these dogs give out can go right back into the earth if you have perfect conditions you have a good trail your dogs aren't that tired you could potentially go as far as 50 miles in a day north of Denali only one road crosses the Arctic Circle the Dalton highway also referred to as the Gateway to the Arctic the Dalton highway is the only road link to the oil fields at Prudhoe Bay not long into the journey we cross the Yukon River this mighty river is frozen 7 months of the year which is hard to believe seen the sheer amount of water flowing downstream while the Yukon River is completely ice-free 2 weeks after the initial ice breakup we still find plenty of overflow ice on lesser tributaries in the middle of May only a short distance north we cross the Arctic Circle and enter the true Arctic all the dust and mud along the road gives us the opportunity to get creative and properly introduce ourselves slowly the mountains of the Brooks Range start to rise transforming the landscape into a mountain wonderland as soon as we cross the atigun pass the weather starts to deteriorate while we try through the fog it even starts to snow although this Tundra landscape appears to be pleek it offers no shortage of wildlife the most spectacular among the animals we had the luck to observe was the musk ox little bigger than ponies these shaggy arctic animals are rarely seen along the road in the summer the majority of musk oxen live in herds of eight to twenty animals these animals have inhabited the Arctic for many thousands of years and their long shaggy hair is well adapted to the frigid climate their undercoat of wool is highly prized for its softness length and insulation value it is about eight times warmer than sheep wool and softer and cashmere driving further north the road conditions became horrendous the last 60 kilometers to Prudhoe Bay uber averaging 30 kilometers an hour we are now way from Fairbanks to Prudhoe Bay North America by a road and the road is gonna rough so we've been driving all day yesterday all day today a little bit of the day before landing 63 kilometers left after two exhausting hours the first industrial buildings of Deadhorse came into sight with a population of four thousand Deadhorse is nothing but an oil camp it was every bit as unappealing as we thought it would be after refueling we decided to immediately push south again crossing the atigun pass again we were welcomed by another snowstorm after being on the road for a total of 17 hours we finally made it to camp we finished our journey on the Dalton Highway with a world-class dance performance and a decent amount of mud stuck to the vehicle even though the Dalton highway was a daring adventure we still wanted more soon after we embarked on one of Canada's most adventurous routes the Dempster Highway the condition of the road changes dramatically with the weather rain and snow turned the highway into a dangerous might track with little crippled snowfall in late May is nothing unusual leaving the landscape in tombstone territory park looking like a winter wonderland the wilderness surrounding the Dempster highway is prime fleckner territory it is no wonder we spotted three different individuals within two days directly on the highway like theirs are the smallest of the free Canadian base but can still grow to a size of 2 meters and 300 kilograms black bears are opportunistic omnivores this bear had found an old and completely tried a bird but was devouring it with relation [Music] coming upon this beer we first thought it was a crizzley a close look at its features reveals that it is a brown colored black bear although they are called black bears they come in a variety of use no matter of plaque or prong they seem to share the habit of back scratching [Music] after a long drive we arrived at the Arctic Circle we were excitedly created by local inhabitants these Arctic ran squirrels live directly underneath the Arctic Circle sign they feed on a variety of plants and seeds but really venture far from the burrows Arctic Krantz burrows are always apprehensive as the other fast food of the Arctic get hunted by foxes Eagles bears and lakes [Music] on our way so the landscape looked completely different in two days ago the snow and fog made way for clear skies and sunshine along the Ogilvy River we found some of the most majestic landscapes we had the luck to witness on our travels big ice floes were slowly melting on the river with glorious mountains in the background at some points almost the entire river seemed to be covered in ice just two days before all of Tombstone territorial Park had been covered in snow whereas now all the Legion and plants emerged as there is no other road leading north we didn't have a choice but to head south again first we took the chance to clean our land and restore its original blue color which had long been hidden over all the layers of mud the natural Hot Springs of warm Bay soothe our tired bones after many kilometers spend on the road more the VC proved to be another plaque bear paradise on a single day we saw as many as seven bears most of the time they were feeding along the roadside some of them were on holiday too now that the temperatures were rising the Bucks decided to come out as well for a long time we had been looking for the elusive mountain goat we straw footed climbers live in the subalpine in Alpine mountain landscapes off the Rockies their white beads give them the funny appearance depending on the season they adapt the length of their coat the kids are born in late spring it doesn't take long for them to be proficient climbers themselves the summer in Canada is short but also very warm it is an ideal time to explore the beautiful forests on extended hiking trips the waterfalls carry a lot of water in the flowers up for me [Music] [Applause] a popular summer activity is canoeing on one of the many beautiful mountain lakes emerald lake in Yoho National Park was a favorite with its dramatic backdrop of mountains alternative water sports include rafting and stand-up paddleboarding others do prefer landlocked activities such as downhill mountain biking many ski hills turn into bike parks for the summer season one of our highlights during the summer was doing an ATV trip through communities exploring rough backcountry trails while being shaken to the core sure gets a traveler that was rising the trails lead up into the Alpine but even in summer snow pockets are the views are nothing else than breathtaking [Music] racing through the little streams was accelerating [Applause] [Music] an option to calm down again is to go horseback riding through the forest so what are you here when you think of nature which sound comes to your mind Canada has left a deep impression on us we yearn to be back in the mountains back in the wild driving through landscapes that look too good to be true Canada you never seen the last of us [Music] [Music] [Music]

Channel: Lucas T. Jahn

Views: 731,368

Rating: 4.8612628 out of 5

Keywords: roadtrip, Work and Travel, Travel, travelling, adventure, wanderlust, canon, gopro, British Columbia, Alberta, Northwest Territories, Yukon, Alaska, Moraine Lake, Lake Louise, Banff, Peyto Lake, Watson Lake, Haines, Skagway, Vancouver Island, Rocky Mountains, Dempster Highway, Dalton Highway, Deadhorse, Denali NP, Anchorage, Kenai Peninsula, Panorama, Kluane NP, road trip, canada, alaska highway, bear, bison, caribou, overland, overlanding, road, trip, travel documentary, documentary

Id: wYFKlfr-ELU

Length: 43min 45sec (2625 seconds)

Published: Fri Mar 16 2018