Accommodations and Food

On the west side of town, the 1202 Motor Inn (867/862-7600 or 800/764-7601 in Alaska or 800/661-0540 in western Canada, www.1202motorinn.ca, $85–175 s or d, RV sites $28) has motel rooms in an older wing, more modern units, large kitchen-equipped suites, and parking for RVs. The complex also has a rustic log dining room, a lounge, public Internet access, and gas (which will be cheaper on the U.S. side of the border). It’s also open year-round.

The biggest place in town is the Westmark Inn Beaver Creek (867/862-7501 or 800/544-0970, www.westmarkhotels.com, mid-May–mid-Sept., $99 s or d), with 174 tiny, nondescript rooms aimed at the escorted-tour crowd.

The Westmark hosts performances of Rendezvous Dinner Theatre, a lighthearted musical theatre nightly in the summer. It costs $55 for dinner and the show or $25 for the show alone.

Onward to Alaska

The Canada–U.S. border is 32 kilometers (20 miles) west of Beaver Creek and the U.S. Customs post is another one kilometer (0.6 miles) west. Heading into Alaska, be sure to turn your watches back one hour to Alaska Standard Time.

Traveling in the opposite direction, Canadian Customs is well inside Canada, just three kilometers (1.9 miles) northwest of Beaver Creek. Both posts are open 24 hours a day year-round, and you’ll need a passport regardless of your citizenship or which direction you’re headed.

If you’re reading this before leaving home, begin planning your Alaska travels by contacting the Alaska Travel Industry Association (907/465-2017, www.travelalaska.com) and requesting an information package. The best guidebook out there is Don Pitcher’s Moon Alaska (Avalon Travel Publishing). In Whitehorse, you’ll find copies at Mac’s Fireweed Books.

© Andrew Hempstead, from Moon Western Canada, 3rd Edition