The Canadian Rockies are farther north than anything else in Road Trip USA, but for indefatigable adventurers there’s at least one additional destination: Alaska, “The Last Frontier.” It’s a mere 2,500 miles from Jasper to Anchorage, via the legendary Alaska Highway. Running from the oil- and gas-producing center of Dawson Creek (no connection with the TV show) in British Columbia, the Alaska Highway was constructed in 1942, in just nine months, an amazing engineering feat fueled by fears of a Japanese invasion during World War II. Much improved in the years since, it’s now paved all the way, but is still quite an adventure, with endless miles (and miles, and miles) of forests, rivers, and mountains.

  If you’re going, plan ahead carefully and keep a lookout for a few places you won’t want to miss. One of these is roughly midway, in Watson Lake right on the BC/Yukon border right along the highway: the world-famous Signpost Forest, a collection of city limits signs from around the globe. The “forest” was started in 1942 by Carl Lindley, a U.S. soldier working to build the highway. When ordered to fix an official road sign, he added another of his own making, pointing the way and the distance to his home in Danville, Indiana. Others followed his lead, and over the years, have added sign upon sign to create the current collection, which at last count totalled 51,843.

  In the middle of the Signpost Forest is the very helpful Visitor Reception Centre (daily in summer; 867/536-7469) with practical information and historical exhibits.