Dezadeash River Road — Haines Junction to Dezadeash Lake South End

Dezadeash Lake is a big, wind-hammered body of water sitting in the shadow of the St. Elias Mountains just south of Haines Junction. The road running its south shore starts as maintained gravel off the Haines Road and progressively narrows and deteriorates as it pushes toward the lake’s south end and the Dezadeash River outlet. About 15 km in, the maintained surface gives out and you’re onto a two-track that skirts the lakeshore through spruce stands, crosses two small drainages — one of which can run fast and rocky in early summer — and eventually reaches a remote camping area overlooking the water with the Kluane Range filling the skyline to the west. Bald eagles work the lake. Grizzly sign is common in the mud near the drainages.

This is an easy-to-moderate run in dry conditions that earns a difficult rating in wet weather when the clay sections go greasy and the drainage crossings swell. A stock 4WD handles it in summer; high clearance is essential. No permit required, but you’re operating adjacent to Kluane National Park Reserve boundaries — stay on established tracks. Fuel in Haines Junction before departure. Dezadeash Lake Campground is nearby for a formal site, but the remote south end offers dispersed camping with serious scenery and solitude.