Watson Lake — Alaska Highway Mile 635 Signpost Forest Staging Area

Watson Lake sits at the junction of the Alaska Highway and the Robert Campbell Highway, making it the mandatory stop for anyone heading north toward the Pelly Banks Road, the Hyland River backcountry, or the McArthur Wildlife Sanctuary routes. Beyond the famous Signpost Forest — over 83,000 signs from around the world — the town has reliable fuel, a grocery store, a hardware store with basic supplies, and a Northern Lights Centre that’s genuinely worth a stop. The Alaska Highway Interpretive Centre has solid historical context on what it took to punch this road through the wilderness in 1942.

Watson Lake is your last confident resupply before heading east toward the Liard or south into BC. Cell service is decent in town. If you’re running the Hyland River or Pelly Banks routes, top off everything here — next services are sparse to nonexistent. The town can get busy with RV traffic in July and August; fuel up before the morning rush.

Southern Yukon's last real staging ground.