Landslide on Canadian side closes Klondike Highway at the border

A landslide on the Canadian side of the border closed the Klondike Highway at the U.S.-Canada crossing Tuesday evening. The closure cuts Skagway's road link to the Yukon during the peak summer travel season.

The Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities posted the closure through its Alaska 511 system at 6:56 p.m. The alert is scheduled to remain in effect until 6:55 p.m. Wednesday and covers the Haines/Skagway region.

The Klondike Highway is a key link for Skagway residents, freight haulers and cross-border tourism traffic during the peak summer season.

The corridor has closed before. The South Klondike Highway reopened to two-lane traffic in August 2024 after cleanup from a major slide, and severe winter conditions shut the route again in 2025. On the Alaska side, Alaska 511 has listed ongoing work between mileposts 4.8 and 5.4 for rockfall stabilization. That work brings full closures each weeknight from 11 p.m. to 7 a.m. and delays of up to 10 minutes from 7 p.m. to 11 p.m. It could affect travelers once the border closure lifts. At a DOT&PF tentative advertising schedule meeting on Feb. 3, Logan Miller said the rockfall mitigation project was on track to be advertised in February: "Skagway Klondike Highway rockfall mitigation. We've got this project kind of wrapped up."

Drivers should check Alaska 511 for the current status before heading north.