Rain in the desert

Our original plan was to head for Skagway. This town with a gold rush tradition is located in Alaska / USA, 120 kilometers from Whitehorse. Due to the weather we had to change our plans.It made no sense to drive this scenic route because of the fog and rain. That’s why we decided to make a stop on our way to Carcross to visit the small historic town and its sand dunes – the smallest desert in the world.

 

Desert of Carcross

Dunes with a long history

Not far away from the city limit, located just along the road, there is the smallest desert in the world, with sand like the sand of the ocean – unbelievable.

Dunes of Carcross

And beautiful it is, although it is raining when we arrive. We wait a while over tea and biscuits in the motor home before we go out to explore this special landscape. Carcross Desert is commonly referred to as a desert, but is actually a series of northern sand dunes. The area’s climate is too humid to be considered a true desert. Probably a marketing gimmick.

The smallest desert in the world

These are the dunes of Carcross, where 10,000 years ago the sand was formed during the last ice age, when large glacial lakes formed and deposited silt. When the lakes dried, the dunes were left behind. The melting glaciers formed a river, The Watson River, whose silt is the source of the dune system and constantly brings sand into Lake Bennett. This sand reaches the shore at low tide and the wind carries it further. This created the dunes of Carcross. Surrounded by pine and aspen forests, an unusual sight.

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