Sign Post Forest

For those traveling the Alaska Highway, the Sign Post Forest in Watson Lake is a classic roadside stop. This historical attraction got its start in 1942 when the highway was constructed as a wartime effort to supply military power to Alaska. A U.S. soldier on the work crew named Carl K. Lindley was stationed at Watson Lake and repairing signposts along the road. He decided to add a sign with the direction and distance to his own hometown of Danville, Illinois, more than 4,000 kilometers away. Ever since then travelers of the Alaska Highway have been adding signs from their own hometowns, and the collection has grown to more than 70,000. In the forest you will find street signs and homemade markers from cities all over the world.

The town of Watson Lake maintains this site of hundreds of tall, fully tacked signposts dispersed among a grove of trees beside the road. A privately operated visitor center holds historical information about the site and sells materials to make your own sign if you didn't bring one with you. Whether you leave your mark or not, the place is a worthwhile stop to wander and try to find a sign from your own hometown or see how far others have traveled to reach the Yukon. Watson Lake is also a good place to relax, refuel, and resupply along this remote stretch of the highway.