521 is very lumpy: and it’s lumpy in such a way that makes this stage very challenging. It has some steep climbs and it has some long climbs. It also has some steep descents and some long descents. Basically it has a bit of everything with the exception of flat tarmac. The direction is south easterly away from Teslin Lake past Morley Lake and onwards towards Swan Lake, which will be a feature of stage 522. The first third of the stage follows the line of the Morley River (against the direction of flow), the second segment scoots along the southern edge of Morley Lake and Helen Lake, then the final segment goes over the hill to pick up the line of the Swift River.
The rollout is uphill for a mile then flat for the second mile: but once the road exits the left hander approaching the Morley River, the road really kicks uphill, rising almost two hundred feet in no time at all. Once the highway is back down the other side by five miles, the undulations just get worse: the road goes up again at five miles and seven miles with a descent in between before a gentle but lumpy descent kicks in between miles seven and twelve.
The road swings a big right hander approaching Morley Lake at five miles, and as it does so Route 1 crosses from Yukon into British Columbia. The journey remains in British Columbia for the next two stages before crossing back into Yukon on stage 523. As it starts the first of two climbs on the bend, Swan Lake is on the left hand side of the road on the long descent at eleven miles then as soon as the Alaska Highway is clear of the lake, the road starts going up again, rising a hundred and fifty feet to fourteen miles.
Approaching the long left hander at sixteen miles, the road does a quick down/up to the summit before aligning itself to the Swift River on the northern side of the water. As the river meanders south before coming back north to meet the road again at nineteen miles, the highway begins a five mile descent which is lumpy to begin with before becoming very steep on the run-in to the line which is at the junction of the Swift River and the Smart River below a big bunch of water to the north.
Distance: 21 miles / 34 kilometres
Distance: 21 miles / 34 kilometresAscent: 1059 feet / 323 metresRGT Magic Road: i9ed0G83xdVK
Max elevation: 2716 ft
Min elevation: 2412 ft
Total climbing: 1059 ft
Total descent: -1099 ft
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