Chicken, Alaska, is spelled that way because the miners could not agree how to spell ptarmigan. The story goes that the early prospectors on Walker Fork wanted to name the settlement after the willow grouse that gathered there, gave up arguing over the spelling, and settled on something they could all manage. The village has kept its sense of humour ever since, with a gift shop, a cafe and a good deal of cheerful chicken-themed signage.
It is tiny, with a handful of residents in winter, and it lives on summer travellers and a little gold mining. The old dredge sits on the creek, a lumbering relic of the days when companies chewed up the gravel with machinery. You can still pan for gold here, and some people do, while others have a slice of pie and watch the road. Services are seasonal, so do not assume that anything is open outside the summer months, but there is usually fuel and a place to eat in the high season.
The road in from the east, the Top of the World Highway, crosses the border at Poker Creek, the northernmost land border crossing in the United States, which opens only in summer and closes for the season in September. Check the dates and hours before setting off, and carry your passport. The Alaska side of the highway is rougher than the Yukon side, with gravel stretches and frost heaves, and it winds down from the ridge into the valley of the Fortymile River through forest of spruce and birch.
From Chicken the Taylor Highway continues south to join the Alaska Highway at Tetlin Junction, with fuel and food at Tok. Make that a goal for the day, and bring water, a spare layer and insect repellent, since mosquitoes in the valley can be fierce. In summer the sun barely sets, and the evening light on the river is long and golden, which is the best time to ride this road.