The highway is so named because, along much of its length, it skirts the crest of the hills, giving looks down on the valleys.

The west-bank residents received improved phone service only in 2004 but do not have a public electricity supply.

A 50 km (31 mi) branch road off the highway was used to reach the town of Clinton Creek, Yukon, a site of a former asbestos mine that has been shut down since 1979.

The immense Alaskan Taylor Complex Fire of 2004 burned up to the Canada–US border and was visible from the westernmost portions of the highway.

Media related to Top of the World Highway at Wikimedia Commons