Backpacking on the Chilkoot Trail from Alaska to Yukon | CA-NTY801

Today you’ll arrive at Whitehorse Airport, where you’ll be transferred to your hotel in the city center.

In the evening, meet up with your guide at the hotel, where we’ll discuss the details of the trip and prepare to hike the Chilkoot Trail. The guide will also advise and assist you in packing your backpack if needed.

Back in the day, Canadian authorities required every stampeder to have a year’s worth of gold mining equipment and supplies before crossing the Canadian Border. Luckily, your luggage will be way lighter and packing list much shorter. However, do double-check your backpack for all the necessities!

The next day, we drive to Carcross and over the White Pass to the small town of Skagway, a preserved part of the Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park, and home to many buildings dating back to the Gold Rush era.

Optional: Hop on one of the vintage locomotives of the White Pass & Yukon Railroad Route from Fraser to Skagway to have a look at the steep Chilkoot Trail surrounded by boundless mountain vistas.

After you get a first taste of the Gold Rush era in this quaint historic town, we’ll have lunch and make our way to Dyea, where we'll start our hike on the Chilkoot Trail. By the end of the day, we'll reach our first camp after hiking for approximately 3 hours.

After breakfast, we’ll continue our journey through the rich rainforests. Prepare to get wet, as we’ll be crossing small creeks along the banks of Taiya River.

Gorgeous Taiya passes through different ecosystems over a short distance, so prepare for a swift change of scenery, from alpine tundra to temperate rainforest. The glaciated valley of Taiya River is small and steep-sided, with some icebergs and icefields that it drains from the surrounding snow-capped mountains.

The hike will be pleasant, with a few easy, or fairly steep but quite short climbs. We’ll make our way to the next camp, hiking for around 5 to 6 hours.

This day is the most exciting and the toughest hiking day. We’ll get up very early to climb above the tree line and get to an incredible viewpoint from where we’ll marvel at the glaciers and towering mountains around.

Afterward, we’ll climb the famous golden stairs and relive the strenuous journey that the brave pioneers who had to climb this stretch more than 20 times in order to transfer their load of nearly a ton of equipment and supplies!

Once we reach the Chilkoot Pass, we’ll cross the border between Alaska and Canada, reaching the summit of the trail at an altitude of more than 3700 ft (1100 m) above sea level! From here our path is downhill, as we descend through snowfields, pass by small lakes, creeks and rocky outcrops.

By the end of the day, after the 6-8-hour hike, we’ll reach the "Happy Camp" in the late afternoon and have a well-deserved rest!

On this day, our hike will be approximately 4-5 hours, departing from the Happy Camp, making our way to Lindeman.

Lake Lindeman and Lake Bennett were the crucial points of the Chilkoot Trail during the Klondike Gold Rush. Prospectors’ vessels were boating these waters to reach camp towns or  "tent cities" set up on the lakes’ shores.

With a trail marked by sweeping alpine panoramas, gentle slopes, exciting ridge climbs, this is definitely one of the most spectacular days of the expedition.

While trekking these exquisite landscapes, you can’t help but have a sense of kinship and appreciation of the epic accomplishment of those who made all the way to Klondike.

Today we’ll pass the final leg of the journey. We’ll hike for 4-5 hours to Lake Bennett where the Chilkoot Trail ends. Here during winter 1897-1898, stampeders lined up their tents awaiting the spring thaw.

The prospectors were building their rafts and boats to go the final 500 miles (800 km) down the winding Yukon river rapids to golden fields. By spring 1898, the surrounding woods were largely cut down for timber used for fuel and buildings and boats.

After reaching this historic waypoint, in the late afternoon, a float plane will pick us up for our breathtaking flight back to Whitehorse.

Once you arrive in Whitehorse, we’ll pick you up and bring you to your hotel where you can finally enjoy a hot shower and have a well-earned rest!

As your Gold Rush weekend has come to an end, it’s time to wave goodbye to the historic trail of the intrepid gold-seekers. Today we'll bring you to Whitehorse Airport, where you can catch your flight home, or embark on your next adventure!

During our Chilkoot Trail, adventure everyone carries part of the load, approximately 18 kg (40 lbs). This includes your own gear, some group camping gear and a portion of the food.

We will carry the bare minimum and safely store your other belongings in Whitehorse.

Please make sure you have all necessary documents for entry into the USA! Conditions change on short notice and Nature Tours of Yukon assumes no liability, if you are denied entry into Alaska.

You will be required to sign a release of claims and waiver of liability form prior to the departure of this tour.