Wilderness paddling adventure on a canoeing trip

Arrive Whitehorse
Individual arrival at Whitehorse Airport. Transfer to your hotel in downtown Whitehorse. You’ll have some time to explore the city before meeting your fellow travelers and your guide at the group meeting this afternoon. Following the tour, you’ll have some time for some last minute shopping and sightseeing. Overnight in Whitehorse.

Transfer Whitehorse - Quiet Lake
We’ll depart Whitehorse southbound on the historic Alaska Highway, completed in under a year in 1942 to aid the Pacific Front during WWII. We’ll travel to Johnson’s Crossing, famous for its giant cinnamon buns, before turning north on the Canol Road. The “Canol” was also built during the war, to aid in the construction of an oil pipeline from Norman Wells, just across the NWT border. “Boneyards” of WWII era vehicles can be found at various points along the roadsides. More striking though is the wonderful scenery, particularly as we approach Quiet Lake. There, we’ll unload the canoes and set up camp for the night. Overnight: Quiet Lake Campground

Big Salmon River Canoe Tour Begins!
This morning we’ll break camp, load the canoes and depart. The first leg of the journey takes us down Quiet Lake and Big Salmon Lake; the headwaters for the Big Salmon River. The Big Salmon is a narrow, swift-moving river (up to class 2) that requires some technical paddling.

The guide will offer some training in camp, and after the first of the rapids, you’ll be an expert in no time! One of our favorite Yukon rivers, the Big Salmon offers a thrilling wilderness paddle for even the most experienced canoeist as there is something new to discover around every bend in the river. The wildlife viewing in this remote, pristine region is excellent, and moose and black bears are often spotted along the river’s banks. In the evenings, your guide will take you on short hikes to good scenic vantage points over the river and the fishing along the clear, cold Big Salmon River is excellent, and you’ll have time in the evenings to try your hand at catching the Arctic grayling and northern pike that are found in the river. In fall, there is also the opportunity to catch a Chinook salmon as they travel up the river on their annual run to spawn.

Carmacks - Whitehorse
The last leg of our tour is on the famous Yukon River. We’ll arrive in the native village of Carmacks after 2 weeks in the Yukon backcountry. Our transfer van will be waiting for us at the pullout and will take us back to Whitehorse along the Klondike Highway. We’ll stop in at Braeburn Lodge on the way back to town for some home baking. The lodge is famous for its massive cinnamon buns. Whitehorse feels like a metropolis after 2 weeks on the river and the hot shower and soft bed will be welcome. You’ll enjoy reminiscing about your adventures over a great dinner with your new friends this evening. Overnight in a hotel in Whitehorse.

 Transfer to the Whitehorse airport.