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Canoeing expedition on the Teslin River in the Yukon

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Paddle through the Yukon on these canoeing expedition on the Teslin and Yukon Rivers

Overview

The 370 km tour (includes about 170 km on the Yukon River) through the solitude of the Teslin River is one of the best canoe adventures in northern Canada and it is especially suitable for the novice canoeist. The well-trained guides introduce the participants to the proper paddling techniques on this Class I-II river.

Highlights

  • Teslin River
  • Yukon River
  • Alaska Highway
  • SS Klondike
  • Old Log Church
  • Log Cabin Skyscraper

The start of the trip is at Johnsons Crossing on the Alaska Highway, where the Teslin River winds its way through the mountains of the southern Yukon towards the confluence with the Yukon River.  Wildlife encounters along the river are quite common and one can expect to see moose, caribou, wolf and eagles.  During August and September, thousands of salmon spawn in the Teslin River and grizzly bears are often seen.

In the evenings you will set up camp along the river banks or on a gravel bar.  Meals are cooked on the open campfire, and fresh Arctic Grayling, salmon and northern pike may be added to the menu.  Hiking trips into the mountains and creek valleys can round out an exciting river journey.  The tour ends in Carmacks on the Yukon River where you will leave the canoes and travel by van down the Klondike Highway back to Whitehorse.

  • Personal Experience
  • Trusted Tour Operator
  • Local Guides
  • Small group
Availability May - Sept
Duration 11 days
Departs From Whitehorse, YT
Difficulty Moderate
Group maximum 12 people
Meet on Location Yes
Pick Up No
Region Yukon Territory

From

1 758
Per
Adult
  • Best Price Guarantee
  • International number: +1 778 348 1676

Availability (2025): $2455 CAD per person
Based on double occupancy.
Single room/tent add $445

  • June 1-11
  • June 22 - July 2
  • July 13-23
  • August 3-13
  • August 24 - September 3

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What's Included

Find out what is included and what to bring.

Included

  • Canoe
  • Tents and camping equipment
  • Airport pick up
  • Overland transportation

Suggested Clothing

  • Warm jacket
  • Rain gear
  • Hiking boots
  • Sneakers
  • Gloves
  • Bathing suit
  • Towels
  • Personal clothing suited to variable temperatures

What to bring

  • Warm sleeping bag (rated up to -10 degrees Celsius) (required)
  • Sleeping pad (required)
  • Canvas duffel bag or backpack (required)
  • 1-2 small waterproof bags (required)
  • Camera
  • Daypack
  • Sunglasses
  • Sunscreen
  • Water bottle
  • Pocket knife
  • Fishing license

Contact us for more Information about this tour

INTERNATIONAL NUMBER: +1 778 348 1676

You can also send an email to info@adventures.com, or use the contact form here below.

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Itinerary

Find out more details about the tour and its highlights

Information

bear fishing for salmon

Guide information: Experienced guides accompany you on this trip.

Restrictions: This tour is suitable for beginners. A background in camping and paddling is an asset but not necessary. These programs are open to expert and novice paddlers alike.

Transportation: Trips originate and end in Whitehorse, Yukon.

Weather: Summer temperatures average between 10-22 degrees Celsius.

whitehorse town view from a plane in canada

Transfer from Whitehorse Airport to your downtown hotel via city highlights including the SS Klondike, Old Log Church, and Log Cabin Skyscraper. At your group meeting this afternoon, you’ll meet your fellow tour participants and your guide will review the itinerary. Time for optional tours, shopping, and sightseeing this evening. Overnight in a hotel in Whitehorse.

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. We’ll unload our gear and canoes, load-up, and put in on the river. The Teslin offers a relaxing paddle along a wide, fast-moving, deep river. A short paddle brings us to our first campsite.

canoeing in teslin river in summer

Teslin River 
We’ll spend the next week on this scenic, gentle, fast-moving river. All tolled, we’ll travel more than 350km through the spectacular southern Yukon. Moose are often spotted along the shorelines, or even swimming the river to access better food sources on mid-channel islands or the opposite shoreline. Black bears enjoy the grasses and roots of the exposed south-facing slopes, and their dark coats stand out nicely against the sandy soil.

Just north of Lake Laberge, the made famous by Gold Rush poet, Robert Service, in his poem the Cremation of Sam McGee, the Teslin flows into the Yukon River near the former trading post of Hootalinqua. A gold rush era paddle wheeler can be found rotting away on the shoreline nearby, recalling the headier days, when the Yukon was the most exciting place to be in the North American West. After gold was discovered near Dawson City in 1898, more than 50,000 people paddled the Yukon River and its tributaries. In fact, it was these same gold seekers who gave the Teslin River its contemporary name. The First Nation (natives) people living on the banks of the river called it the Déslin Chú, which became Teslin. Yukon’s gold rush history is frequently evidenced during our tour as we pass by old cabins and trading posts, some of which are now inhabited by contemporary pioneer families living a simple off the grid lifestyle.

Carmacks - Whitehorse
Our tour ends in the native village of Carmacks, which was first established during the Klondike Goldrush by one of the original discovers of gold at Dawson City, George Carmacks. The town of just 450 residents appears a metropolis after a week on the river! Our river trip ends here; and you will return to Whitehorse in a comfortable maxi-van where a warm shower, cold beer and a comfortable bed awaits! Overnight in a hotel in Whitehorse.

Transfer to Whitehorse airport.

Payment Details

Deposit and Taxes
Pricing does not include: 5.00% GST.
A 10% deposit is required to hold your reservation.
Balance of payment is due 60 days before trip commencement.

CANCELLATION POLICY & DETAILS

Cancellation fees:

  • Anytime after confirmation: 10% of tour price

  • 60-30 days prior to arrival: 25% of tour price

  • 29-5 days prior to arrival: 60% of tour price

  • Within 5 days: 100% of tour price