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Travel Alaska & Tour the Yukon by Van
22 Days - "Yukon's True North" Adventure Tour |
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The first leg of this tour takes us on an adventurous nine day journey over solitary lakes and rivers through the magnificent wilderness of the Yukon Territory. Our canoe tour starts 250 km east of Whitehorse on Quiet Lake. Here we can expect 330 km of absolute wilderness ahead of us. Big Salmon Lake, Big Salmon River and Yukon River were once used as main transportation routes by Yukon’s First Nations people, trappers and gold prospectors. These waterways will lead us far from any signs of civilization. Big Salmon River is a white water of class II. The group will be led by an experienced guide, allowing this route to be managed by all (including beginners.)
For the next portion of our adventure we exchange our canoes for a passenger van, making it effortless for us to reach North Fork Pass via the Klondike and the Dempster Highways. This is where the real tundra begins. The next two days will be spent hiking through the rugged Tombstone Mountains and tundra pastures of the Barren Ground Caribou. Our next stop is Dawson City. In 1898 approximately 50,000 people responded to the call of the largest Gold Rush the world has ever seen. This rush to the Klondike gold fields gave rise to Dawson City. This community developed virtually overnight, and was built on an elk pasture. An apparent mixture of reality and legend creates the ambiance of the Gold Rush Era. This ambiance can be strongly experienced in the Dawson City area, and a general spirit of adventure is noticeable everywhere in the far North.
Visions of traveling the Top of the World Highway occupy many people’s dreams. We will let it take us through the sub-alpine tundra of the Dawson Range. For three days we will hike through the Kluane, Canada’s largest National Park. The unforgettable beauty of this rugged mountain range will take your breath away. You will encounter impressive glaciers, roaring rivers, sub-alpine meadows, peaceful forests and calm lakes. From here we will reach Haines, a jewel of the Alaskan Panhandle, through the Chilkat Pass.
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TOUR ITINERARY  |
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Day 01 Whitehorse
Arrival in Whitehorse. Our guide will welcome you at the airport and transfer you to the hotel. |
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TOUR INCLUDES:
- 2 Nights Hotel in Whitehorse
- 1 Night Hotel in Dawson City
- 1 Night Hotel in Skagway
- 17 Nights 2-Person Double Roof Tents
- 15 Pax Van Transportation
- Max 11 Persons
- 1 Day Guided Hiking Tombstone Mtns
- 3 Days Guided Hiking Kluane NP
- 9 Days Big Salmon River Canoe Tour
- Rental & Transfer of Canoes
- Ferry Haines - Skagway
- Guided Tour of Dawson City
- National Park Fees
- Insurance
- Admission Fee to Casino in Dawson
- Admission Fees of Dawson City Museum
- Multilingual Wilderness Guide
- All Campground Fees
- All Camping and Cooking Gear
Price does not include:
Sleeping Bag & Pad (optional rental),
Food & Beverages (approx $230.00),
GST Tax
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Day 02 Whitehorse
Sightseeing of Whitehorse in the morning: Old Log Church, McBride Museum and the Yukon Stern Wheelers. Last chance for shopping. In the afternoon the group will be transferred to Quiet Lake, an approximately three and a half hour ride east of Whitehorse. Here you will be given a brief introduction to the handling of canoes.
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Day 03 - 11 Big Salmon / Yukon River Canoeing
We will reach Big Salmon River after two days of canoeing on Quiet and Big Salmon Lakes. The fast currents of this river can quickly change to easily passable rapids, or to slower currents. It may be necessary to portage, or line, the canoes around log jams and sweepers. The surrounding mountains, up to 2000 meters high, touch the waters of the endlessly bending river. The riverbanks are entirely overgrown by deep impenetrable brush and forest; however, with some luck we might spot moose, bears, lynx, or even wolves, and we will often catch sight of beavers and bald eagles. The fish you catch can provide variety on the daily menu. Everyone will have the opportunity to learn a few tricks of wilderness survival. After eight days we will reach the Yukon River; where, on day nine our canoe trip will end at Little Salmon Village. This little First Nation village is occupied only during the salmon fishing season. A short drive in a van will take us to Carmacks. Here we will set camp on the banks of the Yukon River.
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Day 12 - 14 Dempster Highway - Dawson City
We will continue our trip along the Klondike and Dempster Highways in a 15-passenger van, and will reach North Fork Pass in the Tombstone Mountains during the afternoon. This bizarre basalt mountain cluster is the south border of arctic tundra. We will spend one and a half days hiking through this fascinating mountain range and the surrounding tundra. Early in the afternoon of day 14 we will reach Dawson City. This legendary capital of the Klondike Gold Rush looks a lot like a western movie set today. Many traces of the hundred year long search for gold can be found throughout the community. In the afternoon we will visit the Gold Miner Museum and Jack London Cabin. Should you feel like trying your luck, you can even pan for gold. The evening itinerary will be a visit to “Diamond Tooth Gertie’s” Gambling Hall. This is the only legal gambling hall in Yukon, and it boasts an almost real atmosphere of the Gold Rush Era. Social pleasures include: poker, black jack, roulette, slots, honky-tonk piano, and long-legged can-can girls - that are simply a must!
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Day 15 Dawson City - Beaver Creek
Midnight Dome, the panoramic top of the mountain overlooking Dawson City, will give us the chance to say good-bye to the living relic of the Gold Rush Era. Today we will travel along the Top of the World Highway through the sub-alpine tundra of the Dawson Range. One of the world’s most beautiful mountain roads will take us past Tok in Alaska, and end near Beaver Creek in Canada (approx. 400 km.) |
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Day 16 Kluane National Park
The Alaska Highway will take us another 300 km toward Haines Junction along the northern border of Kluane National Park. |
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Day 17 - 19 Kluane National Park
Three days of hiking through the mountainous world of the Kluane - the largest North American National Park. The beauty of this wild mountain landscape is impressive with majestic mountains, untamed rivers, mountain tundra, and boundless forest. It will most certainly offer us a good chance to enjoy the sight of northern wildlife. There may be a possibility of spotting a mighty mountain grizzly and snow-white Dall sheep. |
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Day 20 Kluane - Skagway
Travel from Pine Lake in Haines Junction to Skagway, Alaska (approx. 250 km.) Every mile of today’s route along the east St. Elias Mountains offers the grandeur of the constantly changing scenery, and panoramic views of breathtaking beauty. After crossing the Chilkat Pass we will be in Alaska again; traveling through the wild and romantic valley of the Chilkat River (Bald Eagle Valley,) all the way to Haines on the Pacific Coast. At Old Fort Seward we will be greeted by totem poles recounting long family tales. Here you will have the chance to enjoy the sophisticated work of Tlingit (coastal First Nation tribe) totem carvers. Three times a week there is a dancing session interpreting the old tribal legends. In the evening the ferry will take us to Skagway where we will spend the night in a hotel. |
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Day 21 Skagway - Whitehorse
In the morning we have sightseeing of Skagway on our itinerary. The port of Skagway was the starting point for tens of thousands of stampeders in the 1898 Gold Rush to the Klondike gold fields. Most of the buildings in the old part of the town are from this period. It is possible to take an optional historic train excursion to the White Pass (approx. 80 US$.) This is one of the steepest railway lines of Northern America and the ride takes about two and half hours one way. In the late afternoon we will pass Carcross on our way to Whitehorse. Spending the evening together, with a round of drinks, will provide a pleasant and relaxing end to our journey. |
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Day 22: Whitehorse
Transfer to the airport and departure. |
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RATES PER PERSON IN CAD$
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Adult
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Double Room / Tent Occupancy
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$2,860.00
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Single Room / Tent Supplement
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$385.00
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Upon request: Day 01 - 11 Canoe Tour from Whithorse - Carmacks only
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$1690.00
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Various departures from May to September. Please contact us
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