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5-Day Chilkoot Trail Backpacking Experience
Your 5-day Chilkoot Trail backpacking tour takes in the highlights of the historic route that prospectors took from Skagway, across the 3,642 foot (1,110m) Chilkoot Pass into the Yukon, during the 1898 Klondike Gold Rush. Accompanied by an experienced guide, you’ll hike 33 miles (55 km) through the spectacularly diverse landscapes of Alaska and the Yukon. You’ll camp at night in tents and eat freshly prepared meals on the trail and at your campsite. Tents, food and cooking gear are provided.
This route was used for centuries by native peoples as it was one of the few glacier-free corridors through the Coast Range of British Columbia, the Yukon and Alaska. Along the trail, you can spot gold rush artifacts such as shoes, boats, boilers, stoves, cans, saws, and machine parts along the trail, left behind during the stampede of 22,000 people who came this way during 1897-1898.
You may see signs of large animals including black and brown bear, moose, and mountain goats; smaller mammals such as beaver, marmot and pika. Bird life includes eagles; game birds such as grouse and ptarmigan; and a variety of thrushes and warblers, among others.
You must be in excellent physical condition, prepared to carry your gear, and have prior backpacking experience. A passport, appropriate clothing and gear is required for each participant.
The Chilkoot Trail traverses terrain that can be rocky, steep and covered in snow. In addition, mountain weather is unpredictable, changing quickly and varying greatly from one place to another. In any season, you must be ready for wet, windy, cold and whiteout conditions, even in the middle of summer. Your guide will provide trail expertise and encouragement throughout the trek.
You can depart from Whitehorse or Skagway. If you are departing from Whitehorse, please arrive in time for an orientation meeting at 7pm the night before the trip (accommodation is at own expense).
