The historic Chilkoot Trail of the 1898 Klondike Gold Rush was “the meanest 32 miles in history,” according to the gold-hungry stampeders, who were required to carry a year’s worth of supplies over it in the dead of winter! All you’ll need to carry on this trip is a daypack with your personal belongings for the week, but the trail still sports a few challenges, including the scramble up the notoriously steep “Golden Stairs” (they got their name from the steps carved in the ice and snow by the boots of the thousands of prospectors who passed this way) to the top of Chilkoot Pass (3,300'). You’ll start from the old mining town of Dyea and hike through temperate rainforest and into the alpine zone, enjoying plenty of splendid mountain-and-lake scenery and tangible reminders of the Gold Rush days. The trail ends at Lake Bennett, but instead of making boats or rafts like the prospectors did to float the rest of the way to the gold fields, you’ll take a scenic (and definitely easier) railway journey back to Skagway!

TRIP HIGHLIGHTS

• Hike in the footsteps of old prospectors on the historic Chilkoot Trail
   

• Enjoy beautiful panoramas of mountains, lakes, and temperate rainforests
   

• Scenic ride on the famous White Pass & Yukon Route Railway
   

• Carry just a daypack (our porters will carry the rest of your gear)!

Detailed Itinerary

Day 1 -  Meet in Skagway, Alaska, the old gateway to the Klondike gold rush.

Day 2 -  Drive to the historical mining site of Dyea and the start of the Chilkoot Trail. Begin hiking on a well maintained trail along the Taiya River, passing through a temperate rainforest of cottonwoods, edible berries, and colorful wildflowers. Camp at abandoned Canyon City, home to 1,500 people back in 1898.

Days 3-4 - Trees give way to rocks, boulders, and patches of snow as you head into the alpine zone. Hike the 30-degree incline of the “Golden Stairs” over the Chilkoot Pass. Descend into Canada and hike along the shores of Crater Lake to Happy Camp. Along the way you’ll see old relics of the “stampeders,” such as weighing scales, rusty cookware, and pieces of an aerial tramway.

Day 5 - Hike through alpine tundra and past remote lakes to Bare Loon Lake. Good opportunity to spot golden eagles, waterfowl, and even bears. (The blueberries here are outstanding in the late summer!)

Day 6 - Short hike to Lake Bennett and rendezvous with the White Pass Yukon Route Railway for a scenic ride back to Skagway.

Day 7 - Depart Skagway.