We have timed our trip to this magnificent wilderness region for the long days of the northern midsummer, when wildflowers begin to carpet the alpine slopes, glacier-fed turquoise lakes gleam in deep valleys and snow-covered peaks of imposing mountains loom on the horizon. We'll walk in the footsteps of caribou and enjoy visions of the ghosts of the men who moiled for gold and danced to a honky-tonk tune.

Itinerary
(Breakfast - B, Lunch - L, Dinner - D)

Day 1
Arrive Whitehorse
We’ll arrive in Whitehorse and meet our leader Gavan Watson. After we get settled, we’ll have our welcome dinner. After dinner we’ll have a short orientation session and then retire early to rest up for our long travel day tomorrow.
o/n Westmark Klondike Inn or similar, Whitehorse, YT (D)

Day 2
Yukon River / Klondike Highway / Dawson
We’ll start out right after an early breakfast for what is largely a travel day. Leaving Whitehorse, we will follow the Yukon River north and stop at the scenic Five Finger Rapids, and other points along the Klondike Highway. Near Dawson City, we’ll look at the geology of the Tintina Trench. In the evening we’ll walk the boardwalks of this historic town.
o/n Westmark Inn, Dawson City, YT (B, L, D)

Day 3
Dawson and the gold creeks
In Dawson City we will learn about the Gold Rush era history, celebrated in renovated historic buildings, lifeless dredging piles, and the Gaslight Follies. As we explore the “Creeks” where the gold is still mined, we will learn about the effects of mining on the nature and cultures of a far northern community. Travelling up Bonanza Creek, location of the original 1896 gold discovery, we will stop to visit Gold Dredge Number 4, a National Historical Site and go on to try our own luck panning for gold.
o/n Westmark Inn, Dawson City, YT (B, L, D)

Day 4
Dempster Highway & the Midnight Sun
On the longest day of the year, we’ll head north along the Dempster Highway through the Tombstone Range and the Blackstone Uplands, and on to the Arctic Circle. Leaving the boreal forest behind, we will climb through two mountain ranges and cross into the Beaufort Sea watershed. On the sub arctic tundra we’ll look for Whimbrel, Trumpeter Swans, Grizzly Bears and Ptarmigan. Stopping at Two Moose Lake, we will find many species of waterfowl. Arriving in Eagle Plains late in the day, we will drive to the Arctic Circle after dinner. There we will witness the midnight sun skim along the horizon and be among the first to welcome summer to the sub artic landscape.
o/n Eagle Plains Hotel, Eagle Plains, YT (B, L, D)

Day 5
Tombstone Territorial Park
Departing Eagle Plains in the morning, we will return to Dawson City along the Dempster Highway. Making our way back to the boreal forest, we will drive along high ridges and below steep cliffs, keeping an eye out for nesting Gyrfalcons at Windy Pass and Dall Sheep on their lambing grounds high atop Anglecomb Peak. Stopping in Yukon’s newest Park, we will investigate Tombstone’s alpine meadows and visit the Dempster Highway Interpretive Centre.
o/n Westmark Inn or Aurora Inn, Dawson City, YT (B, L, D)

Day 6
Top of the World Highway
We’ll spend the morning in Dawson and then cross the Yukon River by ferry to take the breathtaking Top of the World Highway to Alaska. A landscape untouched by glaciers, we will drive across the top of mountains as we make our way to the “loneliest customs post in North America” and enter Alaska with its bright alpine meadows and rushing rivers. Now driving along the Taylor Highway, we will be stopping in “beautiful downtown” Chicken (population 17) where we’ll tour the town and find out just how Chicken got its unique name. We will arrive in Tok with time to enjoy an Alaskan Salmon Bake and take a late evening drive into the Alaska Range, on the lookout for Moose and Black Bears.
o/n Young’s Motel, Tok, AK (B, L, D)

Days 7 - 8
Tetlin NWR / Kluane NP
Heading south from Tok on a long travel day along the famed Alaska Highway, we enter the Tetlin National Wildlife Refuge, with walks through the wetlands and a visit to the scenically situated interpretive centre, on the border of the Refuge. Back in the Yukon again, we will travel past and through a number of candidate protected areas rich in waterfowl and Moose, including the wetland complexes of Scottie Creek and Pickhandle Lake. Skirting the eastern edge of Kluane National Park, we will visit the Kluane Museum of Natural History. Then, we’ll continue on to Haines Junction.

From Haines Junction, we’ll spend an easy day exploring Kluane and its boundaries. We will penetrate the park on short hikes onto a Rock Glacier and along Kathleen Lake. We will also explore the fascinating traditional native village of Klukshu.
o/n The Raven Hotel, Haines Junction, YT (B, L, D)

Day 9
Coast at Haines / Ferry to Skagway
Carrying on east and south, we start our busy day skirting the boundaries of Kluane and Tatshenshini-Alsek Provincial Park through some of the best bear habitat in the north. After stops in the spectacular alpine environs of Chilkat Pass, we make the dramatic and awe-inspiring descent from the high mountain pass to the coastal forest at Haines, Alaska, home of the Chilkat Bald Eagle Preserve. After dinner, we’ll take the ferry up the inlet to Skagway.
o/n Sgt. Preston’s Lodge, Skagway, AK (B, L, D)

Please Note: Ferry schedules are subject to change therefore we may need to make itinerary changes to accommodate their schedule.

Day 10
White Pass Summit & Dyea
This morning, we’ll depart by train for the three hour round trip to White Pass summit at 1000 metres. We’ll ride in comfortable restored coaches pulled by vintage diesel locomotives. This fully narrated tour features two tunnels, sky-high trestles, cascading waterfalls, historic sites and spectacular scenery. After our morning on the narrow-gauge rails, we will take a short drive along the coast to Dyea. On our way, there are opportunities to stop and look for marine mammals and a variety of shorebirds and waterfowl. Passing the head of the famous Chilkoot Trail, we will drive on to the ghost-town of Dyea. Once a bustling city of 8000 located along the Taiya River, the costal forest has reclaimed the townsite.
o/n Sgt. Preston’s Lodge, Skagway, AK (B, L, D)

Day 11
Skagway & Yukutania Point
We will get the chance after breakfast to take an easy walk to Yukutania Point & Smuggler’s Cove which provides an excellent vantage point to take in the Skagway Port and scan Tania Inlet for Harbour Seals and Barrow’s Goldeneyes. After lunch, we will explore the restored 1890s U.S. frontier town of Skagway, Alaska’s Garden City, including a visit to the infamous resting place of the great villain, Soapy Smith. We’ll enjoy our farewell dinner this evening in Skagway.
o/n Sgt. Preston’s Lodge, Skagway, AK (B, L, D)

Day 12
Return to Whitehorse
Leaving Skagway, we will climb back up into White Pass again, this time in our van, into the alpine meadows and lakes of far northwest British Columbia. Largely a travel day, we will stop at the historic town of Carcross and the crystal clear waters of Emerald Lake before making our way back into Whitehorse in the late afternoon. (B, L)

Please Note: To increase your enjoyment of this trip, we limit our maximum number of participants to 8. This means extra comfort for you as we travel, for there will be ample room in the 15-passenger van for luggage and personal belongings.