Chilkoot Trail

Understand

The Alaska portion is part of the National Park Service, while the Canadian section is managed by Parks Canada. A permit is required and can be reserved in advance, or possibly at the Trail Center in Skagway, Alaska if the daily number of permitted hikers is not full. In Whitehorse, Yukon there is also a Parks Canada office- about 110 miles north from Skagway along the magnificent Klondike highway. Skagway is 9 miles away from the trail head via a road. There are shuttle vans to help you get there. A long term hikers parking lot is in Dyea located at a campground near the trail's start. The town of Skagway has small markets for food, but not in Dyea. The Mountain Shop on 4th street rents and sells camping gear as well as hiker's food. The Klondike Goldrush National Historic Park visitor's center is downtown on 2nd and Broadway and it is just across from the Trail Center where you can obtain trail info and permits. The Trail Center has both Parks Canada and NPS staff to help hikers prepare for the challenge. They will help you with permits and the border crossing logistics, transport, safety in bear country, minimum impact and leave no trace principles. The hike starts in the coastal temperate rainforest and ends in the interior sub-boreal forest. After crossing up and over the famed 1 Chilkoot Pass (the border between the USA and Canada), the hiker travels through the sub alpine and alpine zones. There are backcountry rangers and wardens patrolling the trail in the summers months from mid May to mid September. Trail crews also help maintain the route. In the spring time there can be considerable portions deep in snow. Avalanche conditions exist. The Chilkoot Trail is famous as one of the main routes for gold hungry stampeders during the Klondike Goldrush of 1898. People would travel up the Inside Passage to Skagway and Dyea, and then carry a required year's supply of food and gear, or "ton of goods", over the Chilkoot Pass and then finally arrive at Lake Bennett to build boats and float down the Yukon River over 500 miles to the Klondike goldfields in Dawson city. The trail's history goes back further in time as a trading route for Tlingit first nation peoples

Prepare

To manage demand, and to prevent overuse and maintain the remote character of the trail, the U.S. National Park Service and Parks Canada allow no more than 50 backpackers to begin the trail each day by way of a permit system. Both countries have full-time trail maintenance crews, ranger/warden stations, and have placed interpretive signs adjacent to notable historical sites and objects. There are well-designed backcountry campsites are found along the trail. The hiking season (when rangers are on-duty and trail crew is on-site) varies, but usually begins in late May and ends in early September. Peak demand runs from June through August. Avalanche danger lingers into late May, as do large snow fields that slow progress, whereas September is associated with rain and colder weather. Off-season, there are no fees and no services. Off-season hikers must be self-sufficient and accept full responsibility for their own safety. The Chilkoot is also a challenging ultra-run. The fastest known time belongs to ultramarathoner Geoff Roes in 5 hours and 27 minutes.

Get in

The trail is accessible from Dyea, Alaska, or Bennett, British Columbia.

1 Dyea Trailhead. Is part of Skagway municipality. Dyea is 10 miles (16 km) from the center of Skagway along the Dyea Road. (updated Apr 2023) The most common way to get to Skagway is by boat, whether cruise ship or Alaska Marine Highway ferry. It is also accessible by commuter flight from Juneau. There is daily jet service to Juneau from Anchorage and Seattle. 2 Bennett Trailhead. Is an abandoned town next to Bennett Lake. There are no roads into Bennett. Bennett is a stop on the White Pass and Yukon Route. (updated Apr 2023) White Pass and Yukon Route, ☏ +1-800-343-7373, [email protected]. A train route that operates out of Skagway, Alaska, and stops in Northern British Columbia on its way to Carcross, Yukon. Service operates from May to early October. (updated Aug 2022) The train is the means of getting to the Canadian trailhead of the Chilkoot Trail located in Bennett City, British Columbia. There is a train/bus service for hikers five days a week from Whitehorse, Yukon, to Bennett for US$100 (2020). The bus and train journey takes 6½ hours. To Whitehorse, there are flights from Vancouver, Victoria, Kelowna, Edmonton, Calgary, and, seasonally, Yellowknife, Calgary, Ottawa, Frankfurt (Condor in summer), and Juneau.

Walk

The Chilkoot trail features a number of natural and historical sites as shown on the map. By following the numbers on the map from south to north, the hiker will go along the same route as the old prospectors. The trip normally takes three to five days, and to stay for the night, there are designated campground. The trail is roughly divided into three climatic zones: coastal rainforest, high alpine (above tree limit) and boreal forest. In the end it is connected to White Pass historical railway leading back to Skagway the modern port of the trail. In the following, the points of the map are highlighted with bold letters.

The trail begins in Dyea, a ghost town and campground, 15 minutes from 1 Skagway. From the trailhead, the route winds through coastal rainforest along to the Taiya River. The first campsite is 1 Finnegan's Point. This stretch of the trail is in flat terrain with no substantial obstacles. The trail becomes noticeably cooler after Finnegan's Point owing to cool air sinking down from snow and ice fields in the surrounding mountains. Numerous streams also cascade down the mountain sides. This stretch of the trail contains the least amount of visible artifacts. The next camp is 2 Canyon City. Many hikers, especially those desiring a more modest pace or those who have had a late start, stop at Canyon City the first night. The shelter located at Canyon City houses many gold rush-era artifacts. Close to the Canyon City campsite are the 2 Canyon City ruins. Canyon City was a tent city during the gold rush and its ruins—building foundations, a large restaurant stove, a large boiler—are still visible. The ruins are accessible by crossing the Taiya River by suspension footbridge.

After Canyon City ruins, the trail diverges away from the river for the first time as the river disappears into a small canyon (Canyon City's namesake) and climbs up valley wall, traversing sub-alpine forest. For many sections of the trail, old telegraph and tram wires are exposed adjacent to the trail. For the gold rush prospectors, this section of the trail was one of the most difficult. In winter, when the Taiya River was frozen, the gold rush stampeders could easily travel up

Stay safe

Bears are the primary safety concern in the park. It is very common for hikers to encounter them. Firearms are not permitted on the Canadian side of Klondike Gold Rush International Historical Park. Almost all parties take bear spray and/or bear bangers as repellents, but most importantly both sides of the park mandate smart bear practices. It is required to stow food in bear-safe locations. Weather and terrain also pose a challenge to hikers. There are few risks in the forest regions of the trail, however once the trail climbs into the alpine, weather and the elements pose more of a concern; the same does vertigo.

Go next

Skagway — historic port and southern trailhead. Whitehorse — Yukon capital and transportation hub. Dawson City — famous Klondike Gold Rush town.