Canadian Rockies to Alaska
camping tour

Arrival in Calgary, transfer to the hotel and pre-trip information with the guide.

You head west into Banff National Park. On the campground (showers) in the forests of you pitch your tent for the next two days. Now it is time for the first hike along the shores of Minnewanka Lake or on one of the many mountain trails. Hiking time 2 – 3 hours.

On a full day hike you explore passes above the tree line and alpine meadows. For example 7.5 km with 725 m gain (4.6 mi, 2414 ft) to a small lake and possibly 2 km further into the pass at 2470 m (8225 ft). This evening you sit be the camp fire or walk along the busy streets of Banff with its many stores and visitors from around the world. Hiking time 5 – 7 hours.

You would not want to miss the picture postcard scenery surrounding Lake Louise. The guide suggests the 3.5 km (2 mi) path with 400 m gain (1325 ft) to the historic tea house by an alpine lake. Here a network of easy to demanding trails is tempting you to go further and higher. For example the 15 km (9.3 mi) circuit into the Plain of Six Glaciers or a 2.5 km (1.6 mi) climb with 515 m (1705 ft) gain to a summit with exceptional views of nearby peaks and distant landscapes. Camp for today and tomorrow (showers) near the alpine village of Lake Louise. Hiking time 3 – 5 hours.

There is an opportunity for a great white water rafting trip on the Kicking Horse River. It involves a side trip to Golden in B.C., headquarters for many outdoor adventures. Of course hiking is always an alternative. Among the choice of trails the guide would like to show you is an 18 km (11 mi) circuit trough two flower decorated passes at 1830 m and 2180 m (6093 ft and 7250 ft) and spectacular views of Emerald Lake. The Natural Bridge, Takakkaw Falls, Spiral Tunnel are other attractions of Yoho Park. Hiking time 6 hours.

Frequent stops and short excursions along the Icefields Parkway on your way into the heart of the Rockies. Famous names like Peyto Lake and Bow Summit. At the Columbia Icefields huge glaciers spawn rivers, which eventually reach three different oceans. Saskatchewan Glacier is best viewed from far above after hiking 2.5 km (1.5 mi) to a windy ridge at 2260 m (7525 ft). Camp for the next two days is near the little holiday town of Jasper (showers). Hiking time 2 hours.

So many possibilities, swimming and picnic at Pyramid Lake, mountain biking, trail rides, canoeing and more. Or join the guide for a side trip to Maligne Lake for a 8 km (5 mile) loop hike with 460 m gain (1532 ft) into the hills above tree line at 2150 m (7160 ft) elevation and possibly all the way to a 2790 m (9290 ft) peak overlooking this beautiful lake. Hiking time 2 – 6 hours.

Mighty Athabasca Falls count among the attractions of this park. Trails near the Columbia Icefields start at tree line and are especially rewarding thanks to their magnificent views of the glaciers and surrounding ranges. Your farewell to the Rockies is the 8 km (5 mi) hike with 335 m (1155 ft) gain above the tree line into a pass at 2375 m (7980 ft). After luch is transfer back to your hotel in Calgary (possibly in a comfortable large coach). Hiking time 2 – 3 hours.

Scheduled flight to Whitehorse, capital of the Yukon Territory. You start the second part of your adventure with new group equipment, new bus and guide. Hotel in downtown Whitehorse.

After breakfast we’ll head up the Klondike Highway to reach the Dempster Highway. This 730km gravel road is Canada’s northernmost highway, linking the interior of Yukon territory with the arctic community of Inuvik. We’ll travel as far as Tombstone Territorial Park, the scenic highlight of this highway, and camp at a beautiful campground. (Overnight campground accommodation).

Tombstone Territorial Park sits just 285km south of the Arctic Circle, at the edge of an endless expanse of rolling tundra that is the home of the great Porcupine Caribou Herd. We’ll spend the day exploring the mountain slopes and ridges here, where the open landscape offers breathtaking views, then camp again for the evening at the park campground, enjoying campfires and interpretive programs courtesy of the local rangers. (Overnight campground accommodation).

We’ll head south again today for a real change of scenery. Dawson City is the legendary boomtown at the centre of the Klondike gold rush. History is very much alive here, with many of the false-fronted gold-rush buildings preserved and restored. The town is a National Historic site, and there are a variety of exhibits, interpretive walks, and attractions to explore - after a hot shower and good meal, of course. An evening at Diamond Tooth Gertie’s Gambling Hall, with its poker tables and can-can girls, caps off our day. (Overnight campground accommodation).
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We’ll spend this entire day in Dawson. We’ll have time for a visit to the heart of famous gold fields for an interpretive tour through a working gold mine and an insight into the region’s mining history. You’ll even have a chance to pan for gold yourself. The rest of the day gives you time to visit sites within Dawson, including the Jack London and Robert Service Cabins, the Dawson City Museum - and of course a drive up the Midnight Dome behind the town, for a panorama stretching from the gold fields to the great Yukon River to the Ogilvie Mountains. (Overnight campground accommodation).

From Dawson, we head west today over the Top of the World Highway into Alaska. This extraordinary gravel road follows ridges through wild, open tundra, punctuated by only a couple of peculiar northern towns, Chicken and Jack Wade. Driving this highway is an experience of the scale of this immense landscape. (Overnight campground accommodation).

It’s back across the border to Canada today, where we’ll pass the spectacular Kluane Ranges and the shore of Kluane Lake. We’ll stop at the Sheep Mountain visitor centre in Kluane National Park, where with a bit of luck we can watch wild Dall sheep feeding high on the mountain slopes. We’ll also have the chance for an optional glacier flight. The park holds a large part of the greatest non-polar ice sheets in the world, and is home to Canada’s largest mountains, including Mount Logan at nearly 6000 metres. This is an unforgettable opportunity and highly recommended. We’ll set up our base near the town of Haines Junction at the edge of the park, which will allow us to explore more of this remarkable landscape. (Overnight campground accommodation).

We will spend two days in Haines Junction, which gives us a variety of options, depending on the weather, including more opportunities for a glacier flight if the weather did not allow it on Day 15. We can take a hike up into one of the park’s high alpine valleys for a peek further back into the great mountains and a chance to spot Dall sheep and grizzly bear. A variety of shorter trails are available, depending on the group’s level of interest and the weather. (Overnight campground accommodation).

Today is a highlight for most visitors. We’ll drive south into the Coast Ranges to the upper Tatshenshini River, where we’ll join a guided rafting trip down this thrilling white-water river. We’ll spend the night at Million Dollar Falls campground. As the name suggests, there is a priceless view a short hike from camp. (Overnight campground accommodation).

We’ll head further south today, crossing into Alaska over the high alpine landscape of the Chilkat Pass and descending to the coastal town of Haines. This is a wildlife sanctuary, where thousands of salmon migrate through the streams, attracting eagles and bears for extraordinary viewing opportunities. We’ll have some time to shop and explore here. Haines is an important centre for Tlingit culture. (Overnight campground accommodation).

We’ll head up the Lynn Canal today to the town of Skagway. The ferry ride itself is spectacular, taking us through a mountainous fjord where, if we’re lucky, we may see seals, whales, or Alaskan brown bears along the shore. Like Dawson City, Skagway is a piece of gold rush history preserved. We’ll have plenty of time to explore the town and it’s attractions, which range from pleasant seaside and forest hikes to historic sites, museums, and saloons. (Overnight campground accommodation).

There’s time today to take an optional ride on the narrow-gauge White Pass and Yukon Route rail line, which hugs the mountainsides on its way to the town of Carcross. We’ll drive across the border again, passing passing through a wide variety of eco-regions, including what may be the world’s smallest and most unlikely desert. A hotel room and a celebratory dinner are waiting at the end of the day. (Overnight hotel accommodation in Whitehorse).

On the last day of the program, we will provide a transfer to the airport or to a connecting program. (End of tour services)