Yukon Territory Hikes
Kluane National Park
Tombstone Territorial Park
Chilkoot Trail
Tatshenshini Alsek Park
Tombstone Territorial Park
Chilkoot Trail
Tatshenshini Alsek Park
Donjek Packraft
There are many variations of the Donjek route, the longest walk in Kluane National Park. The Parks Canada website gives ideas for the mountain passes and presumably the easiest way to complete the circuit
My plan was to hit some scenic areas (Bocks Lake, Kluane Glacier, Donjek Glacier) then packraft the Donjek River for 50 miles to the highway
Bocks Lake from above
Dall's Sheep in the mountains
Park cabin at Bighorn Lake
Some easy bushwacking on the walking portion, my main concern was losing a paddle in the thick of it
River braids of the Donjek while going upstream to the Kluane Glacier. The elevated view from the banks allowed me to scout the river ahead of time for the return trip
Muddy shoreline prints
Kluane Glacier and the beginning of the Icefield Range. This plateau appears to be the most inward part of the park you can reach on foot without equipment. Glacier filled valleys for 70 miles on the other side of these peaks
I camped high and enjoyed the view
The grassy plateau was full of life and likely doesn't get many human visitors. Biggest grizzly I have ever seen, and some pikas chewed the rubber off the trekking poles and made holes in the tubing of the water filter
Start of the 15 miles between the glaciers. I found the muddy water difficult to read, although by day three enough mistakes had been made that I had confidence in choosing the correct waves to ride/avoid
I portaged around the canyons before and after the Donjek Glacier. The land is changing here and a class six waterfall has formed that did not exist in 2002 as described by Paul Burbidge. A canyon was starting to form outside the Kluane Glacier pool as well, but just fast water for now (2018)
Fresh snow from an afternoon storm
Things cleared as I reached the glacier
Then became beautiful and warm
I relaxed and watched the glacier calve in the morning while drying things out from the storm. The river was high and fun as I didn't start paddling until 4pm
The exit canyon of the glacier, with several blind turns and fast current I kept walking not knowing where the waterfall would be..
After the major waterfall, there were two or three smaller falls at the end of the canyon
Another sunny/bluebird/warm day for the final 25 miles to the highway. The river stayed quick minus the last five miles near the highway where the number of sweepers increased in the slower water
Slims River West Trail to the Kaskawulsh Glacier
Kaskawulsh Glacier
The Slims River West trail in Kluane National Park leads to the Canada Creek campground (28 miles return, 400ft gain) with a climb of Observation Mountain from the campsite to view the glacier (14 miles return, 3000ft gain)
**The Slims River no longer exists (CBC, June 2016), the photos here were taken in 2015 before the shift in water flow
The path climbs above the river at 20km
Bullion Creek
Bullion and Canada creeks are the major river crossings. Expect the trail to be wet. A good portion of the final seven miles to the campground were spent with feet underwater.
Mt Maxwell at the Campground
There was a wind storm on the second day, which caused "dirt avalanches" filling the creeks in the valley. As a result, Canada Creek got fast that afternoon and one of our fellow campers returned pretty banged up from being swept off her feet
Columbia Creek valley on the ascent of Observation Mountain
There is a clear path that leads up Observation Mountain, you will have the view of Columbia Creek pictured above when on the path
The mud flats section of the hike is officially discouraged, legend goes there was a horse named "Slims" that sank into the mud here.
Check the Parks Canada website under the "Important Bulletins" section to ensure the trail is open. It can be closed periodically throughout the summer due to bear sightings.
Slims East to Kaskawulsh River packraft
I returned to Kluane in 2019 and walked up Slims East with the packraft to run the Kaskawulsh river for 30 miles back to Haines Junction
Slims East was a slog for the first six miles until reaching a lake, where the river valley becomes mostly dry and easy to walk
The Kaskawulsh was high in July with little chance of getting stuck even when choosing a side channel. There were a few small rapids closer to the Alsek where the river becomes narrow
The first part of the Kaskawulsh is a special protection zone so reaching the Jarvis is necessary to camp. The parks staff will show you a map at check-in. The Jarvis was silty but there were two freshwater streams not far beyond it
Tombstone Territorial Park
In late August I spent five nights in the Tombstone Range walking from the Grizzly Lake trailhead to Talus Lake (25 miles return)
The poor weather turned Tombstone into a community walk as we spent more time in the cooking shelters and less wandering on side trips up mountains. While I was initially disappointed to see the forecast, it was just what I needed after a week alone on the Donjek
I joined Devin, Josh, and Jon on the walk from Grizzly to Talus. The others at the Grizzly camp changed their minds and returned to the car
Glissade Pass
Mount Monolith
Squirrels no longer bothered us at the cooking shelter after Nootka arrived
We had clear skies on the final night at Divide Lake
Divide Lake Reflection
We were woken by Richard's excitement running through the campground shouting "northern lights" While I have seen the Aurora in Alaska and Manitoba it was more stationary compared to the full-on dancing variety here
I learned about backpacking with a dog on the return trip with Catalina and Nootka. Boulder fields and muddy slopes are not the foundation you want when being pulled by a leash. They have a good relationship and walk fast together
Chilkoot Trail
The Chilkoot trail was a route used in the Klondike gold rush of 1897 to give access to the Yukon from the coastal town of Skagway. The pass was primarily used during the winter of 1897-1898 before the railroad was constructed the following year
Cata and Noots joined me on the walk, all three of us enjoyed the Canadian side more as the Alaska side was mostly a walk through the forest
Remnants of the cable system that would help lift supplies over Chilkoot pass. Gold seekers made trips back and forth on the 30 mile trail until they had enough supplies for the 600 mile boat trip to the goldfields near Dawson
Looking down at Crater Lake from the pass
Fireweed in bloom near a river bed
Some artifacts were likely hand placed by Parks Canada along the trail
We did the trail in three days staying at Pleasant camp and Deep Lake, avoiding the overcrowded Happy camp. If anything I would add another night on the Canada side at Bare Loon or Bennett
Samuel Glacier
Across the border to British Columbia on the Haines Highway in Tatshenshini Alsek Park is the hike to Samuel Glacier (13 miles return, 500ft gain plus exploration). The northern pullout has a map of the area, showing that the Samuel Glacier hike starts further south down the road. The correct pullout is not marked but has a clear trail.