Kusawa Lake Sea Kayaking > Detailed Itinerary
Kusawa
Lake is a northern sea kayaking gem located in the southern region of
the Yukon, only a short distance from Whitehorse. It is a
favorite destination for locals, but seldomly visitied by travellers.
To the south the lake is flanked by glaciers and mountains line its
scenic shores. On this 5-day kayaking adventure we will gain a
real appreication of this 75 km long mountain-lined lake, both from
within the cockpit of our kayaks, and from the deck of our custom
34-foot support vessel, "The Yukon Rose". Our support vessel
allows us to bring a touch of extra comfort to our backcountry camps,
while providing a great margin of safety, and the ability for people of
different paddling abilities to travel together.
Day 0: WHITEHORSE, YUKON
Hopefully you enjoyed your travels and have arrived safely in Whitehorse, the Yukon’s capital city, nestled among the wilderness.
Please arrive in Whitehorse in time for
an orientation meeting at 8:30 pm the night before our departure.
Guests are responsible for accommodation and meals while in Whitehorse.
Whitehorse is a splendid little city and we recommend booking some
additional time at either the beginning or the end of your trip to see
Whitehorse.
Please Note: Often our guests choose to come to the Yukon several days early, or to depart several days after their wilderness vacation. Therefore we don't include accommodation in Whitehorse in order to provide flexibility for our guests. If you prefer, we can easily arrange your hotel accommodations in Whitehorse and add these details to your itinerary.
Note: All meals included in this itinerary are listed as: ( B=Breakfast, L=Lunch, D=Dinner )
Day 1: ( L, D)
Cabin Fever Adventures staff will pick you up from your hotels starting at 7:00 am. Participants need to have finished their breakfast by this time. Any final details will be dealt with and we will depart Whitehorse by 8:00 am. Anyone who wishes to fish during the trip and has not purchased a Yukon fishing license will be given the opportunity to do so at this time. (There will be many opportunities to fish during this trip.) After taking care of any final details we will drive a short two-hour shuttle west of Whitehorse to Kusawa Lake, where our adventure unfolds.
Here we will launch our support vessel, "The Yukon Rose" after loading it with our sea kayaks and camping gear. Next we commence our adventure with a 3-hour sight-seeing boat cruise towards the southern end of Kusawa Lake, enjoying a floating picnic lunch along the way. Once we select our wildeness campsite near the inflow of the Takhini River, we can set camp and then enjoy fishing and kayaking in the aqua-blue glacial waters. A campfire and delicious meal will round out our first willderness day.
Day 2: (B, L, D)
Today we will awake to the mountain grandeur of Kusawa Lake. Typically the winds will be giving us a gentle push from the south, so our destination today is a beautiful peninsula to the north. Our captain will follow us with "The Yukon Rose" to ensure that we are doing well and then go ahead to start setting up our camp. Through VHF radios, we can request assistance of the support vessel if the lake gets too rough or if we are too tired to continue and wish a lif. Once at camp, we can enjoy our peninsula campsite, a fine meal, and tales of our our day on the majestic waters of Kusawa Lake.
Day 3: (B, L, D)
Today after a delcious breakfast in camp, we once again point our kayaks north, our destination for the end of the day being a sandy campsite on the edge of the Primrose River, a glacially fed steream the flows down from the mountains to the east. Here we will set a comfortable camp which will be our home for not only this night, but the next.
Day 4: (B, L, D) : Layover Day
Today we have many options of how to spend our day of rest. A beautiful ridge on the opposite shore tempts us to put on our hiking boots and set off on a 1000 ft ( 330 m) wilderness ridge hike to gain a 360 degree view of the surrounding landscape. For those that are interested in staying closer to camp, there is oppotunity to fish at the inflow of the Primrose River, read a book, or just sit in camp and enjoy a coffee.
Day 5: (B, L )
Today is our last day to enjoy the stunning beauty of Kusawa Lake. After another delicious breakfast, we will point our kayaks north for the last time and begin our final paddle towards the Kusawa Lake Campground. Along the way, we will stop for one last lunch in the wilderness, a last cast of the fishing rod, before reaching our take-out by mid-afternoon. Once we have loaded "The Yukon Rose" upon its trailer we depart towards Whitehorse for an approximately 6:00 pm arrival.
Please Note: Your hotel room is not included tonight, but Cabin Fever Adventures would be happy to arrange accommodation for you.
Please Note: This trip operates in an expedition format and due to the variables of weather, and the needs and safety of the participants, Cabin Fever Adventures can not guarantee that the itinerary will proceed as listed above. The itinerary may be modified at the discretion of the guide.
Cabin Fever Adventures
expressly suggests that participants book at least one additional day
in the Yukon at the end of their trip to avoid problems associated with
delays such as, but not limited to:
- Delayed air charters (inclement weather, wild-fire smoke)
- Delayed transportation (mechanical breakdown, unsafe road conditions or closures)
- Delay of wilderness itinerary (inclement weather, wind-bound, injury, illness)
Cabin Fever Adventures can not be held responsible for any expenses you may incur associated with delays of our wilderness trips. Delays could be several days in length under severe circumstances.
What if this itinerary doesn’t quite fit your needs? Cabin Fever Adventures is more than willing to modify an itinerary to fit your needs. We can:
- Add time to the trip for greater leisure, fishing opportunities, photography etc.
- Some trips can be safely shortened in length of time, assuming clients are willing to expend more effort paddling, hiking or cycling as required by the itinerary.
- Some routes can be shortened in terms of distance.
- Combine this trip with other Yukon attractions and or wilderness activities. View Yukon-Wide Slideshow
- Book your hotel rooms (at a discount) for the night before and after you Cabin Fever Adventures vacation and add this to your bill.
