Best of the Northwest Yukon/Alaska Odyssey > Wilderness Area

 

This active sight-seeing tour of the Yukon and Southeast Alaska will take you through some of the most breathtaking wilderness highway terrain you have every traveled. You will experience a land rich in geographical beauty, First Nation history, gold rush history, and wildlife diversity. Our Travels will see us visiting the following wilderness areas.


Tombstone Territorial Park


The Tombstone Mountains are in fact a distinct range within the Southern Ogilvie Mountains. They are famous for their stunning topography, jagged ridges and immense vertical faces of imposing rock, some more than 2000 feet high: hence the name “Tombstones”. Its geological history is quite interesting. The Tombstones were not thrust up from the earth due to plate tectonics, as many mountains are, but rather the story of the Tombstones is a darker affair, having its beginning deep in the earth’s crust. Here hot molten-lava surged into cracks in the earth’s crust and then slowly cooled, creating a fine-grained and quite hard rock known as syenite. As time passed the softer sedimentary rock in which the Tombstones cooled, the “overburden” as it’s called, eroded away to slowly reveal the Tombstones, which due to their hardness were better able to resist erosion.

The Tombstone Mountains are situated right at the edge of Beringia, a zone of Alaska and the Yukon that remained ice-free during the periods of glaciation. This ice-free zone was caused by the rain-shadow effect of the tall Costal Mountains of the pacific-northwest. The Tombstones, however, did not escape the ice. The immense sheets of ice scoured the land creating u-shaped valley bottoms and such distinct features as arêtes: thin razor-like ridges formed by the erosive force of parallel valley glaciers.


Dempster Highway


Modern-day access to Tombstone Park was made possible by the construction of the Dempster Highway, which was begun in 1959 but not fully completed until 1979. The highway is named after Inspector William Dempster of the Royal Northwest Mounted Police, who headed the search for the infamous Lost Patrol. The Dempster Highway is Canada’s northernmost highway, stretching 671 km (417 miles) to the town of Inuvik, Northwest Territories. It is an engineering triumph. Designers had to pioneer new techniques for building on permafrost, such as laying down a gravel pad 1.5- -2.5m (4-8 feet ) in thickness to insulate the permafrost below from the heat of the short, but sometimes intense, summer. Without this thick layer of insulating gravel the highway would literally sink into the ground. The highway is famous for its stunning fall colours, unsurpassed wilderness, and amazing opportunities to view wildlife.

 

Kluane National Park, Alsek Provincial Park to the Haines Pass


Just west of Haines Junction, is this world famous world park known for having the largest non-polar ice cap in the world. During our visit you will see the youthful and jagged mountains that guard a world of snow and ice millions of years old, that lay just behind their impressive faces. Our  scenic flight will give us an up-close look at this land of ice as we soar among 14,000 ft peaks and glide mere meters above gurgling rivers and aqua-blue lakes that flow across the surface.  We will visit well known locations such as Kathleen Lake. From interpretive displays you can learn how glaciation has created a species of fresh water land-locked salmon, known as "Kokanee" . After Kathleen Lake we will view another stunning mountain-lined lake called Dezadeash. Klukshu Village is a First Nation fishing village just past Dezadeash Lake. The village is inhabited in the summer months only. On our way towards the community of Haines, Alaska, our route will take through Alseek Provincial Park in northern British Columbia. This area, because of its proximity to the Tatshenshini and Alsek Rivers and their rich salmon run,  is home to the Yukon’s densest grizzly population. As we climb into the Haines Pass, small lakes, rocks, mountains, and streams dot the landscape. At the summit of this pass we will be at 1067m (3500ft) in elevation.


Inside Passage of Alaska and Coastal Communities


After descending from the Haines Pass you will notice a quickly changing landscape. The barrenness of the pass is contrasted to the lush deciduous cottonwoods and gigantic Sitka spruce tress of this northern temperate rain forest. On completion of your descent to the Chilkat Valley you will travel through the Chilkat Bald Eagle Preserve. This preserve, created in 1982, was established to protect and perpetuate the world’s largest concentration of bald eagles. This prime eagle habitat is created by the combination of open water and plentiful food in the form of spawning salmon. Over 4000 eagles congregate in this area from early October to January. Over 300 Bald Eagles reside in the Haines area year round. While in Haines, why not tour Fort Seward, the first permanent army post in Alaska. The Fort’s buildings have been privately bought and turned into accommodations, restaurants and artisan shops. The fort was initially built to ensure an American presence when the exact location of the border between Alaska and Canada was still under debate.

From Haines we will board a ferry for a short trip along Alaska’s Inside Passage to the community of Skagway. On this short ferry ride the scenery is impressive. Hanging glaciers are visible as they spill out of the Juneau Ice Field. Their melt waters form cascading waterfalls that fall thousands of feet below into the Lynn Canal.


The community of Skagway is a busy little community. You might have guessed this by the number of exciting options for your day here in the itinerary. It has a colourful history created by the Gold Rush of 1898.  Points of interest here include a visit to the derelict town site of Dyea. Dyea was the original port for the first wave of gold seekers, until the town of Skagway was created and promoted by captain William Moore.  Skagway has a deeper harbour suitable for unloading ships, and although thousands toiled over the infamous Chilkoot Trail that begins in the town of Dyea,  Skagway proved to be the better town site and furthermore became the starting point of the White Pass and Yukon Route Railway, which all but shut Dyea down when it opened in 1899. The town's history has a number of colourful characters including the villain and swindler Soapy Smith and the vigilante who shot him, Frank Reid. One of Soapy’s famous scams was charging stampeders for a telegraph message home, then in a few days delivering the reply, collect. This was genius as there was no telegraph-line in Skagway at all.


Skagway Pass to Whitehorse


From Skagway we climb up and over the Skagway Pass towards the community of Carcross. While climbing up to the pass you will be able to view sections of the White Pass and Yukon Route Rail line making it’s way up the other side of the valley. This is the steepest narrow gauge rail line in the world, reaching 1003 m (3292 ft). The climb up to the summit is dramatically different than the feel and look of the Haines Pass. Here the highway winds its way upwards, carved into the sides of steep gorges. After the summit the rail line is visible at various locations. The Highway weaves its way through this rocky pass with beautiful alpine views, bordering a number of aqua-blue alpine lakes for some time.  These lakes form the headwaters of the Tutshi River. The Highway then follows the Tutshi River as it quickly drops elevation.


Carcross’ name is short for “Caribou Crossing”. This area is historically where a large number of Caribou crossed the narrows of water at the junction of Bennett and Tagish Lakes. The caribou crossed at this spot twice a year on their annual migration. Before you reach Carcross you will notice the landscape has returned to the semi-arid boreal forest of the interior Yukon. On your way out of Carcross look for the Carcross desert. This desert is affectionately known by locals as the smallest desert in the world. We will continue to follow the Klondike Highway through Carcross, past the Carcross Desert, and finally return to the Alaska Highway just southeast of Whitehorse.


The two mountain passes on this cycle loop are in the traditional territories of the Tlingit First Nations. The Tlingit were people of trade, using routes into the interior to trade with other First Nations their goods from the bountiful coast. Throughout our route we will have opportunities to learn about this land and its people, both ancient and recent.


Return to Best of the Northwest Tour Overview

 

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:

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:

 

Return to Sea-2-Peaks Cycle Tour Overview