Yukon River Explorer > Detailed Itinerary

 


This Yukon Explorer canoe trip is the perfect choice for someone who wants to have an authentic Yukon RIver trip, but desires the flexibility to adapt the physical demand of each day to their personal energy level.  With the support of "The Yukon Rose", our custom support vessel, you can choose to paddle as much or as little as you wish each day, and get to enjoy a higher level of comfort, once you reach your wilderness camp. 

This 5-day wilderness voyage takes participants on a trip through time and wilderness.  The Yukon River embodies the history of the Yukon.  It served as the main transportation corridor of the Yukon and Alaska for both First Nations and early gold-seekers.  As you travel the Yukon River you will gain an understanding of the Yukon’s rich frontier history from the Gold Rush of 1898 through to the sternwheeler riverboat era.  Many artifacts remain along the riverbanks for canoeists to experience first-hand.  


Note: All meals included in this itinerary are listed as: ( B=Breakfast, L=Lunch, D=Dinner )


Day 0: WHITEHORSE, YUKON

Hopefully you have enjoyed your travels and 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.  If you wish to fish on your trip but, have not had a chance to purchase a Yukon fishing license, you should do so this evening.  Your guides will let you know where they can be purchased.

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.

Day 1:  (L, D ) LAKE LABARGE

Cabin Fever Adventures staff will meet you at your hotels starting at 8:00 am. We will answer any final questions and depart Whitehorse by 9:00 am. Our journey takes us northwest a short distance on the Alaska Highway and then north on the Klondike highway for half and hour.  We will arrive at Lake Labarge, famed location of the final grizzly moments of Robert Service’s poem, “The Cremation of Sam McGee”.  Here, we will launch our custom 34-foot support vessel, The Yukon Rose and commence our voyage.  Labarge is the last lake through which the Yukon River flows and from the northern outflow of the lake, one can travel over 3000 km to the Bering Sea, entirely on the flowing waters of the Yukon River.  
Aboard “The Yukon Rose”, canoes and gear loaded with us, we travel north admiring views of the Miners Range Mountains to the west.  When we approach the northern end of the lake, we will stop for a picnic lunch, slip our canoes into the water and spend the afternoon paddling towards the northern end of the lake.  Finding a campsite to call home for the night of this stunning and infamous lake.

Day 2:   (B, L, D) THIRTY-MILE RIVER

After a delicious breakfast in camp, today we will enter a section of the Yukon River known as the Thirty-Mile River. Here the river is still a relatively small and because of this it laid claim to many groundings of the White Pass and Yukon Route fleet of river steamers during the 60 years that these large, flat-bottomed ships moved people and freight up and down the Yukon River from Whitehorse to the Bering Sea.   Tonight we will make camp near the confluence of the Teslin River.

Day 3:   (B, L, D) HOOTALINQUA & SHIPYARD ISLAND

This morning we launch our canoes from camp and after completing The Thirty-Mile River we will pass the confluence of the Teslin River.  Here we will stop to visit the remains of the historic North West Mounted Police post known as “Hootalinqua”.  After visiting the remains of this settlement, a short drift down river takes us to Shipyard Island, where we will have opportunity to examine a Yukon River steamer vessel, The S.S. Evelyn, which was abandoned sitting on wooden cribs, to pass its final days on the edge of the Yukon River.    After visiting these remains, we will continue northward on the river, stopping for lunch along the way.  Latter in the afternoon when  our arms get heavy, we will catch a ride aboard The Yukon Rose and select a camp just north of the Big Salmon River. 


Day 4:   (B, L, D) BIG SALMON VILLAGE

Today we will awake to the pleasant sounds of the river, and the delicious smells of breakfast.   A short distance on the river  brings us to Big Salmon Village, which was historically used as a steamboat landing, wood camp, trading post and native settlement.  An assortment of abandoned buildings still remain on this site, which rests at the confluence of the Yukon and Big Salmon Rivers.  A short walk takes us to some First Nation burial sites which we are careful to observe, but not disturb.  Ask your guide about the excellent fishing opportunity and you may be rewarded with a catch of Inconnu, “Unknown” fish, that roam these waters.  The rest of the day will be spent traveling down river, and with an assist from our support vessel, we should reach camp a little ways past Little Salmon Village.


Day 5:   (B, L ) HOMEWARD BOUND

Today we may linger by the breakfast campfire a little longer, for today is our last day, and soon the comforting rythm of the river will be only a pleasant memory.  Back on the river again, we drift towards the town of Carmacks.  One last tasty wilderness lunch awaits us, before we reach the small town of Carmacks, by mid-afternoon.   After a stop at the local campground where you can get yourself an ice cream cone, we finish our trip at the government boat launch and return to Whitehorse by approximately 6:00 pm.

Please Note: Your hotel room and dinner 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:


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:

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