Along the Dempster Highway

Departures

June 18th to 26th 2024 – 6 spots left

In summer or in the fall you will be amazed by the brilliant colours that the Dempster Highway has to offer! Enjoy the midnight sun in June or the northern lights if you are travelling with us in late summer… Hike in the beautiful Tombstone territorial park and beyond the Arctic Circle!

Itinerary

Upon arrival in Whitehorse, you take the free shuttle to get to your hotel (right there when you exit the terminal). Note that we always try and book hotels which offers the free shuttle but in case there is no more availability, there are always taxis available to drive you downtown (count approximately $25 for a ride from the airport to your hotel). Depending on your arrival time, you will have time to explore Whitehorse and take a stroll on the Millennium Trail or check out the MacBride Museum.

A pre-trip meeting takes place in the lobby of your hotel at 5pm today with your guides. This is the perfect opportunity to ask any last-minute questions, do a gear check and meet your fellow adventurers!

Check our FAQ to know what date day 0 corresponds to.

Night in a hotel in Whitehorse

Today we travel 500 km on the Klondike and Dempster Highways. Along the way you experience some typical Yukon landscapes and see the Five Finger Rapids on the Yukon river which is one if the many obstacles prospectors had to go through on their way to Dawson City in 1898. After 50 km on the Dempster Highway, we enter Tombstone territorial park!
We pitch our tents in the territorial campground. Visit the Tombstone Interpretive Center and learn more about the park, its First Nations history and culture and its flora and fauna.

Lunch and Dinner

Night in a tent at Tombstone Territorial Campground

During two days we will enjoy day hikes that will get us into the heart of the park. You will be amazed by the views over valleys, lakes and rugged peaks. We will make sure to keep an eye open for caribous, Dall sheep, bears, moose and even wolves…

In the evenings we will enjoy good meals cooked on the open fire and wait, when the season is right (August – September), for the potential magic of the northern lights!

Breakfast, lunch and dinner

Nights in a tent

After two days in Tombstone, we keep driving north on the Dempster Highway! We will take our time to appreciate every view along the way! At certain time of the year, migrating herds of caribou roam the alpine tundra of Tombstone.

On our way north, we cross a few passes before driving back down and crossing the Ogilvie River. On the other side, we discover an awesome view on the Ogilvie Mountains to the south. Up on the ridge, the road takes us through the boreal forest all the way to the Arctic Circle! Here, the sun never sets on the summer solstice and only dips below the horizon for a couple hours in early July. Welcome to the land of the Midnight Sun!

We stop in a campground further down the road and enjoy a good meal beyond the Arctic Circle!

Breakfast, lunch and dinner

Night in a tent

After a hearty breakfast, we drive north and climb on the western slopes of the Richardson Mountains and reach the border between the Northwest Territories and the Yukon. There, we really grasp the vastness and beauty of the arctic tundra by taking a hike along the ridges! At the end of the day we return to the campground where we will enjoy a nice dinner cooked over the campfire.

Breakfast, lunch and dinner

Night in a tent

On our way back south, we enjoy once more the wonderful landscapes of the Ogilvie Mountains and Tombstone Territorial Park before heading to Dawson City. Tonight, we will check out Diamond Tooth Gertie’s Gambling Hall, the oldest casino in Canada! Complete with cancan girls, you will have the chance to relive the heady days of the Gold Rush.

Breakfast and lunch

Night in a hotel in Dawson

This morning we visit Dawson before driving back to Whitehorse in the afternoon. We arrive in town in the early evening and drop you off at your hotel downtown. Your guide will be happy to recommend the good restaurants for your last evening in the Yukon!

Night in a hotel in Whitehorse

Connection to the airport or to your next adventure.

The price for this tour is $4025 + 5% GST per person for 2 participants and $3600 + 5% GST per person for a group of 3 to 6 participants.

Terre Boréale respectfully acknowledges that this adventure takes place on the traditional territories of the Vuntut Gwitchin First Nation, Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in, First Nation of Na-Cho Nyäk Dun, Selkirk First Nation, Tetlit Gwich’in Band Council, Kwanlin Dün First Nation, and Ta’an Kwäch’än Council.

  • Meals as indicated in itinerary above
  • Accommodations as indicated in itinerary above, based on double occupancy (+ $400 for single occupancy)
  • Experienced bilingual guide
  • Van transportation all along the trip
  • The following gear for hiking in remote country (tents, bear-spray, bear proof container, kitchen gear)
  • Satellite communication device for emergencies
  • Single occupancy supplement of $400
  • Airport transfers
  • Alcoholic beverages
  • Activities in Dawson City (museum etc.)
  • Domestic & International flights
  • Gratuities

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Tour Reviews

We spent 2 weeks in the Yukon with Max in June, a week in the coast mountains and a week travelling up the Dempster highway, stopping off at Tombestone for some hiking. The coast mountains are a magical place made all the more special by Max’s thoughtful itinerary. The landscape and walking were spectacular and we didn’t see a single person all week, just lots of wildlife. Throughout the trip we were well looked after and provided with excellent home cooked food. We have travelled a lot and this trip is one of our favourites, from the destination itself through to the knowledge and enthusiasm of the guides. The Yukon is a wonderful part of the world and we wouldn’t hesitate to recommend it as a destination with Max and Milena as guides.

Jane F.

“We did 2 hiking tours with Terre Boréale, Sur la piste des bisons and Découverte de la Dempster and it was magical. Magic by discovering a magnificent Canadian territory under the midnight sun and by a real disconnection from our routine. We found grandiose landscapes tinged with herds of bison, caribou, along with marmots, moose and bears among others. We were very lucky to enjoy all this wildlife thanks to the attentive and knowledgeable gaze of Max and his binoculars. The flora was also very present and brought a lot of color to our entire stay. All this with excellent supervision by Max and Boris our 2 guides. But these circuits wouldn’t have been so magical without Max’s very personal touch. Indeed, we were impressed by his professionalism, his excellent organization both of our days with a good balance of hikes and observations, and of our meals with great creativity and excellent quality even when the food is dehydrated, that a sense of security in all circumstances. Terre Boréale made our stay in the Yukon unforgettable and images continue to dance in our heads a few weeks later and surely for a long time to come… The advantages: the excellent organization, the perfect knowledge of the territory, the meals, the size of the group (maximum 6 people, we were 4) The least: even mosquitoes have not managed to take away this feeling of well-being in this beautiful wild nature.” (translated by Google)

Gaëlle