Itinerary
Day 0
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.
Day 1
We meet this morning and together we drive West towards Haines Junction and Kluane National Park. After about 1 hour on the road, we arrive in the small village of Champagne and stop at Long Ago Peoples Place where you step back in time and learn about Southern Tutchone culture. After the visit, we keep on driving all the way to Haines Junction and in the afternoon we go on a first hike for about 3 hours, out to a small Lake tucked in between the mountains of the park. After this first encounter with the trails of Kluane National Park we drive back to Haines Junction and settle in our home for the next three nights. In the comfort of this cabin, we get to know each other better around a delicious meal cooked by your guides. In fact, on this tour, Terre Boréale provides home made food for all meals, based on our philosophy of buying local and organic and following zero-waste principals.
If you travel with us in August or September, we try our luck at seeing the northern lights every night. With a bit of luck, we get to see this stunning show light up the northern skies!
Day 2
Today we drive 27km to the south of Haines Junction and go on our first full day hike up King’s throne. This can be a challenging hike if we decide to go all the way to the top but for those who do not want to, there’s a possibility to stop sooner while still enjoying the beautiful views on Kathleen Lake and the mountains around it.
During our time in Haines Junction, we take the time to visit the Da Ku Visitor Center where we take our time to learn more about Kluane National Park and the Champagne and Aishihik First Nations.
If we go to the top of King’s Throne, today’s hike is over 1200m in elevation gain for about 15km return.
Day 3
On day three we change direction and head north this time towards Kluane Lake, the largest lake in the Yukon. There, we hike for a few hours to discover the stunning views on the Slims River Valley. This hike offers great opportunities to see Dall sheep and, with a bit of luck, grizzly bears.
Today’s hike has about 430m elevation gain for about 10km return and we have the possibility to extend this to a more challenging day with 1100m elevation.
Day 4
For our last day in Kluane National Park we have a few options. We can go on one or two easy hikes along interpretive trails in different areas of the park or we can go on a flightseeing tour over the magnificent Saint Elias ice field, the largest non-polar ice field in the world and get a view of Canada’s highest peak, Mount Logan towering at 5 959 m.
Day 5
Today we leave Kluane National Park behind as we head back east past Whitehorse. On the way though, we will not pass the opportunity to hike around Kusawa Lake and enjoy the stunning view of the lake and the mountains of Kusawa Territorial Park around it. The view is accessible long before we reach the top of this hike, which presents an elevation gain of 850m for 8km return.
After our hike, we jump back in the van and keep driving towards the Yukon’s southern lakes region and our cabins for the next 3 nights.
Day 6 and 7
There are many hiking trails in the Southern Lakes region, and over the next three days we go on different hikes to soak in the views on Little Atlin Lake, Bennett Lake, and Tagish Lake. Up in the alpine, we also get good opportunities to see Caribou and Dall sheep, so we keep our eyes wide open!
Each of these hikes is about between 800 and 1000m in elevation gain for 7 to 10km return.
Day 8
In the afternoon of day 8, after our daily hike, we return to Whitehorse and drop you off at your hotel and you can enjoy your evening freely.
Day 9
Transfer to the airport or connexion with your next Yukon adventure.
On this trip, we are proud to offer 100% home-made foods including home-made snacks. This allows us to offer you only high quality and local food as well as to control our waste output.
Terre Boréale respectfully acknowledges that this adventure takes place on the traditional territories of the Champagne and Aishihik First Nations, the Kluane First Nation, the Carcross/Tagish First Nation, the Kwanlin Dün First Nation and the Ta’an Kwäch’än Council.
Price includes
- Meals as indicated in itinerary above
- Accommodations as indicated in itinerary above, based on double occupancy (please contact us for single occupancy)
- Experienced bilingual guide
- Van transportation all along the trip
- The rental of a bear-spray
- Satellite communication device for emergencies
Not included
- Airport transfers
- Alcoholic beverages
- Flightseeing over the St Elias icefield ( starting at $320 /person)
- Domestic & International flights
- Gratuities
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Trip Reviews
Spectacular setting and service
With my wife and two kids (16, 19) we did the Southern Yukon day hike tour. We have enjoyed various day-hiking trips in in other parts of the world, but this was the first guided one and it was truly the trip of a lifetime.
First, the region (Kluane National Park, Southern Lakes) is stunning. We were fortunate to have decent weather in early August on most days, and were rewarded with tremendous views. Over the course of the week we saw a lot of wildlife, including Dall Sheep, mountain goats, a lynx, Arctic Ground Squirrels, a Golden Eagle (and many other birds), as well as five black bears and five grizzly bears (all the bears were seen from the comfort of the Terre Boreale van).
The natural beauty was enhanced by the expert knowledge of our guides, Max and Edouard. Max has a masters in conservation biology, with an impressive knowledge of the flora and fauna of the region. I learned so much about these larger animals but also the plants along the trails, the birds, the geological history of the area, etc. This was expanded with some visits to local museums and interpretive centres, where we learned about the First Nations peoples, there clan system, traditions and history.
On the hiking, having two guides for a small group (6 guests) was truly valuable, as the faster hikers were able to go ahead (including our teenagers). The “kids” found Max and Edouard to be excellent guides as well, and were keen to hear of their experiences as guides and world travelers. Knowing they were in good hands heading off ahead in bear country was terrific.
Max and Edouard cheerfully managed every aspect of the trip, which was impressively organized and prepared with an eye to zero waste principles. The dedication of this company to environmental responsibility is apparent in every detail.
Food was plentiful and delicious, even gourmet on some days. One day my daughter picked a few cups of wild blueberries during our lunch break and that evening we enjoyed a splendid baked blueberry dessert courtesy of our guides’ culinary skills (I think it doesn’t hurt that they are from France).
Accommodations were very nice and we enjoyed getting to know the guides and our fellow guests in the shared environments.
I recommend this trip to anyone who wants to experience these areas of the Yukon, but wants to enjoy relaxing comfort after days spent exploring.
Stunning hiking in Southern Yukon without backpacking!
I recently returned from Terre Boreale’s ‘Day Hiking in Southern Yukon’ tour. It is the perfect tour for anyone who wants to hike the Yukon without having to carry a heavy pack and prefers a solid roof over their head rather than a tent. We were first based near Haine’s Junction in a private house and for the second half of the tour in cozy cabins on Little Atlin lake. Guides Max and Ed prepared all the meals for us, a professional chef could not have done it better! The hikes ranged from fairly challenging to more relaxed, but were always beautiful. On the two rainy days Max and Ed modified the itinerary to avoid the worst of the rain. In the end, even those days were very interesting and totally satisfying. In addition to guiding us safely on various hikes, the guides also shared their deep love and respect for the land we were travelling on. I recommend Terre Boreale to any interested hikers without hesitation.
