Your Yukon backpacking 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 about your hiking trip, do a gear check and meet your fellow adventurers!
Check our FAQ to know what date day 0 corresponds to.
Day 1
Once we have signed up, we drive north to Kluane Lake, Yukon’s largest Lake, and set up camp for the night. We enjoy a hearty meal together and discuss the last details of our adventure to come.
Day 2
As we near the end of the Burwash Uplands, we set up camp and spend our first night out in the wild.
Days 3 to 9
Throughout the next 8 days, you experience true wilderness backpacking and each day has its own challenge: we hike across the very uneven tundra, we go down steep and sometimes slippery scree slopes, contour around sometimes steep and always uneven mountain sides, bushwhack through willow or spruce forests, wade across fast flowing creeks and rivers… If you easily experience fear of heights, you may be uneasy in some sections. The most challenging aspect of it all is that we are constantly off trail, where every step is more costly than on a regular hiking trail, especially with a heavy pack on. By “off-trail”, we do not mean only off the beaten path, we actually mean that we never, or very rarely, hike on a trail! Even though it is difficult to compare, we like to say than on average 1 km off-trail is equivalent to at least 2km on a regular hiking trail, energy-wise. Your guide knows these areas and always makes sure to choose the safest route, even though it might not be the shortest!
We also encounter some easier terrain in some areas, like when we hike the flat gravelly river valley of the Donjek River or when we hike across grassy alpine slopes from which the views on Kluane National Park’s high peaks are magnificent!
As we carry all our gear and food with us, every guest should expect between 7 and 9kg of common gear and food per person, to go in your pack with your personal gear and tent.
All these efforts are worth it; every day we discover new splendid vistas of the mountains around us, the immense glacial valleys and obviously the Donjek Glacier itself. At some point, we even stand right in front of the toe of the glacier, only a hundred meters from the ice!
Being alone in these lands where it is not unusual to spot a moose, a bear or a caribou, looking at some of the highest mountains in North America is a feeling you will not soon forget!
Every night, we choose our camp wisely and appreciate gourmet meals before enjoying a well-deserved rest in our tents.
On average, you should expect between 5 and 7 hours of active hiking each day, with an average daily elevation gain of 300m (maximum around 1000m).
We also have one day ‘off’, on day 5, meaning that we can go explore the surroundings of the camp without our large backpacks. This day is also a buffer in case we face adverse weather conditions.
Day 10
As we hike along (and many times across) one last small creek, we come across a dirt road and 5 kilometer further, the Alaska Highway! This is the end of our adventure, and a Terre Boréale driver comes to pick us up and drive us back to town.
We arrive in town in the early evening and drop you off at your hotel. Your guide will be happy to give some recommendations on which restaurant to go to for your last evening in town!
Day 11
We transfer you to the airport or to your next Yukon adventure.
On this trip, we are proud to offer 100% home-made foods with home-made dehydrated meals and home-made snacks. This allows us to offer you only high quality and local food as well as to control our waste output. In fact, our trips are zero waste, we have banned plastic single-use bags and use only fabric bags to store our meals and snacks.
As we carry all our gear and food with us, you should expect between 7 and 9kg of common gear and food per person, to go in your pack with your personal gear and tent.
Terre Boréale respectfully acknowledges that this adventure takes place on the traditional territories of the Kluane First Nation and the White River First Nation.
Elevation
Price includes
- Meals as indicated in itinerary above
- Accommodations as indicated in itinerary above, based on double occupancy (+ $250 for single occupancy)
- Van transfers before and after the hike
- Bilingual guide French/English
- All gear for hiking in remote country (including tent and bear-spray, except sleeping bags and sleeping mats)
- Satellite communication device for emergencies
Not included
- Single occupancy supplement of $250
- Airport transfers
- Sleeping bags, sleeping mats, backpacks
- Alcoholic beverages
- Domestic & International flights
- Gratuities
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