Chilkoot Pass Historic Trail

Overview

Thirty thousand stampeders hauled a tonne of supplies apiece over this pass in the winter of 1897-98, and walking the Chilkoot today still feels like moving through their story. From the Dyea trailhead near Skagway you climb through coastal rainforest to Sheep Camp, then tackle the Golden Staircase -- a lung-busting boulder field where the gold-rush chains of climbers once inched upward -- to cross into Canada at the 1,067-metre summit. Rusting boilers, sled runners and boot leather from 1898 lie exactly where exhausted miners dropped them; the whole trail is a protected archaeological site, so touch nothing. The pass is the crux and the weather gamble: fog, rain and snow can shut it even in July, and the scramble is brutal with a full pack. Parks Canada caps crossings at 50 hikers a day, so book permits months ahead for peak season. Most parties take three days to Bennett Lake, then ride the White Pass & Yukon Route railway out -- book that too. Bear canisters are mandatory, and carry your passport: you clear customs on a mountaintop.

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Prefilled for 1 June 2027 — the next best-season window. Search on partner sites — opens in a new tab.