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Alaska & Yukon » Klondike Gold Rush Ride

Day by Day Itinerary

Day 1 - Your group will assemble at the Fairbanks Airport, where we board a short flight to Dawson City in Canada's Yukon Territory. Your guides will meet you at the Dawson City Airport and transfer to our hotel in this historic gold rush town. After prepping the bikes, the balance of the day is free to explore town. Welcome drinks and orientation will proceed dinner.

Day 2 - We will spend some more time in town this morning, a chance to explore what you might have missed yesterday. After a picnic lunch at the park downtown, we set out on our bike tour, pedaling a short distance to Dempster Corner where we camp tonight. Folks wanting a few more miles can take a spin up the Dempster Highway, which travels up past the Arctic Circle all the way to Inuvik in the far north. 25 mi / 40 km (breakfast on your own)

Day 3 - After yesterday's easy start, we bump up the mileage a bit, as there is not much civilization in this part of the Yukon. Our ride traverses the Tintina Trench, a major bird migratory route, through vast forested wilderness. Our goal for tonight is Stewart Crossing, site of one of the early trading posts in the gold fields. 86 mi / 138 km

Day 4 - A more leisurely ride is in store today, as we roll through aspen and spruce forests enroute to Pelly Crossing, one of the only towns along this part of the highway. As is often the case, a "town" means a couple hundred residents, with a store, gas station and post office. The Selkirk Heritage Centre in town is a replica of houses from the old Fort Selkirk. 50 mi / 80 km

Day 5 - Continuing south, our bike tour picks up the Yukon River, the major transport route during the Klondike Gold Rush. We'll visit Five Finger Rapids, a great hazard to gold rushers traveling down the river. Then continue on to Carmacks, a slightly bigger town where we bed down on the banks of the Yukon River. 66 mi / 106 km

Day 6 - You probably have been hearing rumors during the ride from northbound travelers about the Braeburn Buns, well tonight we reach the Braeburn Lodge where you can confirm the rumors ... the cinnamon buns require two hands to hold them. Enroute, we pass by the ruins of an old roadhouse from the era of stagecoach travel. 50 mi / 80 km

Day 7 - Our last leg of the bike tour along the north Klondike Highway takes us past several scenic lakes, including Lake Laberge, where Sam McGee met his demise in the poetry of the Yukon bard, Robert Service. After several days on the road, our overnight stop will be a welcome site, the Takhini Hot Springs. We will enjoy two nights here,soaking in the waters and relaxing. 60 mi / 97 km (motel accommodations tonight)

Day 8 - A free day is in store, a chance to catch up with your journal, relax in the hot spring pools or perhaps go visit Whitehorse, the capital of the Yukon Territory. As your crew needs to restock on food, you have the option to get shuttled into town and then ride home later in the afternoon. (motel accommodations tonight, all meals on your own)

Day 9 - We pick up a short stretch of the notorious Al-Can Highway today. This road was built in a short nine months during World War II as an overland supply route to Alaska. traffic is a bit busy due to Whitehorse, but we have nice shoulders and smooth pavement. We will be turning south back onto the Klondike Highway a few miles past Whitehorse. Then rolling down to our beautiful camping spot on the shores of Spirit Lake. 55 mi / 89 km (breakfast on your own)

Day 10 - Today's ride takes us first to Carcross, a historic town dating back to the gold rush era. The old Yukon & White Pass Train station has become a museum and is well worth a stop. As we head further south the various lakes we pass are backed up by magnificent mountain landscapes, taking us to the top of White Pass, a barren alpine wonderland. From the pass it is a seven mile, 3200 foot descent to the US border and Alaska. We will celebrate the end of a great bicycle tour tonight in Skagway, a frontier port town whose historic town center is a popular destination for travelers. 71 mi / 114 km (motel accommodations tonight)

Day 11 - Morning comes early, as you have an 8 am ferry to catch, taking you through the Inside Passage to Juneau. Your guides will bid you farewell on the docks of Skagway. (all meals on your own)

Expand Your Adventure - Stay on here in the far north and join us for the AK.CAN.AK Adventure, two more weeks of outstanding pedaling, this time enjoying a sampler of the four most scenic stretches of highway that Alaska and the Yukon have to offer, plus a journey through Prince William Sound. Its an unparalleled combo bicycle tour. Check out the AK.CAN.AK Adventure today.