Gold Rush Fever from Whitehorse

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VACATION FEATURES:

Accommodations
- 8 nights hotel accommodation

Sightseeing Excursions and Tours
- MV Schwatka River Cruise

Admissions
- S.S. Klondike National Historic Site
- Macbride Museum Society
- Dredge No. 4
- S.S. Keno National Historic Site
- Diamond Tooth Gerties
- Frantic Follies Vaudeville Revue

Documentation
- National Historic Site Pass
- Itinerary, brochures, maps and vouchers
- Hotel luggage handling

ITINERARY:

DAY 1 - Arriving in Whitehorse

Upon arrival in Whitehorse, pick up a rental vehicle (not included) and transfer to your hotel. With 20,000 residents, this is the largest centre in Canada’s north, set on the west bank of the Yukon River, below bluffs 60 metres (180 feet) high. This city was born during the Klondike gold rush of 1898, when prospectors by the thousands came to Skagway, Alaska, then carried their equipment over the Chilkoot or White Passes to the headwaters of the Yukon River. Whitehorse became a stopover and supply centre, famous for bars, brothels and all kinds of mischief.

DAY 2 - Exploring Whitehorse

Today visit the S.S. Klondike National Historic Site, the last and largest of the Yukon River sternwheelers (admission included). It was originally built in 1929, sank in 1936, was rebuilt in 1937 and launched as the SS Klondike II, and is now dry-docked and operated as a museum, including more than 7,000 artifacts, displays and interpretive programs. You may also wish to stroll through the Yukon Gardens or visit the Old Log Church. Built in 1900, this Anglican Church served the community from gold rush days until it became a museum in 1962. Visit the MacBride Museum, which features an extensive collection of artifacts and exhibits about the history and culture of the Yukon (admission included). Also included today is a river cruise. The White Horse Rapids, now covered by Schwatka Lake, and Miles Canyon presented formidable obstacles to the 19th-century miners who hoped to reach the Klondike gold fields before winter. Listen to the call of the wild and follow in the wake of Jack London and his fellow gold rush stampeders. While you cruise up the Yukon River and through historic Miles Canyon, the knowledgeable guides aboard the MV Schwatka will recall the drama and excitement of 1898.

DAY 3 - Whitehorse to Dawson

Today depart Whitehorse and travel north to Dawson City. The Klondike Highway, completed in 1960, is the spectacular paved route between Whitehorse and Dawson City. The highway passes along the western shore of Lake Laberge, a large lake made famous by Robert Service in his poem “The Cremation of Sam McGee”. The highway crosses the Yukon River at a town called Carmacks, named for George Washington Carmack, among the first to strike gold in the river and start the Klondike gold rush. A short distance before Dawson City, turn on to Bonanza Creek Road (gravel). See mining claims all along Bonanza Creek, some still active. The first stop is Claim 33, a gift store offering gold panning opportunities. Drive along to Dredge No. 4, the largest wooden-hull dredge (a machine for removing gold from streambeds) in North America. Restoration is under way and there are lots of interpretive signs explaining what a dredge is and how it works (admission included). Further along the road is the Discovery Claim, where gold was first found on August 17, 1896. Continue to Dawson City. This evening enjoy a show at Diamond Tooth Gerties, Canada’s first legalized casino (admission included).

DAY 4 - Discovering Dawson City

Historic and colourful, the very name “Dawson City” conjures images of gold seekers, honky-tonks and wild times. Gold was discovered in 1896, and by 1898, tens of thousands of prospectors from throughout the world flooded into this forbidding and dangerous land, seeking their fortunes in the far-flung creeks and rivers of the Yukon and Alaska. Now the home of about 2,000 people, Dawson City once had a population of 30,000, and more than one hundred million dollars in gold was mined from Klondike creeks and from hillside claims staked after the creeks were all claimed. Dawson City was declared a National Historic Site in the 1960s. Visit the S.S. Keno, the last steamer to run the Yukon River in 1960 (admission included). You may also wish to visit Robert Service’s cabin, once the home of the famous poet, restored by Parks Canada and now the site of poetry readings during the summer (admission not included). This evening visit the Palace Grand Theatre, a magnificent reconstruction and now a National Historic Site.

DAY 5 - Dawson City to Beaver Creek

Today, travel the Top of the World Highway. A free ferry takes passengers and vehicles across the Yukon River to the beginning of the Top of the World Highway. This road is a link to the Taylor Highway in Alaska and is a very scenic roadway. You will be crossing into the United States; therefore proper identification will be required. The route from Dawson City to Tetlin Junction, Alaska, though very rugged and remote, features breath-taking scenery and masses of wildflowers. Just in case you thought to bring a gold pan do not use it – all streams and creeks are claimed and independent gold panning is illegal! Your travels today will take you through Chicken, Alaska. “Chicken” is northerners’ slang for “ptarmigan” a poultry-like bird found throughout the north, and the state bird of Alaska. It is said that the early miners wanted to name their camp ptarmigan but were unable to spell it so they settled for Chicken. The route from Tetlin Junction, Alaska to Beaver Creek follows the world-famous Alaska Highway. You will again be travelling through rugged, remote and spectacular mountain scenery. Upon arrival in Beaver Creek, check into your hotel.

DAY 6 - Beaver Creek to Haines Junction

The Alaska Highway, built during World War II, was constructed in several sections. Two sections of highway were joined at Beaver Creek in October 1942, completing the highway that now links Dawson Creek, British Columbia with Fairbanks, Alaska - a distance of 2,446 kilometres (1,520 miles). Today, continue to travel the Alaska Highway for about 295 kilometres to Haines Junction, Yukon. The route today also skirts Kluane National Park, which encompasses Canada’s highest mountain, Mount Logan (6,050 metres/19,965 feet) and the world’s most extensive non-polar icefields, which cover more than 11,000 square-kilometres.

DAY 7 - Exploring Haines Junction

Kluane is a World Heritage Site in combination with adjoining parks and wilderness areas in Alaska and British Columbia. Take the day and explore Kluane. The park offers many activities for people of all fitness levels. You may wish to rent a canoe, bike or maybe participate in a half day hiking trip or rafting float tour. (activities are not included).

DAY 8 - Haines Junction to Whitehorse

Depart Haines Junction and travel the short distance to Whitehorse. As a side trip today. continue through the city of Whitehorse and to the town of Carcross. Located at the narrows between Lake Bennett and Nares Lake, this became a stopover for Klondike gold seekers who had traversed the Chilkoot Pass and floated up Lake Bennett. You will also travel through the Carcross Desert, the world’s smallest desert, composed of sand dunes derived from lake-bottom deposits left behind when a glacial lake dried up. Return to Whitehorse and your hotel. If time permits, you may wish to visit the Takhini Hot Springs located just outside of the city of Whitehorse (admission not included). Included tonight is The Frantic Follies, a t