Without the ability to dash up the trails, people began spending more time in Dyea and it became more town-like.”, Deteriorating pilings are all that remain of the Long Wharf at Dyea. 2, No. Far fewer turned a profit. “The men take up the packs, and this is what happens: They walk to the base of the cliff, with a stout alpenstock in hand. $208.95 per adult. Spanning 53 kilometers/33 miles, two countries, and centuries of history, the Chilkoot Trail offers a hike to remember. One group plays cards at a picnic table; another passes a cardboard box of red wine. Clearly, the Chilkoot Trail is as much a backcountry resource in the eyes of the hikers as it is an historical resource. Your email address will not be published. Several guided trips are available to visitors, including cruise ship passengers. From the January-February, 2020 issue of Alaskan History Magazine: Packers on Dyea Trail, 1897. Photo by LaRoche, Seattle, Wash., from the Library of Congress, [www.loc.gov/item/2016653518/]. Cost and Reservations: permits are required and include camping fees. If you’ve looked into hiking the Chilkoot Trail, you’ve likely heard about the Golden Staircase. Look more closely. Weather on the Canadian side is often drier than prior to the Pass, but can be unexpected and change quickly at any point on the trail. Far below, at tidewater, the boomtown of Dyea grew up around the Healy & Wilson trading post in the fall of 1897, as word of the Klondike gold strike brought increasing numbers of people north. The entire undertaking was largely folly, but that hasn’t stopped the Chilkoot Trail from enduring as a beloved pastime. Today, most hikers start a few miles outside of Skagway in the former Dyea townsite and hike north into British Columbia.
From there, the trail leads up and over the rocky and rugged Chilkoot Pass and into Canada where it snakes its way through alpine tundra and Boreal forest, skirting numerous lakes along the way. I help people get out of their comfort zone by proving that even scaredy cats can lead lives filled with adventure. I hope you enjoy reading along! On August 16, 1896, four prospectors pulled the first flakes of gold from Bonanza Creek (previously known as Rabbit Creek) in the Yukon.
They are human beings, but never did men look so small.” ~, “A Mighty Nice Place” The 1935 Matanuska Colony, DVD: Appetite and Attitude, with Lance Mackey, Klondike.
Within a few years, as the rush to the Klondike assumed major proportions, the steps cut into the snow and ice of Chilkoot Pass would become known as the “Golden Stairs,” and men would proceed up in lockstep fashion, a image which might be utterly unbelievable if not for the photographs proving it so. That unusually cooperative spirit likely transfers to the hikers from the U.S. and Canadian park rangers, who collaborate on projects and training through an agreement that has sprouted lasting friendships and transnational romances. This is a section of the trail, just prior to the Chilkoot Pass, where 1000 feet of elevation is gained over only half a mile. The White Pass & Yukon Route scenic railway starts in downtown Skagway and chugs over White Pass, through British Columbia and into the Yukon. It covers everything from permit information, to itinerary options and campsite recommendations, to tips for hiking in bear country. See the membership terms for further details.