The Chilkoot Trail is a
33 mile
long recreational trail. Each summer over 10,000 people hike some or all of it. The majority of visitors day hike on the trail for just a few hours. Others spend an average of 3-5 days backpacking the entire trail.
How difficult is the Chilkoot Trail?
The Chilkoot Trail traverses rocky, very steep and sometimes snow covered terrain.
The trail can be rough with deep mud, standing water, unstable boulders, slick rocks and roots making footing difficult
. The portion of the hike from the Scales over Chilkoot Pass is a route not a trail.
How long was the trail over Chilkoot Pass?
| Chilkoot Trail | Length 33 miles | Summit Chilkoot Pass; 1067 m / 3,525 feet | Legacy Trail for Klondike Gold Rush (1896–1899) | Location Southeast Alaska – Northwest British Columbia |
|---|
How steep is the Chilkoot Pass?
| Chilkoot Pass | Elevation 3,759 ft (1,146 m) | Traversed by Chilkoot Trail |
|---|
Can you hike the Chilkoot Trail?
You can hike the Chilkoot Trail in three to six days depending on how much time you’ve got and your current fitness level
. Although distances are short, the trail is challenging with sections of mud, rock and even snow in the summer.
Is the Chilkoot Trail open?
The US portion of the Chilkoot Trail remains open for day use and overnight use
. Registration is required for overnight use (see below).
How much does it cost to hike the Chilkoot Trail?
2021 Chilkoot backcountry permit fees
US ONLY Trip Permit: $27 (CDN) per adult; $13.50 (CDN) per youth
. Canadian ONLY Trip Permit: $35.05 (CDN) per adult; $17.48 (CDN) per youth.
What were the golden stairs?
In the winter, stampeders struggled in blizzards, snow, frigid temperatures, and avalanches. The trail shot up about 1,000 feet in the final half mile. Stampeders climbed the “golden staircase,”
1,500 steps cut in the snow and ice
, and used a guide rope for support. Circa 1898.
Is there still gold in Klondike?
It collected there until 1896 when the first nuggets of Klondike gold were found, leading to one of the world’s great gold rushes.
There is still gold in the Dawson City area
, but individual stampeders were replaced by large corporations that still mine the Klondike District for gold.
How many people died on Chilkoot Pass?
The Palm Sunday Avalanche on April 3, 1898 is estimated to have killed
sixty-five
people on the Chilkoot Trail. Tlingit packers warned stampeders that springtime is known throughout the region as a dangerous time. Inexperienced stampeders did not heed the Alaskan Natives’ warnings and lost their lives as a result.
How long did the Klondike Gold Rush last?
| Klondike Gold Rush | Duration 1896–1899 (stampede: 1897–98) | Discovery August 16, 1896, Bonanza Creek | Discoverers George Carmack and Skookum Jim |
|---|
How long is the golden staircase?
The
3 miles
of trail from Deer Meadow up to Palisade Lakes has been named the Golden Staircase. At twilight the canyon trail takes on a golden glow, but the seeming unending series of steps and switchbacks climbing more than 2,000 feet makes it among the most physically challenging sections of the John Muir Trail.
How do you pronounce Chilkoot?
Where is the golden staircase located?
Near the top of the Chilkoot
is the infamous Golden Staircase, the most difficult section of the entire hike. It began as a steep shale slope requiring the use of our arms to surmount large boulders, and changed into a snow covered shoot, which required several switchbacks to reach the summit.
What were the greatest hardships faced by miners along the Chilkoot Trail?
Stampeders faced their greatest hardships on the Chilkoot Trail out of Dyea and the White Pass Trail out of Skagway. There were
murders and suicides, disease and malnutrition, and deaths from hypothermia, avalanche, and possibly even heartbreak
.
What is a Chilkoot?
(ˈtʃɪlkuːt) noun.
a mountain pass on the boundary between SE Alaska and British Columbia, Canada, in the Coast Range
.
How long is the Yukon trail?
According to the National Park Service, the Yukon Trail, known as the Chilkoot Trail, is approximately
33 miles
long and takes up to five days to complete.
What was it like during the Klondike Gold Rush?
Each man (there were few women in Dawson at first) had to build shelter for the winter, and then endure seven months of
cold, darkness, disease, isolation and monotony
. For those lucky enough to find gold, nothing was beyond limits. Many successful prospectors lived extravagantly.
How do I get to Chilkoot Trail?
The Chilkoot Trail is accessed from the town of Skagway, Alaska.
Skagway is accessible by road from Whitehorse, Yukon, via the South Klondike Highway
. During the summer visitor season, there is a bus service between Whitehorse and Skagway. Vehicle rentals are also available in Whitehorse.
Why did DYEA become a ghost town?
Not wanting the competition for their railroad
, tramway operations came to a halt. Most of the tramway apparatus was removed in early 1900 and the Chilkoot Trail ceased being a transportation corridor after hundreds of years. Without a trail leading north Dyea’s reason for existence vanished.
Is the golden staircase open?
9am to 4.30pm daily
.
