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Home | Sitka| Anchorage | Fairbanks | Denali Nat'l Park | Talkeetna | Juneau | Chilkoot Trail | Dalton Highway |
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Alaska's most famous trail, the 33-mile Chilkoot Trail, is a hike through one huge wilderness museum following the footsteps of the original Klondike prospectors. Starting in DYEA, nine miles from Skagway, and ending in Bennet in Canada, the trail climbs through rainforest to tundra often strewn with haunting reminders of the past, including ancient boilers that once drove aerial tramways, and several collapsed huts. The three- to five-day hike can be strenuous, especially the final ascent up from Sheep Camp (1000ft) to Chilkoot Pass (3550ft). You must be self-sufficient for food, fuel and shelter, and be prepared for foul weather. Campgrounds line the trail, as well as emergency shelters with stoves and firewood. There are also ranger stations at Dyea, Sheep Camp and Lindeman City. Dyea is accessible by road, and the White Pass and Yukon Railway runs a service for hikers returning to Skagway for $65. The main hiking season runs from July to early September, when there is a quota system: for details call Parks Canada (phone 867/667-3910 or 1-800/661-0486).
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Whether you have a reservation or not, you must first visit the Skagway Trail Center, Broadway at 1st Avenue (late May to early Sept daily 8am-4.15pm), where rangers make sure you understand the challenges and dangers, and can advise on weather conditions and current bus and train schedules for the trip back to Skagway. While here you must also pay out a rather extravagant Can$40 for a Canadian permit.
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