4 Day Kluane & Coast Explorer
Self Drive
Kluane National Park • Alaska's Inside Passage • Skagway
Travel to the beautiful Klaune National Park, then south to the top of Alaska's inside passage. A short cruise by ferry along the Pacific coastline brings you to Skagway, gateway to the Klondike Gold Rush.
The below itinerary is an independent package, it can be adjusted to suit your travel interests, time frame and budget.
Your evening is free to explore Yukon's capital city. Stroll Main Street, visit the SS Klondike National Historic Site, and MacBride Museum. Optional tours available.
Depart westbound along the famous Alaska Highway. Your route takes you past the stunning mountain scenery of Yukon's newest territorial park, Kusawa. As you approach Kluane National Park, the frontal ranges begin to appear, giving you a taste of what lies ahead. Home to Canada's tallest mountain (Mt. Logan) and the world's largest ice fields (non-polar), Kluane - a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is one of the country's most impressive national parks.
Today's route will be memorable. You'll travel along the edge of Kluane National Park and Tatshenshini-Alsek Provincial Park (part of the world's largest internationally protected area) from the Yukon, through northern British Columbia to Alaska. Breathtaking doesn't describe the vastness or the beauty in the 1,200m Chilkat Pass. As you descend in the Chilkat River Valley, you may catch a glimpse of a bald eagle, part of the largest concentration of nesting eagles in the world! Haines is a pleasant coastal community and was originally built as Alaska's first naval base. The old fort still exists and several of the buildings are now on the national registry. You'll have time to tour this morning before boarding the Alaska ferry for the short journey to Skagway. The ferry travels along the top of the Inside Passage before entering the Lynn Canal. Keep an eye out for marine life including harbour seals and sea otters and marine birds such as kittiwakes, murres, cormorants and the loveable puffins. You may even catch a glimpse of an orca or humpback whale! On arrival in Skagway, you'll feel as though you've stepped back in time. The false-fronted buildings and wooden boardwalks are reminders of the Klondike Gold Rush when some 50,000 people passed through the town en route to the gold fields.
Departing Skagway on the Klondike Highway, the route quickly gains in elevation. The stunning White Pass offers some amazing views as you travel towards the Yukon interior. The southern lakes region offers some of the Yukon's most beautiful mountian scenery. Be sure to call in at Carcross (short for Caribou Crossing), which hasn't changed much since the gold rush. Just outside Carcross, take the Carcross Cutoff Road towards Tagish and Marsh Lakes...the detour is worth it. The route travels along the shoreline of Tagish and Marsh Lakes, the same lakes the goldrush stampeders travelled, on their way to Dawson City. The last leg of your journey takes you into Whitehorse. Check into hotel (not included) or return rental vehicle and depart.
4 Day (3 nights) - please call for pricing
Itinerary is an independent one. Departure dates are dependent on your travel schedule.
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