YUKON RIVER- Whitehorse to Little Salmon Village. Floatplane to Lower Laberge (60 mi/96 km) and (70 mi/112km) by canoe to Little Salmon Village. Total 7 days – fully guided. (7-day itinerary includes the arrival and departure days)
Trip No. YRG No 1 – Our favourite! This starts with a float plane ride from Schwatka Lake, located just outside the city core, to the north end of Lake Laberge – about 96km downstream. During the flight, you are treated to an enviable view of this famous body of water that our northern poet Robert Service immortalized in his rendition of “The Cremation of Sam McGee.”
Our camping equipment and supplies have been transferred by boat to Lower Laberge, and as your pilot sets up a landing at the abandoned Village of Lower Laberge, the colourful array of canoes and gear resting on the beach marks the start of your paddling adventure.
In its heyday, Lower Laberge was a busy, bustling village that was a haven for winter trappers and summer river people. We change our mode of transport from the airplane to a canoe or kayak. Everything you depend on for the next five days will have to be carried, and we all get to share a part of the load.
The first two days are spent in the famous Thirty-Mile part of the Yukon River. The Thirty-Mile is a Yukon treasure and was declared a Canadian Heritage River in 1991. It is a wonderful introduction to a Yukon River paddling trip.
Magnificent wind-sculptured clay bluffs limit the width of the river, and the confined current speeds up and directs your canoe almost effortlessly to its destination downstream. The scenic surroundings and the almost perpetual daylight will make the day seem everlasting.
If fishing is your passion, now is the time to indulge. Catching the lively arctic grayling and the great northern pike is part of the experience. The guides are experts at cooking the catch, and believe me; there is nothing better than a fresh-caught grayling at breakfast time. You’ll get a first-hand look at a Bald Eagle’s nest and marvel at the large birds in flight.
The antics of the swallows that nest in the clay cliffs along the river is also a continual source of entertainment. Have your camera ready, as wildlife likes this part of the river just as much as we do. The historic significance of the river becomes apparent with the occasional view of the dilapidated remains of a long-abandoned cabin and a visit to a once-working shipyard
complete with a large derelict sternwheeler on the way. Shipyard Island is found just downstream of the abandoned village of Hootalinqua at the confluence of the Teslin and Yukon Rivers.
As we drift further downstream, the Yukon River grows in volume and soon, the Big Salmon River, also a major waterway, adds its flow. At the confluence, a tour of the turn-of-the century native village and trading post provides an interesting understanding of life on the river during the days when it was the highway to the Klondike gold fields.
In the afternoon of day, six the river portion of your trip ends at Little Salmon Village, (abandoned) located at the confluence of the Little Salmon and Yukon Rivers. There is a large graveyard on the river bank almost hidden and sheltered by the prolific aspen trees that border the river at this spot. The graveyard is a sad testimony to the flu epidemic in 1917/1918.
After loading the canoes and gear into our vans and trailer, we travel the Campbell Highway to the Village of Carmacks. From there, we take the North Klondike Highway back to Whitehorse and check in to our hotel in late afternoon. Dinner this evening is our treat.
We include:
For all our Yukon River trips, we provide – Airport service – Hotel accommodation on day one and day 6 – (double occupancy). Air flight from Schwatka Lake at Whitehorse to Lower Laberge (approximately 60mi/96km as the crow flies), all food, beverages, canoes or kayaks, tents (double occupancy) and equipment while on the river trip. All required road transport.
Not included:
Meals in Whitehorse except where indicated. Personal sleeping bag and field mattress- (these may be rented from us), Alcoholic beverages, although they are allowed. A list of recommended personal equipment is supplied well before the scheduled departure date.
Cost $2,895.00 per person
Six person minimum
Single supplement – hotel & tent – $280.00
YRG No. 1 – 2024 Tour dates
August 11 (Sun) to August 17 (Sat) *
custom dates also available please contact us
*Japanese-speaking guide on trip
To reserve this package tour, please use our secure RESERVATION form.
CONTACT
Kanoe People Ltd – P.O. Box 31149, Whitehorse, Yukon Y1A 5P7
Telephone: 867-668-4899
email: info@kanoeple.com
For information in Japanese
Katsu Sakuma email: kcjsakuma@sympatico.ca