Teslin River Tour
A nice alternative to the Yukon RiverThe Teslin River, located in the southwest of the Yukon Territory, flows through one of the most scenic areas of the Yukon. The Teslin offers everything you can expect on a beautiful canoe trip. Quiet running water and a varied river course. Sometimes the river is wider and in other places it winds its way as a small chanal through a swampy landscape.
This diversity invites you to explore and allow us to observe moose, beavers, bald eagles and, with some luck, black and grizzly bears close up. Unique camps with good fishing possibilities make us forget the everyday life, in the evening camp fire.
The Teslin River is also easy to master by inexperienced paddlers and is the ideal river to enjoy the Yukon and its wildlife in harmony with nature.
At the time of the big gold rush, the Teslin was used as an alternative route to the Yukon River, on the way to the Klondike goldfields at Dawson City. Away from civilization and in the middle of the wilderness, we follow these traces.
From Johnson’s Crossing to Dawson City, past abandoned settlements, trapper cabins and old paddle whealers, we enjoy the beautiful scenery of the Yukon. Again and again, we come across remains from the past.
At Hootalinqua, after about 195 km, we meet the mighty Yukon River, where we continue our canoe tour. A trip to the streamer “SS Evelyn” at Shipyard Island and panning for gold at “Cyr’s gold dredge” puts us back into the gold rush era.
After passing through the notorious Five Finger Rapids, we reach the historic village “Fort Selkirk” in the following days of the canoe trip. The next days we will enjoy the endless wilderness in our canoe, before we reach the Klondike gold fields and Dawson City.
We will stay for the next two days in Dawson. In the city, where around 100 years ago everything was dominated by gold, we will visit an active gold mine at Hunker Creek and dig in the river for gold nuggets. In the evening we visit the legendary Diamond Tooth Gerties Casino. By black jack, poker or roulette, we can enjoy the Can Can Show.
The visit of the historic gold dredge “Dredge No.4” and a detour to the “Discovery Claim” at Bonanza Creek concludes our adventure tour.
Day 1:
Your guide will greet you at the Whitehorse Airport and transfer you to your hotel. After the check-in we will meet for a tour briefing and discuss your trip details and answer all of your questions.
Day 2:
Our canoeing adventure begins on the Teslin River with a short drive along the Alaska Highway southeast to Johnson’s Crossing, where we start our canoe trip with a short stretch before we reach our fisrt camp on the shore of the Teslin River.
Day 3 to 10:
At the beginning the Teslin is a wide river and flows along a grassy swampland. After several kilometers the Teslin is getting smaller and we feel how the current is getting faster.
Nestled into the hills, the Teslin now flows briskly through wooded valleys. In this area we will find some nice camps and have the opportunity to explore some of the old trapper cabins or go for a short hike on the nearby slopes.
While canoeing we have enough time to try out our fishing skills as a freshly caught fish is a welcome supplement to our menu.
In the early summer months we might see some moose cows and their calvs on the islands which characterize the Teslin River. Bald eagles are nesting in the trees along the river and even bears have been observed several times on our tours.
In Hootalingua, the Teslin merges with the Yukon River where we continue our canoe trip. After about 380 km on the Teslin and Yukon River we will join civilization in Carmacks for the first time again and top up our supplies. This is our half way point to Dawson City.
Day 11 to 18:
The second half of our trip to Dawson City leads us again past old settlements, trapper cabins and trading post stations for the paddle wheelers. A tour highlight is our camp at the remote Fort Selkirk at the confluence from the Pelly in the Yukon River. While exploring the former settlement we will gain the best impression of the pioneer life during the middle of the last century until the settlement was abandoned in the 1950s.
Your guide will tell you about the old days and the new days of the Gold rush while we are sitting at the campfire in the evening.
After we passed the confluence of the White Rivers the stream of the Yukon River flows much faster. The breathtaking White River valley shows us the endless wide of the land.
The Yukon River now spreads into a large river with several wide arms and hundreds of islands.
We use this opportunity to explore some of the smaller channels and we might have the chance to see some wildlife close by.
After 17 days on the Teslin and Yukon River we notice the first signs of modern gold mining techniques. For us a sign that we reached the Klondike goldfields and we will arrive in Dawson City today.
Arrived in Dawson, we stay for the next three nights at the Dawson City River Hostel.
Day 19:
Take your time to explore the former gold mining town of Dawson City and its historic and lovingly restored buildings. We suggest you visit the gold digger museum or the original cabin of Jack London or just sit in Klondike Kates and have a coffee. In the evening we will see the nightlife of Dawson and visit the legendary Diamond Tooth Gerties Casino with its Can Can Show.
Day 20:
After breakfast we will drive out of Dawson to the Hunker Creek to visit the Goldbottom mine. A guided tour through this active mine shows you the effort needed to digging out the gold from the frozen ground. We will step into the creek and try our best to uncover some gold nuggests of our own. Afterwords we visit “Dredge No.4” and drive through the discovery claim in the Bonanza Creek. There where Skookum Jim, Tagish Charlie and George Carmack found the first gold on August 17th 1896 and staked the first claim. The big goldrush has started…
On the way back to our camp we take a short drive to our viewpoint. We will have an excellent overview and great photo opportunity of Dawson City and the surrounding Klondike goldfields.
Day 21:
In the early morning we drive over the Klondike Highway back to Whitehorse and stop by at the lovingly designed Moose Creek Lodge and the Five Finger Rapids to take some more pictures. Arriving in Whitehorse we check in for the last night in our hotel.
Day 22:
Transfer from your hotel to the Whitehorse Airport and say “good bye”.
Services included in price:
- Whitehorse Airport shuttle
- 22 days tour from/to Whitehorse
- English speaking guide
- Guided tour in small groups from 2 to 12 people
- All overnight fees (2 x hotel, 19 x camping in tents)
- Overnight stays in two people Dome Tent incl. Therm-A-Rest mats
- Full camping and outdoor equipment is provided
- 17 days guided canoe trip on the Teslin and Yukon River
- Canoe for two people incl. 3 paddles, 2 life jackets, sponge and bailer
- 2 full days in Dawson City incl. goldmine tour, etc.
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All meals during the tour
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All transportations
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Emergency equipment including Satellite communication
Not Included:
- Air fare to/from Whitehorse
- All hotel meals and during the transportation
- Alcoholic drinks
- Personal expenses and tips
- Sleeping bag
- Fishing License
- Travel and cancellation Insurance
| Dates: | Price | Availability |
| 02.06.2024 to 23.06.2024 | $3,625 CAD | available |
Single room supplement: $450.00 CAD
Single tent supplement: $125.00 CAD
All prices are in Canadian dollars plus 5% GST.
