| 19 Days Pelly River Long Distance Tour |
| The Pelly River |
 25 degrees Celsius in the shade – no problem? Interested in easy whitewater, mixed with relaxed drifting? All this in pure wilderness, spiced with fresh fish and campfire-romantics – does this sound appealing? Then you better continue on reading! Character: Wilderness tour on the Pellly and Yukon Rivers; lots of untouched nature but also places of historical interest. Whitewater difficulties reach class II, mostly easy. Preparation for the trip at our base of operation. Special: climb of Mt. Cocoran and 2-day visit of Dawson City. This tour is suitable for beginners. A canoe course where you learn necessary skills will be held prior to the trip. |
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| Day |
Itinerary |
| 01 - 02 |
| We'll greet you at Whitehorse airport and transfer you to our base operation near Takhini Hot Springs. Your guide will introduce himself and gives substantial introduction to wilderness rules and canoeing techniques at the beginning and during the tour. We also show an excellent video about bear safety prior to the trip. You have plenty of time to organize your gear and adapt to the wilderness setting for a very special experience far away from civilization. |
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| 03 - 13 |
| The canoe tour starts in Faro and continues on for more than 650 km. The last 275 km we will be carried towards the gold rush town of Dawson City by the fast currents of the mighty Yukon River. It was here that Jack London wrote his action packed novels. The Pelly is a relatively wide river with good current. Thus, quite often we can stow away the paddles and stretch our legs. However, there is never really a chance to get bored. Every once in awhile, we will encounter sections which require quite a bit of maneuvering, fishermen will get their share of excitement, and old trails invite us for a hike. Three named rapids make for a rise of your heart rate, and so do many short sections of the river which stimulate our appetite with riffles and choppy waters. The main course on the Pelly is offered last: Granite Canyon will give you a final and solid taste of wave bashing and rock dodging. While you are making use of your newly acquired or improved canoeing skills, you will be surrounded by up to 100 metre high cliffs. After a good week of splendid nature we reach the Pelly Farm. |
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| 14 - 15 |
| From here on it is only half a day, until we reach the confluence with the Yukon. We will take a layover day directly at the Pellys mouth at the old trading post Fort Selkirk. It is a must to visit this formerly important settlement – it once was considered to become the capitol of the Yukon. There are also very good hiking opportunities close by. The climb of Mt. Cocoran offers the chance to fully realize the vastness and magnificence of this country. Note, that this climb is a bonus, not a must since you could stay with the work crew and maybe some other canoeists at Selkirk. |
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| 16 |
| The next day we continue through THE grizzly country on this trip. Passing the old homestead of Stewart Island at the mouth of the Stewart River, we paddle and drift towards Dawson City, the end of this great tour. Early afternoon we arrive in Dawson City where we set up our tents at the campground and enjoy a hot shower. To give you plenty of time to explore the attractions of Dawson we will wait with our return 1 1/2 days and two evenings. |
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| 17 |
| With its today’s approximately 2000 inhabitants Dawson City hasn’t changed its character much since the gold rush of 1898. The roads are still unpaved, the fiddlers or piano-men play in the bars and at Diamond-Tooth-Gerties, the gambling hall, the can-can-girls dance while people loose their money playing poker, just like it was in the old days. After more than two weeks in the wilderness you will almost feel like an old sourdough. This name relates back to the time before the invention of baking soda, when sourdough was the only lasting means to get the bread raising. The prospectors carried their sourdough at their body to protect it from winters cold. When, after a long, tough time and a more or less filled poke of gold, they finally came back to Dawson, the – at that time – large city of almost 30.000 got totally carried away. Of this flair, Dawson saved a lot into our time and you should certainly not end your trip without experiencing part of it. |
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| 18 |
| From Dawson City we enjoy Van transportation back to our base operation. On the way we pass Pelly Crossing before we stop at the famous Five-Finger-Rapids - once a navigational hazard for many stampeders on their way to the gold claims in Dawson. We follow the Yukon River to Carmacks - a trading post established in 1890 and continue to the ruins of Montague Roadhouse which was one of the 52 stopping places between Whitehorse and Dawson City in 1901. Via Twin Lakes - well known for their beauty and colors we stop at Conglomerate Mountain which was formed at the leading edge of volcanic mud flows some 185 million years ago. We will take our time for a good photo opportunity at beautiful Fox Lake and drive along Lake Laberge wich became famous from a poem by Robert W. Service. We arrive at our base operation near Takhini Hot Springs, where we stay for the night. |
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| 19 |
| Transfer from Takhini Hot Springs to Whitehorse. |
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