22 Oct 2018
The captivating story of the Klondike Gold Rush is alive and kicking in the Yukon and the people of this remote, wild territory continue to live and breathe its rich history. Ride the train along the world-famous White Pass and Yukon Route Railway, an engineering marvel, and feel the desperate hope of the gold-crazed men and women who risked everything for the chance to strike it rich.
The narrow gauge railway was built in 1898 during the Klondike Gold Rush and is an International Historic Civil Engineering Landmark, a designation shared with the Panama Canal, the Eiffel Tower and the Statue of Liberty. 120 years since the very first rail journey on the over the White Pass, this day trip from Whitehorse has become a true bucket-list adventure.
Re-live the legend
As thousands of prospectors made the dangerous 970-kilometre trek along the Chilkoot Trail and White Pass in the late 1890s, it was inevitable that, sooner or later, a cashed-up entrepreneur would seize the chance to build a railway through the White Pass, easing journey to the gold fields.
“Give me enough dynamite and a snoose and I'll build a railroad to hell!”
Railroad contractor, Michael J. Heney famously bragged he could do the impossible when he joined forces with Sir Thomas Tancrede to build a railway over the treacherous Coastal Mountains of Yukon, British Columbia and Alaska. Started in 1898, with Tancrede's money and Heney's skill, this wonder of steel and timber was completed in 27 months by 35,000 men using only hand tools and black powder. The White Pass and Yukon route rises almost 873 metres from sea level at the port of Skagway to the White Pass summit on the U.S.-Canada border in just 32km, accomplishing one of the steepest climbs of any railroad in the world. Built for approximately $10 million to promote the Klondike Gold Rush around the turn of the century, the 108 km narrow-gauge railway remained an important part of the mining industry - transporting gold, silver, copper and lead ore from Canadian mines across the coastal mountain range to Alaskan ports - until it was closed during a period of low metal prices in 1982. The railway found new life six years later as a thriving excursion line serving the cruise-ship industry, drawing visitors from around the world, eager to immerse themselves in this vivid piece of yesteryear.
Day trip from Whitehorse
Board a motor coach at the White Pass Depot in downtown Whitehorse and cruise along the scenic South Klondike Highway to Fraser, British Columbia, where you'll connect with the world-famous train.
On your route to Fraser, you will stop for a photo opportunity at scenic Emerald Lake, pass by the dunes of the world's smallest desert, Carcross Desert, and pause for 20 minutes at Carcross, where you'll see some of Yukon's oldest buildings, dating back as far as 1898, and pick up some tasty treats and excellent coffee from the local café, to take on the trip with you. Once in Fraser, you will board the vintage passenger coaches and gaze out at the panorama of mountains and glaciers as you listen to the historic commentary telling the story of this epic railway. Your 45 kilometre rail excursion will descend over the White Pass Summit into Skagway, Alaska. Traveling slowly through its hair-pin turns, steep slopes and narrow bridges, you're given a sense of the harrowing reality the prospectors endured for the promise of treasure. The hazards of the unforgiving Klondike Trail of '98 are worn into the rocks, paying eternal homage to the thousands of souls who perished in their futile search for gold. Once in Skagway, you'll have 1.5 hours to shop, have lunch, or just stroll around the unique and historic town, before boarding your motor coach for the trip from Skagway back to Whitehorse along the South Klondike Highway, enjoying a higher elevation and different perspective of this beautiful, historic landscape.
Background on the Yukon's Klondike Gold Rush
In 1896, prospectors found gold in a creek near Dawson City, Yukon, triggering a stampede to the Klondike. Bolstered by dreams and heartened by stories of riches, thousands of miners struggled across Chilkoot Pass and floated the Yukon River to Dawson City. Soon a rollicking frontier town with some 50,000 residents, making it the largest city in Canada west of Winnipeg and north of Seattle, Dawson filled up with desperate prospectors, shrewd entrepreneurs, Mounties and dancehall girls. Today, Dawson City is a national historic site and is still a lively and colourful place bursting with heritage sites and attractions, where you can still meet placer miners, dog mushers and other Klondike characters. You'll feel the grit, heartache and golden dreams of the Klondike Gold Rush when you reach this authentic frontier town. Walk among the carefully restored buildings with costumed interpreters and feel like you're stepping back in time. Try your hand at blackjack, sample the infamous Sourtoe Cocktail, or take in a Can-Can show at Diamond Tooth Gerties gambling hall, the oldest in Canada. First Nations (native) cultural experiences and wilderness adventures are an important part of the Klondike experience too. Dawson City is a convenient base from which to explore the Dempster Highway (Canada's only road which crosses the Arctic Circle) to Tombstone Park, the Arctic Circle and North Yukon, and across the Yukon River to the Top of the World Highway.
North America Travel Service offer a 4 day 'Discover Whitehorse & White Pass Yukon Railroad' package that includes 3 nights accommodation, a Whitehorse City tour and full day Whitehorse to Skagway tour on the White Pass railway from £384 per person.
