Chilkoot Trail Planning

Chilkoot Pass

We hiked the Chilkoot the last weekend of July 2012. Pre-planning is a big part of a successful trip.

It is a busy hike so it is a good idea to look a long way into the season…so here are some hints.

The trail is 53 km long…horizontal measurement. The trail is no way horizontal with an elevation gain of 3600 feet and many ups and downs along the way.

Trail booking begins in February. Things to consider…

When you book you have to book the campgrounds you intend to stay at each night.

We took five days and stayed at Canyon City, Sheep Camp, Happy Camp and Bare Loon Lake.

Each day was about 10 – 13 km…that was about enough hiking for one day and gave us the opportunity to enjoy each day. We did meet people who were doing it faster but…really, what is the point. We stayed at Canyon City the first day as we got an early start that day for hiking. If you were going to start later in the day, Finnigan’s Point may be were you want to camp.

You need to work backwards….that being the trail finishes at Bennett train station. The only way out is to take the train and some days the train runs north to Carcross and some days it runs south to Log Cabin or Skagway. Depending on your transportation after the hike and where you plan on going will determine the day you end. It is coordinated that if you go to Carcross, there is a bus back to Skagway the same day.

The trail itself is fairly regulated. It is a National Park on both sides of the border. US National Park Service on the American side and Parks Canada on the Canadian side. There is no customs at the summit….you are to phone Customs when you get back to Canada.

Campsites are regulated too…given the number of people who hike the trail, this is a good idea. Each campsite has designated tent areas. Sheep Camp, Canyon City and Bare Loon Lake have actual tent platforms. Each site also has a cooking tent. Cooking food must be done at or around the cooking tents to limit the area that may attract bears…there is no cooking allowed at the tent pads. Each campground also has bear boxes…steel boxes to put your food in at night.

You are required to attend an orientation at the US Parks Office in Skagway prior to your trip. They will tell you all the things you need to know prior to the hike, give you your pass and check your passport. Be prepared…they will also tell you all the things that could go wrong…weather, bears etc…you will find yourself shopping afterwards picking up all the things you didn’t need.

We were fortunate enough to have great weather…only three hours of rain the whole five days…this is not normal.

It was a wonderful, fulfilling fives days. I will post a more detail trip log.