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Klondike Gold Rush Self Drive

  • Whitehorse
  • Carmacks
  • Dawson City
  • Vancouver
  • 10 nights from
  • £2,999 per person

    • Trip Code: SD-1279

    • SAVE! £100 per booking book by 24 December

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Holiday Overview

Klondike Gold Rush Self-Drive - an amazing 11-day Canada fly drive holiday.

The lure of gold drew thousands of men and women to the Yukon during the Klondike Gold Rush of 1898. They arrived into what they thought of as a ‘wilderness area’, that was, and still is, the traditional home of the Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in First Nation people. 

August 2023 sees the 125th anniversary of the Klondike Gold Rush. With our Klondike Gold Rush Self Drive step back in time and explore the Whitehorse region and Dawson City - a National Historic Site - and the rich Indigenous roots and culture, incredible landscapes and modern-day uniqueness. 

In this itinerary, you will walk on the prospectors steps and experience the different ways they used to reach Dawson City. You will explore different perspectives, meet storytellers and learn lesser-known stories of the Klondike Gold Rush.  

Klondike Gold Rush Self Drive includes:

  • Return UK Flights
  • Internal flight Vancouver to Whitehorse
  • 10 nights accommodation
  • Car Hire pick up and drop off Whitehorse Airport
  • McCrae to Schuwatka Canoe Tour
1

Day 1 - Fly to Vancouver

Fly to Vancouver and make your own way to your downtown hotel. (transfer not included)

Featured accommodation

Sutton Place Hotel Vancouver

Enhance your experience

Fairmont Waterfront Hotel

2

Day 2 - Vancouver Sightseeing

Explore this stunning coastal city at your leisure. We recommend adding on the Vancouver City Highlights tour to help you take in the best of the city.

Featured accommodation

Sutton Place Hotel Vancouver

Enhance your experience

Fairmont Waterfront Hotel

Unmissable Experiences

Vancouver Experiences
3

Day 3 - Arrive Whitehorse

Short flight from Vancouver this afternoon to Whitehorse. Pick up your car hire and make the short 10 minute drive to your downtown hotel. 

Featured accommodation

Raven Inn

4

Day 4 - Explore Whitehorse

Time to explore the region and take advantage of all that Whitehorse has to offer. We recommend visiting Mc Bride Museum, a dynamic museum, dedicated to promoting the value, understanding and enjoyment of Yukon history. This afternoon take a short hike around Miles Canyon. Almost nine million years ago, a rush of basaltic lava spread over a pre-glacial landscape a few kilometres from what is now downtown Whitehorse. A ribbon of fast-moving turquoise water runs between the cliffs that remain and forms Miles canyon. 

Featured accommodation

Raven Inn

Unmissable Experiences

Whitehorse Experiences
5

Day 5 - Canoe Tour McCrae to Schwatka

Today we have included a canoe tour from McCrae to Schwatka at midday to 3pm. This tour takes you past some of the most important historic sites of the Klondike Goldrush! Being a 3-hour tour, this is the perfect fit for everyone with a tight schedule, hoping to get in some paddling on the famous Yukon River. The trip begins at McCrae just 25 minutes outside of Whitehorse. Once on the river you'll only have to paddle a few kilometres until you reach Canyon City. A busy settlement during the Klondike Goldrush of 1898, only a few remnants remain of Canyon City. Stop for some pictures and a snack before heading through scenic Miles Canyon. This section of the Yukon River was a particularly notorious stretch of whitewater called the Whitehorse Rapids, giving the current capital of the Yukon its name. These rapids were finally tamed when the Whitehorse dam came into operation during the 1950s and water levels behind the dam rose. Once you reach Schwatka Lake, you will be picked up an dropped off back to your hotel.

Featured accommodation

Raven Inn

Unmissable Experiences

Whitehorse Experiences
6

Day 6 - Whitehorse to Dawson City (532 km/333 mi)

Depart Whitehorse this morning for your drive to Dawson City. Enjoy the raw beauty of the surrounding landscape. Stopover at the Five Finger Rapids and hike down to the shore of the Yukon River to break up your drive today.

Featured accommodation

Midnight Sun Hotel

7

Day 7 - Dawson City

Experience the old Klondike in its well-kept colour and fame. Today get a little taste of “gold fever” by taking a drive out to the mining roads.  Visit the place that started it all—Discovery Claim—and learn how a single nugget spawned the Klondike Gold Rush. Then swing by Free Claim and try your own hand at panning. Develop a personal technique and take home whatever you find!  However, a drive to the Gold Fields is not complete until you take in Dawson’s engineering wonder: Dredge National Historic Site! 

 

Featured accommodation

Midnight Sun Hotel

8

Day 8 - Dawson City

A day at leisure to continue exploring the area. We recommend visiting the Jack London Museum and Dawson City Museum, also it is well worth booking locally a boat tour to Moosehide Village.

Featured accommodation

Midnight Sun Hotel

9

Day 9 - Explore Dawson City

Free day to explore Dawson City, perhaps even visit Dawson City museum and discover some incredible old gold rush artifacts. Dawson City’s crowning glory is the spectacular panorama that can only be seen atop the Midnight Dome.  So be sure that your camera batteries are charged and there is room on you memory card, because you don’t want to miss an opportunity to capture this enchanting vista.  Once you have recovered from the breathtaking view, make your way this evening to Canada’s first (and friendliest) gambling hall, Diamond Tooth Gerties. Be entertained by Gertie’s powerhouse vocals and her high-kicking “Gold Rush Girls.” 

Featured accommodation

Midnight Sun Hotel

10

Day 10 - Dawson City to Whitehorse (532 km/333 mi)

Depart Dawson this morning and head south, enjoy the raw beauty of the surrounding landscape. Stopover at the Five Finger Rapids and hike down to the shore of the Yukon River. In late afternoon you will reach Yukon’s capital city, Whitehorse - a city with a unique combination of pioneer values and urban sophistication for your last overnight in the city. 

Featured accommodation

Raven Inn

11

Day 11 - Depart Whitehorse

Check out of your hotel and take the short drive to Whitehorse Airport to drop off your hire car prior to your flight.

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