Route guide · Alaska / British Columbia
The Klondike stampeders' 33-mile route from Dyea tidewater over 3,759 ft Chilkoot Pass to Bennett Lake, strewn with century-old artifacts you're asked to leave in place. The Golden Stairs — the boulder climb to the pass — is the famous day, often done in snow even in July, and the trip ends with the narrow-gauge railway back from Bennett.
permit required · we track who booked what · the whole crew on one page
Permit required — Cross-border permit (NPS + Parks Canada) with nightly camp quotas — reserve for the full traverse. Official info
Yes. Cross-border permit (NPS + Parks Canada) with nightly camp quotas — reserve for the full traverse.
Most groups take 3–5 days. The reference itinerary here plans 3 nights, camp to camp.
June – early September. Outside that window expect snow, storm damage or closures to change the plan.
Dates, camps, gear split, meals and the crew — planned together on one page instead of forty threads.
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Route profile · camps
Day by day
Camps below are mapped campsites spaced to balance the daily miles — the same planner that builds a Trailmix trip. Your dates, pace and direction reshape it live.
Trailhead → Pleasant Camp
passes Finnegan's Point (4.7 mi) · Canyon City (7.4 mi) · High Canyon (7.9 mi)
Pleasant Camp → Happy Camp
passes Sheep Camp (12.3 mi)
Happy Camp → Lindeman City Lower Campground
passes Deep Lake (21.6 mi) · Lindeman City Upper Campground (24.5 mi) · Lindeman City (24.7 mi)
Lindeman City Lower Campground → Exit trailhead
passes Bare Loon Lake (27.0 mi)
UNPREDICTABLE WEATHER — Mountain weather changes rapidly; be prepared for cold, wet, windy, and white-out conditions at any time of year, especially at higher elevations.
SNOW TRAVEL — Snow often covers the trail at Chilkoot Pass well into July, requiring route-finding skills. Avalanche hazards may exist into mid-July.
recreation.gov · yukonhiking.ca · treelinereview.com · parkscanadahistory.com
The international border at Chilkoot Pass is not open for hikers to cross between the U.S. and Canada. Hikers must start and end on the same side, turning around at the border. NPS / Parks Canada · current season
All advisories →Best months
share of dry days · Open-Meteo Archive (ERA5), 10-year normals at the trailhead
TRAILHEAD
The trail starts at Dyea, 10 miles from Skagway; overnight parking is at the nearby Dyea Campground, not the trailhead itself.
NPS
PERMITS
You must reserve and carry a permit for all overnight camping, which requires selecting your specific nightly camps in advance.
NPS / Parks Canada
WATER
All water from rivers and tributaries is non-potable and must be filtered or treated due to high sediment and potential contamination.
NPS
BEAR SAFETY
This is bear country; use the provided food storage lockers at camps, carry bear spray, and know how to use it.
Parks Canada
HISTORIC SITE
The trail is considered the world's longest outdoor museum; do not touch or move the thousands of gold rush artifacts you will see.
NPS
GETTING BACK
The trail ends at Bennett, BC, which has no road access; most hikers return to Skagway via the pre-booked White Pass & Yukon Route railway.
White Pass & Yukon Route
It is not a real staircase but the name for the final, famously steep ascent to Chilkoot Pass — a difficult scramble over a large, unstable boulder field that often holds snow.
The trail ends at Bennett, B.C., which has no road access. Most hikers book return passage to Skagway on the White Pass & Yukon Route scenic railway.
Yes, permits are required for all overnight stays and must be reserved in advance. You must select and stick to your chosen campgrounds for each night of your trip.
SAT 08·22
61° / 55°
rain · 100%
SUN 08·23
61° / 52°
rain · 93%
MON 08·24
68° / 50°
showers · 49%
TUE 08·25
69° / 45°
cloud · 13%
WED 08·26
71° / 47°
cloud · 25%