Northern Adventures:
3-5 Day Boat-Supported Canoe Trip
Yukon River, Lake Laberge to Carmacks
Click on each photo to greatly enlarge it
This is one of our most popular trips. This wilderness adventure includes a scenic boat trip
down Lake Laberge to the ghost town of Lower Laberge and the start of the Thirty Mile River.
Described as "30 miles of magic" by National Geographic, this is the most beautiful,
historic and exciting section of the entire Yukon River
(click here to see a map of the area).
It's significance has been recognized by its designation as a Canadian Heritage River.
Emerald green in colour and crystal clear, it winds its way through endless
forests of spruce and pine - around islands and gravel bars - under dramatic high clay banks -
with bald eagles watching as we slip by below.
Wildlife seen along the river include moose, bear, caribou and wolf. For the angler,
the river offers the finest Arctic grayling fishing found anywhere in the North. Trophy size Northern pike are also found
in quiet backwaters all along the river. Have a look at our
Testimonials page for some great fish stories!
Along the river are many remnants from pioneer days - glimpses at life along the river a century or more ago.
At the head of the river is the now abandoned village of Lower Laberge, where we'll stop to explore the cabins and
telegraph station as well as the remains of the sternwheeler Casca. She was one of the fleet of
steamboats that worked the river over a period of some 50 years.
As the current carries us down the river at an easy pace, we pass several log cabins and wood camps, then
at the lower end of the river stop at Hootalinqua, another abandoned gold rush village where several buildings remain.
Just downstream is Shipyard Island, where the sternwheeler Norcom was pulled ashore some 90 years ago - she is still
intact to the point that you can climb aboard and walk her decks.
As we pass Hootalinqua, the large Teslin River joins the Yukon, creating a much
wider and somewhat slower river.
Our next stop on the way to Carmacks is the abandoned village of Big Salmon, once a busy
community with a trading post and Mounted Police detachment. Below Big Salmon we pass the wreckage of the
sternwheeler Klondike still sitting on the gravel bar where she grounded in June 1936 and broke her back.
At Cassiar Bar, we'll stop and pan for gold - this gravel bar was made famous
during the gold rush for the richness of the gravel, and the "colours" that drove men to abandon their regular lives and head
into an unknown wilderness are still found more than a century later.
Our campsites along the way will be carefully chosen for their view of the river and mountains. Your guide will
cook gourmet meals for you over an open fire and keep you spellbound with tales of the Yukon!
The bridge over the Yukon River at Carmacks signals the end of the water part of our journey. Once we load the boats
on the truck waiting at the campground, it's an easy 2-hour drive back to Whitehorse. You can, if you choose, continue on to Dawson City
by joining our 5-day trip from Carmacks to Dawson.
Rates:
$895 per person for 3 day trip, minimum 2 people. Discounts apply for groups and families -
please inquire. Prices are in Canadian dollars - to convert to your currency, click here.
Prices do not include 5% GST.
All food and non-alcoholic beverages are supplied.
We also supply the finest in wilderness
gear, including Woods tents, North Face sleeping bags and Therma-rest mattresses and pillows.
Includes transportation from Carmacks back to Whitehorse.
For information on what you need to bring with you on a trip with us, see our gear list.
Reserving a date for your Yukon adventure is easy - just contact us by email, phone
or regular post at the address below and let us know when you would like to go.
Click here for booking details.
