Where is yukon alaska

The Yukon is so long, there are many sections of river to float, so that one man's put in is another man's takeout. There are miles of the river in the state of Alaska and miles in Canada. Of course you could land a floatplane almost anywhere to start or end a trip, but the Yukon does have enough road access to yield some good sections of river with access. There is the Canadian section, The Yukon Charley section, the Yukon Flats section, the haul road section and the far western section to consider.

The most logical upper access point is in Whitehorse Yukon Territory, unless you went all the way to Lake Bennett or Lake Atlin at the river's beginning. From Whitehorse there begins a mile section of river that runs to Dawson where road access occurs.

From Dawson the river runs into Alaska to the first real access, the Taylor Highway, at the town of Eagle Alaska, miles below Dawson. From Eagle, it is miles to where the river next sees road access at the remote town of Circle Alaska at the end of the Steese Highway. From Circle the river begins it's sweeping bend to the southwest to where the Dalton Highway crosses the river below Steven's Village after miles.

After going under the Dalton Highway you are on the way to a section of river without road access but there are numerous villages where regular commercial air service is your ticket out. Below the haul road a likely destination might be Galena, miles away, where the Yukon starts its run to the south and to its giant delta region. At Mountain Village the great river turns into a giant maze of braids and might be a logical place to end a trip on this lower part of the river.

The village of Emmonak, near the river's mouth, might be as far as you want to go into the western delta region and is the regional hub for air traffic. The road to Skagway from Whitehorse offers the access to the headwater lakes of the Upper Yukon River.

Where you start is probably dependent upon vehicles and drivers with the first opportunity at Lake Bennett, where you can paddle its length into Lake Tagish and on down to its outlet into the Yukon proper.

From here, a 3 to 4 mile an hour current will take you the remaining distance to Whitehorse, Yukon Territory. From Whitehorse the river is already a big river with riverboat traffic and wide reaches. The Takhini River enters on river left about 12 miles from town.

It winds back on itself numerous times as it runs past the suburban reaches of the outskirts of Whitehorse until it reaches the mile long Lake Leberge. This is the most dangerous part of this section of river as the lake often has high winds and can capsize a canoe easily. Stay to the right hand shore for best results. After exiting Lake Leberge you have 15 miles to the confluence with the Teslin River and another 20 mile to the confluence with the Big Salmon River. Here the river swings to the west and heads to the village of Carmacks on the Klondike Highway.

Beyond Carmacks a few miles is the Five Finger Rapid, a large section of river that passes through a set of rock islands that can create some waves. Stay to the right hand channel for easiest passage. After Five Fingers, the river settles into its big 5-mile an hour current and for the next miles you are away from roads and will join several big rivers as the Yukon gains water.

First, the White River enters from river left, then the Stewart River on river right. Once you arrive in Dawson you can be treated to all amenities and services. It is here the Top of the World Highway enters Canada from Alaska, with ferryboat services for cars and the Klondike River joins from river right. From Dawson, the Yukon has become a giant river and runs northwest as it heads to the border with Alaska. The Ogilvie Mountains form the valley wall to the north and after 40 miles the Forty Mile River enters on river left.

From Forty Mile it is about miles to Eagle where the next access road is found. There is a small monument where you enter the USA and a cleared swath of land.

Just down river of town is the Eagle Bluffs that force the river into a big turn and is a spot where spring breakup sometimes forms ice dams and floods the river valley. There is a strong 5-mile an hour current all through here. Fort Yukon is one of the older non-Native settlements in Alaska, founded as a fur-trading outpost in by the Hudson Bay Company.

To this day, many residents earn their livelihoods through fur trading. Many visitors to Fort Yukon are there to connect with outfitters and guiding companies that run trips in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to the north. Viewing wildlife is one of the main reasons many visitors head to the refuge for extended wilderness trips. Air taxi operators also offer one-day flightseeing trips to spot caribou in both the refuge and the areas surrounding Fort Yukon.

Rafting is another popular activity in the refuge, and Fort Yukon is a major staging area for guiding companies who run raft trips on the Kongakut, Sheenjek, Canning, and Hulahula Rivers. Seeing and crossing the Arctic Circle is also a big draw. Within Fort Yukon is a replica of Hudson Bay Company fort built by the British trading company in the mids for protection against the Russians.

Getting to the Yukon is easy with direct flights from several Canadian cities and seasonal service from Frankfurt, Germany. Once here, exploring the Yukon is a breeze with guided tours, regional air services and RV and car rentals available from Whitehorse.

The Yukon is one of the last pristine wilderness areas left on earth. With a rich cultural heritage, fascinating gold rush history, legendary road trips, breathtaking scenery in every direction, trails to hike and rivers to paddle, all wrapped up with our warm Northern hospitality, this is a place your clients will love.

Oh, and did we mention the glorious midnight sun and magical northern lights which are such a bucket list item for so many travellers? Footer menu Subscribe to our Trade enews TravelYukon.