From our front door!!

[Canotrouge]

We just got back yesterday from a 8 days Yukon river trip leaving from our front door(2km from it) in Whitehorse Yukon to Carmacks, 300km total including the entire length of lake Laberge that is just over 50 km. We left on monday the 22nd with an other family so four adults and four kids... So aged 4yo to 44yo...

I'm not the best at trip reports, but I'll do my best.

We were paddling 2 Esquif Miramichi, 20 feet Royalex prospector type canoe, slow and heavy, never again I will use that canoe...

So leaving from town, we did 35km before stoping to a good well used camp site. We just a few km from the lake.

The next day we made it to the lake and did a total of 25km, lake travel is slow... slower than on the river, but the lake was nice a calm. found a great camp site in a bay well sheltered from the wind. That lake is a huge lake and can go from smooth and calm to ugly and carry in a matter of minutes. So all paddlers are encouraged to follow the east side and stay fairly close to shore. Even in the warmest of summer the water stay well bellow 10 degrees celsius. so a capsize far from shore can be, well, disastrous!!

On wednesday we left our bay at 10 am, we were up at around 7 every day( some a bit later) and manage to get going by 10 or 10:30 after having a good breakfast and relaxing morning. The lake is still quite calm. The weather is nice and we have a bit of a tale wind/breeze. Still lots of smoke from the different forest fires that have hit the Yukon since the spring. Nous parcourons 26 km. We are off the water to a great camp site by a rock cliff by 5pm. Today is the start of the Yukon River quest, a 700km canoe/Kayak/voyageur race the racer go all the way to Dawson city in about 50hrs, they race around the clock other than a 8hrs layover in Carmacks. So that night at 7pm the first two boats are passing in front of our camp, the kids are really excited, they were only 7 hrs into the race, #1 was a tandem kayak followed close by a tandem canoe. We saw all 56 teams before we got to bed a 11ish pm.

Thursday was our last day on the lake and we had only 6km to do before entering the section of the Yukon river known as the 30 miles. The wind was up we had some whitecaps, but the waves stayed under 2 feet with a good tale wind we manage to use the umbrella to sail to the end reaching 7-8km/hr. We entered the 30 miles and stopped for a short break at lower Laberge, a cabine and a few other artifact are still visible from the Stern Paddle ships era doing the trip from Whitehorse to Dawson and back from 1899 to 1956-58.... Short day on the water, we ddi only 37km...

We camped one night on the 30 miles before we reached where the Teslin river meet the Yukon. On Friday , we stopped at Hootalinqua where there use to be a road house and trading post. There is still a lot of artifact that remain. We then went a bit further dow street to an Island where the SS Evelyne was stored for winer but never went back into the water, so we can see what is left of it and the big wooden winch that where used to bring boats up on the island for the winter. We also saw the remains of the SS Klondike 1 in a bent on the river where you can see only the deck above the water. We did 51 km today!!

Saturday, we had quite a bit of head wind, the river gets quite a bit bigger, but not much faster... Super hot day!! We manage 57km and got off the water a 4:45 pm. There is more people on the water to since the Teslin came in the Yukon. The Teslin is a really popular trip and more people do it since you don't have to deal with the Lake. We saw 3 black bears, the first one was swimming across the river and aiming for a camp site just above where the Big Salmon river get into the Yukon. The bear was ferrying nicely to a couple of tourists that were getting ready to put in when we yelled at them of the bear destination.... As soon as the bear heard our voice, he started to swim harder and got off a bit higher than the camp site. we ferried across to make sure the bear wasn't coming into camp wile the couple finished packing there canoe. We then kept going Below the Big Salmon river to Big Salmon village where there use to be a first nation fishing/hunting camp and trading post. there is still some old cabines standing. The Yukon river was at one time the Highway to the Dawson city gold rush and for many years after until the Alaska Hwy was built So lots of great history is all along its banks.

We had lunch at Laurent Cyre's Dredge, that was built in the 40's from scraps, an old Cat angine and car angine and drive train. They floated it for 20 days and managed to dredge 72 onces of gold "flour" they brought it on shore and left w/o returning the next season...........

The kids Jumped off the canoe to cool of in the afternoon before we reach Twin Creek for the night. We built some wooden boats with them and raced them down the creek, it was a lot of fun!!

Sunday, we only did 46km and camped on a gravel/sandy bar 24km out of Carmacks. it was so hot we had to set up the tarp to stay out of the sun... We all have a dip in the cold water to cool off so we could sleep that night.

Our last day on the river started with a really easy morning of cooking bannok, pancake and eggs, drinking coffee and letting the kids play in the sand by the river! We left at lunch and we mainly floated to our last stop before being picked up by Karine's sister and her husband.

A great trip with great people in the land of the midnight sun that I call home!!

Interesting... the picture didn't load in the good order... Ho well.

 

[yellowcanoe]

Kids bring something special to a trip. I did the Teslin to Hootalinqua so missed Lake Laberge; then continued to Dawson.. Of course we have to go back and do the Lake and all the way to Circle.. Next year..

There is something that draws you back to the Yukon River. It looks from your pic that the Spirit Houses are being maintained now at Big Salmon.

It sounds odd to those of us used to groaning and portaging but 50 km days are pretty normal on the Yukon.

It always sound odd to hear hot so far north. We in the East have not really been able to swim yet and some of us have been stoking the woodstove.

Can you specify the location of the campsites you used on Lake Laberge? I trust they were all on the east side.

 

[memaquay]

Wow, such beautiful scenery! You really live in a spectacular place! Loved the pictures, looks like the kids had a great time. When I retire, that place is on my must visit list.

 

[tump_lion]

this is fantastic, everything was frozen when i did the drive from dawson to whitehorse...what a great trip!

 

[Marten]

Fantastic! And so close to your front door.

 

[Canotrouge]

Thank you guys. It is always nice to see that some people can relate cause they've been here, to bad we didn't meet!!
50km on the rivers up here is actually a low average, but for us that travel with kids, it is what it is. My wife, with her school group, grade 10 students, they did a 90km day on her last trip from Carmacks to Dawson. 70km, is usually what you would aim for in an adult setting!

As for the location of our camps on the lake, this is what I can tell you, the first camp was right across Richthofen Island in a bay just below Laurier Creek, just about at the 100km mark in the Rourke map book. our second camp was just at the foot of a rock cliff/face, just around the 126km mark from the same book/map, 6km before the ed of the lake. We were traveling the best side of the lake. There is a lot of great camp spot on the lake, especially if you travel with a small group, one or two tents. there is fewer spot for bigger groups.

Mem, I'm sure you recognized, the portage bag in some of the pictures!?!? It is a great bag, I love it, so much easier to load gear in than those stupid Sealine pack. I might try to make one this winter.... and some wanigans.

The further north you go the hotter it gets... In the summer lol. Dawson is often in the hight 20s to 30 degrees celsius. Where Whitehorse is usually around 20.

As for swimming, get this strait, the water is never warm enough for swimming, but the on this trip, all the kids are born up here, and both our friends are bored and raised up here, so they don't know any better!!

Cheers

 

[daveo4]

Great trip report. Thanks for sharing!

 

[APPaul]

Great report! Great pics!



Thinking about doing the Carmacks to Dawson section next summer, possibly with kids. Why not the 20footers again? Are they like paddling a barge?

 

[Canotrouge]

APPaul , I think that there is better 20 footer out there that are faster and lighter for that kind of trip(Not involving ww) like the Mackenzie 20 from Clipper canoe. I would have to try them side by side to really compare, but the Miramichi was a lot of work to get going and to keep going. Handled really well, like a prospector, but so sluggish. But that could be me, I'm use to composites tripping boats like the Hellman Slocan, Or the Composites Creation Expedition....

The Carmacks to Dawson is a nice section, that is the section that my wife did with her grade 10 students this year. We did the Minto to Dawson a few time so far, Fort Selkirk is a must to stay for a day!!

 

[APPaul]

I have never paddled a 20 footer before, but have always found any river - river tripping canoe to be sluggish. But I paddle more flat water, in skinny asymmetrical canoes, so it should be expected. Something about Royalex too, feels slow.

Was considering the Carmacks to Dawson because on Google Maps I can see it looked more remote...but we can't make up our minds, hiking in the Tombstones, kayaking in Glacier Bay NP, hiking the Chilkoot, Kluane..... my brother just moved to the Yukon so I find myself spending more and more time investigating the "green areas" on maps in that area.

 

[Robin]

Nice report, I'll probably never get to see that area and that's too bad. Thanks for sharing, I enjoyed the pictures alot, very interesting. I can relate to this one, bean boots and an Outers pack, don't get much better!

Thanks for sharing a great family trip.

 

[Jim Dodd]

Thanks for sharing ! Enjoyed YOUR trip !

You really had those canoes loaded !

You gave those kids a lifetime of memories ! Good for you !

Jim

 

[Odyssey]

WOW! Great trip report Rouge, and the photos are fantastic! What an incredible place to experience, right from your front door.
As beautiful as the scenery is (awe inspiring) I love seeing the history and culture too. Thanks Rouge.

 

[ppine]

Thanks Conotrouge. That is my kind of trip report. I love the North, but probably will not get to those wild rivers up there, as there are too many good ones in the lower 48. I have made 10 trips to Alaska and fall in love with rivers every day that I am up there. My uncle really liked the town of Chicken, AK.

 

[Canotrouge]

No Title

Was considering the Carmacks to Dawson because on Google Maps I can see it looked more remote...but we can't make up our minds, hiking in the Tombstones, kayaking in Glacier Bay NP, hiking the Chilkoot, Kluane..... my brother just moved to the Yukon so I find myself spending more and more time investigating the "green areas" on maps in that area.

Thank you guys!

APPAul, the Carmacks to Dawson in not more remote unfortunately... It is maybe even more traveled than what we did!!

That is what we did the past 4 days.... Not tripping but still tripping... Base camped for 4 days, did 4 runs on 2 different rivers!!

 

[yellowcanoe]

Interestingly we saw some seven canoes on the Carmacks to Dawson section.. Still not terribly crowded when compared to Algonquin.. A fair number of working boats. One sample though is not accurate.

 

[APPaul]

I guess I should say Minto to Dawson because it seems to veer away from the highway. But I guess the absence of rapids on a large river means that there may be more traffic than I originally thought?

RE your other images Canotrouge...looks like Whitehorse is a fun place!

 

[Canotrouge]

APPaul, Whitehorse is great place, but don't tell anyone, it is already to crowded to my liking.... As for the Yukon river past or before Carmacks, it really depends on the time of year and the kind of summer we have, hot July = lots of trafic, rainy august = not so much.....

 

[Mama]

Family paddles are the best. Beautiful pictures, cute kids. Thanks for sharing.

 

[Thatsapaddlin]

Really nice trip report, thanks for sharing!! Love the New Brunswick connection (Miramichi), wish we had big wilderness like that over here!