From 1897-98, the Klondike Gold Rush transformed a traditional trade route into highway. Thousands of men, women, and children completed the journey from Dyea, Alaska to Lake Bennett, British Columbia. Today, the Chilkoot Trail is a 33 mile recreational trail. Each year, over 15,000 people day hike, backpack, or trail run this corridor. As they do, they pass hundreds of artifacts left behind by gold seekers. In 2022 the trail was officially designated the Chilkoot National Historic Trail. ![]() Chilkoot Trail History
From a Tlingit trade route, to a gold rush highway, to a modern recreation trail. Learn how the Chilkoot Trail has changed over 150 years. ![]() Hike the Chilkoot Trail
Start planning your backpacking or day hiking trip on the Chilkoot Trail ![]() Chilkoot Trail photos
Explore the Chilkoot Trail through pictures taken by hikers ![]() Experience the world's longest museum
Learn about artifacts left behind by gold rush stampeders ![]() Chilkoot Trail Campgrounds
Choose your camp spots from 9 campgrounds along the trail. Experience the Chilkoot Trail through photographs Photo Gallery Then and Now: Capturing a Cent...50 Images What has changed since the Klondike Gold Rush? Explore these photo pairs and see how you would answer the question. In 2013 and 2014, as part of an Inventory & Monitoring project, National Park Service researchers followed in the footsteps of gold rush and other early photographers to help provide an answer. Historic photos of landscapes within the White Pass, Chilkoot Trail, and Skagway Units of the park were selected. More than 100 years later, photos were taken of the same landscapes from the same vantage points to create the photo pairs included here. Photo Gallery Images of the Chilkoot Trail f...23 Images Being a backcountry ranger on the Chilkoot Trail has its challenges such as spending the summer hiking 10+ miles a day, living in a remote setting 12 miles off the nearest road, and ensuring the safety of 2000+ recreational hikers! The intimate views the rangers get while working on the trail is one payback for all this hard work! These photos were taken by Backcountry Ranger Katie Unertl during the summer season of 2010. Photo Gallery Chilkoot Trail 19228 Images Dyea, Alaska was once filled with gold seekers rushing to find gold. Dyea is the start of the Chilkoot Trail became a boomtown overnight in the fall of 1897 as people landed in Dyea and made their way north. The creation of the railroad in Skagway, the poor condition of the Dyea port, and the decline of the Klondike Gold Rush marked the end for Dyea. This collection of photos is from 1922, nearly 20 years after the town died away. |
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Last updated: March 7, 2024