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SDAN11 Goldrush Trail - One Way Driving Tour to Whitehorse

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Follow the footsteps of the gold seekers on this Alaska and Yukon one way road trip from Anchorage to Whitehorse. The Goldrush Trail combines Alaska’s most famous highlights with true off-the-beaten-path driving, in a rental car approved for gravel roads. From Anchorage head north to Denali National Park, where grizzly bears, caribou, moose and wolves roam in their natural habitat. Optional stopover in Talkeetna for a flightseeing tour into the icy world of Denali (formerly Mt. McKinley). Then leave the pavement behind on the legendary Denali Highway, a scenic gravel road along the Alaska Range, and continue through Alaska’s Interior to Tok. Cross the Top of the World Highway, one of the most spectacular roads in the north, and take the free ferry across the Yukon River into Dawson City, the heart of the Klondike Gold Rush. Spend three nights in Dawson to pan for gold, explore Bonanza Creek and Dredge No. 4, and drive the Dempster Highway to the dramatic peaks of Tombstone Territorial Park. Your journey ends in Whitehorse, capital of the Yukon, with its sternwheeler SS Klondike and the Yukon River. You may extend your tour with a day trip to Carcross and Skagway along the historic White Pass, or with Kluane National Park. Visit our complete Alaska Guide for helpful travel information and tips. We’re happy to customize this itinerary to suit your needs.

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Anchorage Downtown

Anchorage ( Overnight: Anchorage )

Arrive in Anchorage during the day and pick up your rental car. Nestled along the Chugach Mountains, the coastal city of Anchorage is not the frozen tundra of Alaska you might imagine. You will find it brimming with activities for the outdoorsy and adventurous. Being the largest city in Alaska, it is rich in indigenous culture; spend your day enjoying the Alaska Native Heritage Center, visiting the Anchorage Museum, or browsing through the Saturday Market. Visit the Lake Hood Floatplane base, go for a walk along the Coastal Trail and try out one of Anchorage popular seafood restaurants. With so much of variety of things, for a first time visitor to Alaska or a seasoned traveller, Anchorage has more to offer and is the perfect starting point for your journey.
Talkeetna flightseeing

Anchorage - Denali National Park ( Driving Distance: 240 miles | Overnight: Denali Village )

The grandness of the nature starts right from Anchorage itself and driving every mile on the Parks Highway gets even better. It is a treat to watch the mountain peaks crowned with snow caps in the distance. On the way you travel across the fertile Matanuska Valley. Because of the immense amount of summer sunlight, vegetables grow to incredible sizes. Feel free to stop at the designated photo stops to enjoy more panoramic views. It is possible to stopover at Talkeetna for a flightseeing tour to Mt. Denali or a canoe tour on Byers Lake. Travel across Denali State Park and arrive at Denali Village. This evening visit Jeff Kings Sled Dog Kennel - for a personal tour with four-time Iditarod champion Jeff King and his sled dogs at his Husky Homestead Kennel.
Denali Transit Bus with Mt. Denali

Denali National Park ( Overnight: Denali Village )

Denali National Park offers excellent wildlife viewing and spectacular sceneries. Pick up your tickets, board the bus and watch out for grizzly bears, moose, caribou, wolf and fox moving along the ridges and river beds. Your driver informs about the history of Denali National Park, its diverse wildlife and flora. Once an animal has been spotted the bus will stop that everyone can watch and take pictures. The bus turns around at Fish Creek - 63 miles one way/8 hours round trip. You can get off the bus anytime to go for a hike. Return to the Denali Park entrance during the day. Optional: We can extend the transit bus tour to Wonder Lake or exchange to the Tundra Wilderness Tour, Kantishna Wilderness Trails or Backcountry Lodge Tour. Included: Denali Transit Bus to Fish Creek

Denali Highway Gravel Road

Denali - Denali Highway - Paxson ( Driving Distance: approx. 165 miles | Overnight: Paxson area )

Today your road trip turns from highway to true wilderness drive. Leave Denali and head to Cantwell, where you turn east onto the legendary Denali Highway, one of the most scenic gravel roads in North America. For about 135 miles the road follows the edge of the Alaska Range, crossing wide open tundra, glacier-fed rivers and high mountain passes, including Maclaren Summit at 4,086 ft. Watch for caribou, moose and bears and stop wherever the views invite you to; there are very few services and even fewer crowds. Allow five to six hours for the drive, as the road is best taken slowly. Your rental car is approved for gravel roads. Travel tip: fuel up in Cantwell and carry snacks and water. Overnight in a lodge near Paxson, at the eastern end of the Denali Highway.
Staying at a Cabin in Tok

Paxson - Tok ( Driving Distance: approx. 190 miles | Overnight: Tok )

Join the Richardson Highway (#4) and travel north with views of the Alaska Range in the distance. The route offers impressive views toward peaks such as Mount Hayes and Mount Moffit on clear days. Arrive in Delta Junction, where the Richardson Highway meets the Alaska Highway at the historic Triangle, marked by the symbolic Mile 1422 post. Originally established as a telegraph station in 1904, Delta Junction is also the gateway to the Delta Bison Sanctuary, home to a free-roaming herd of more than 500 wood bison. Continue east on the Alaska Highway (#2) toward Tok, traveling through remote wilderness and classic Interior Alaska scenery. Tok is the gateway to the Yukon and a classic Alaska Highway town, where you rest up for tomorrow's gold rush adventure.
Top of the World Highway

Tok - Chicken - Dawson City ( Driving Distance: approx. 185 miles | Overnight: Dawson City )

Today you follow the footsteps of the gold seekers. Leave Tok and turn north onto the Taylor Highway towards the tiny gold mining town of Chicken, where the old dredge and the gold rush saloons are still waiting for visitors. From here the Top of the World Highway follows the ridge line high above the treeline, with endless views across the mountains of Alaska and the Yukon. Cross the US/Canada border at Poker Creek, one of the most remote border crossings in North America, and continue to the banks of the Yukon River. Take the free ferry across the river and arrive in Dawson City, the heart of the Klondike Gold Rush, where wooden boardwalks and gold rush era buildings take you back to 1898. Travel tip: please bring your passports. Parts of this route are gravel.
Dawson City Gold Rush Town

Dawson City ( Overnight: Dawson City )

Today is yours to discover the town that grew from a quiet river flat to a city of 30,000 people during the Klondike Gold Rush. Drive out to Bonanza Creek and the Discovery Claim, where gold was found in 1896 and started the rush, and visit Dredge No. 4, a giant gold dredge that is now a National Historic Site. Try your luck panning for gold yourself, wander along the boardwalks of the historic downtown and see the cabins of Jack London and Robert Service. Drive up to the Midnight Dome for a view over the Yukon and Klondike rivers. In the evening you can try Diamond Tooth Gertie's Gambling Hall, Canada's oldest casino, for a taste of the gold rush nightlife.
Tombstone Territorial Park Dempster Highway

Dawson City - Tombstone - Dawson City ( Driving Distance: approx. 140 miles | Overnight: Dawson City )

Today you have the opportunity to drive on one of the great gravel roads of the north, the Dempster Highway. Leave Dawson and travel south for about 25 miles on the Klondike Highway until you reach the start of the Dempster, then continue north for another 45 miles through open tundra and river valleys to Tombstone Territorial Park. The jagged granite peaks of the Tombstone Range rise above the tundra and are some of the most dramatic landscapes in the Yukon. Visit the Interpretive Centre, take a short hike on the tundra and watch for caribou, Dall sheep and grizzly bears. Return to Dawson in the afternoon. Your rental car is approved for gravel roads.
Klondike Highway Yukon River

Dawson City - Whitehorse ( Driving Distance: approx. 330 miles | Overnight: Whitehorse )

Today you follow the Klondike Highway south along the route of the old gold rush trail. The road runs along the Yukon River through forests and past old roadhouses. Stop at Stewart Crossing and Pelly Crossing, and take a break at the viewpoint of Five Finger Rapids near Carmacks, a famous obstacle for the steamboats of the gold rush. If you have time, take a detour on the Silver Trail to the old mining towns of Mayo and Keno. Arrive in Whitehorse, the capital of the Yukon, and enjoy the evening at the Yukon River waterfront. Travel tip: this is the longest drive of the tour, so start early and plan some stops on the way.
Moose wandering in Whitehorse

Whitehorse

Your driving tour ends in Whitehorse, where it is time to drop off your rental car. Take time to visit the SS Klondike, a restored sternwheeler that once carried supplies and gold along the Yukon River, walk along Miles Canyon, where the gold seekers once had to pass through the rapids, or visit the Yukon Wildlife Preserve. You may extend your tour with a day trip to Carcross and Skagway along the old White Pass, or by exploring Kluane National Park from Haines Junction.

Rates in US $ / per Person
Comfort Hotel Category Single Double Triple Quad Child
May 20 - June 4 $6433 $3260 $2305 $1827 $169
June 5 - September 4 $6770 $3429 $2417 $1911 $169
September 5 - September 10 $6433 $3260 $2305 $1827 $169
First Class Hotel Category Single Double Triple Quad Child
May 20 - June 4 $6569 $3328 $2354 $1867 $169
June 5 - September 4 $7000 $3544 $2498 $1975 $169
September 5 - September 10 $6569 $3328 $2354 $1867 $169

What’s included

9 Nights Comfort OR First-Class Accommodation

Hotel and State Taxes

10 Days Midsize SUV Rental Car (contact us for upgrades)

100 Free Miles per Day

Rental Car Licensing Fees

CFC, State & City Rental Car Sales Taxes

One Way Rental Fee

Denali Transit Bus Ticket to Fish Creek

Tour Documentation

Sightseeing Information

Optional Add-ons:

Collision Damage Waiver (CDW) with a $2,500 deductible: $29 per day

Vehicle Incident Protection (VIP) with a $1,500 deductible: $15 per day, maximum $350 per rental

VIP+ (additional protection) with a $500 deductible: $12 per day, maximum $225 per rental

Supplemental Liability Insurance (SLI): $17.94 per day (Anchorage/Fairbanks)

Personal Accident Coverage (PAC): $7.50 per day

Personal Property Coverage (PPC): $5.00 per day (Anchorage/Fairbanks)

Additional Driver: No charge for the first two drivers. Every additional driver will be charged extra.

Additional Mileage: additional miles $0.43 per mile or $60 per day for unlimited miles 

Tour Departures

Daily  from  May  20th  –  September  10th

Anchorage: Bear Viewing Tour Day Trip to Brooks Falls / Katmai National Park

Take off from Anchorage to an all day bear viewing expedition past glaciers and volcanoes - within the land of the giant animals: the brown bear country of southwest Alaska. You'll fly to Katmai's - worlds famous Brooks River Falls where brown bears feed on salmon. Each year millions of sockeye salmons burst from the Bering Sea into lakes and streams of the Katmai National Park. These fish provide the primary food source for the worlds largest population of brown bears. As many as 50 bears may be viewed up-close-and-personal from elevated boardwalks and viewing platforms fishing along the 1 1/2 mile Brooks River during peak season (July). Local National Park Rangers are answering all of your questions about this incredible park during the self guided full day tour. Lunch is included at Brooks Lodge.

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Brown bear standing in a waterfall fishing for salmon

Denali: Exchange Transit Bus Tour to Denali Tundra Wilderness Tour

The fully narrated 62-mile Tundra Wilderness Tour into Denali National Park is led by a certified naturalist driver/guide who will also provide historical and geographical background of the area. The tour will last approximately eight to nine hours and includes ample photo and rest stops. When your tour driver is able, he/she will take video footage of animals along Park Road and project these images onto drop-down video screens, featured only our specially designed tour buses. This way you can get a close-up look at the roadside action. At the end of the tour, you’ll have the opportunity to purchase a “Tundra Wilderness Tour” DVD, which will feature some of the video footage shot from your tour! Guests cannot switch buses throughout the day (only the Denali Transit Bus allows this).

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Visitors boarding tour buses in Denali National Park

Denali: Exchange Transit Bus Tour to Kantishna Wilderness Trails Tour

The Kantishna Wilderness Trails tour is the premier Denali Park wilderness bus excursion. Spend the entire day in Denali National Park and discover a piece of Alaska's gold rush history and warm hospitality at the historic Kantishna Roadhouse, located just past Wonder Lake on the banks of Moose Creek. Your 12 to 13-hour fully-narrated excursion to Kantishna travels via a custom motorcoach through 95 miles of Denali National Park's prime wildlife habitat. The last 30 miles allow for full viewing of Mt. Denali, weather permitting. The wilderness backcountry of Denali Park provides diverse habitats which support big-game species such as black bear, grizzly, moose, caribou, Dall sheep, wolf, and wolverine. Hot beverages and refreshments are included en route to the Kantishna Roadhouse. After a hearty deli style lunch in the dining room at the Roadhouse, relax and visit the Historical Recorder's Cabin and enjoy a dog sled demonstration or gold panning. Guests cannot switch buses throughout the day (only the Denali Transit Bus allows this).

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Pond and fall tundra with spruce trees in Denali National Park

Denali: Exchange Transit Bus Tour to Denali Backcountry Adventure Bus Tour

The Denali Backcountry Adventure Tour is another premier Denali Park Wildlife bus excursion. This full-day, 13-hour tour travels 95 miles in each direction to the Denali Backcountry Lodge in Kantishna. You'll travel by private bus with a trained naturalist driver/guide giving interpretation along the way helping you search for bear, moose, caribou and other wildlife while pointing out the biology and geology of the region. Several photo and rest stops will be made. Snacks, drinks and lunch are provided. Lunch is served at the exclusive Denali Backcountry Lodge in Kantishna. Lunch consists of a sandwich bar, soups, fruits, snacks, fresh baked goods and non-alcoholic drinks. After lunch try your luck at gold panning near the lodge or take a guided nature walk before returning to the Park entrance.

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Hiker photographing Denali from the fall tundra
 

Talkeetna: Denali Flightseeing Tour with optional Glacier Landing

The 1 hr Denali flightseeing tour takes you within six miles of Mt. Denali's summit. As your flight departs Talkeetna, you begin to notice how the last ice age has shaped the land. Moments later you enter a world of rugged high mountain peaks and wide glacier filled valleys. See the Sheldon Amphitheater, beautiful Ruth Glacier, and the Great Gorge (the world's deepest - almost 2 miles from top to bottom). Add a glacier landing to your flightseeing tour for a one-of-a-kind expedition. Passengers land usually at the 5600 foot level of the Ruth Glacier, located in the Sheldon Amphitheater. Other popular landing spots are the Kahiltna, the Pika, or the Eldridge glaciers. A glacier landing takes an additional 30 minutes (15 minutes of time exploring on foot and 15 minutes for landing and takeoff).

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Snow-covered Denali seen from a flightseeing plane
 

Tom, CA: This road trip was ideal to drive on all the remote and adventurous gravel roads which are normally not permitted. My dad and I enjoyed the freedom of having our own vehicle in such a wild place. Everything went very smoothly, and we really appreciate your help planning the trip of a lifetime. The accommodations you booked were all very nice. We loved the floatplane in Anchorage with Trail Ridge Air, and the flight with Talkeetna Air Taxi. Thanks again for your help

Frequently Asked Questions

When can I travel this tour?

The tour runs in the summer, from late May to mid-September. The Top of the World Highway border crossing and the Dawson City river ferry only operate in this season. Opening and closing dates change slightly every year depending on the weather.

Can I drive on gravel roads with the rental car?

Yes. The rental car on this tour is approved for gravel roads, including the Denali Highway, the Top of the World Highway, the Taylor Highway and the Dempster Highway. Please drive slowly on gravel.

How much driving is there each day?

The tour covers about 1,250 miles in total. Most days are 3–6 hours of driving. The longest day is Dawson City to Whitehorse (about 330 miles, paved), and the Denali Highway day is slow because of the gravel.

Do I need a passport?

Yes. You cross from Alaska into the Yukon at the Top of the World Highway border, so every traveler needs a valid passport. Non-US citizens should check their entry requirements for both the USA and Canada.

Are there places to buy fuel and food?

Yes, but fewer than you may expect. There are very few services on the Denali Highway and the Top of the World Highway, so fill up in Cantwell and Tok, and carry snacks and water. Fuel up when you can, especially on the Dempster Highway.

Can I do the Dempster Highway without driving myself?

Yes. Local operators offer guided day trips from Dawson City if you prefer not to drive the gravel. Tell us when you book, and we’ll arrange it.