Compare The Wild Yukon Canada by H&I Adventures vs Canada (Western): See & Experience it ALL in 10 Days, 1st Class Custom Tours by Charlie The Traveler

Day 1: Welcome To Whitehorse!

Meals: Dinner

Accommodation: Mountain ranch

Your mountain bike guide will greet you at the airport and take you to downtown Whitehorse where you will have some free time to look around before we meet you at 4.30pm to transfer to our mountain ranch, 30 minutes’ drive away.

Over a welcoming and delicious Yukon-style barbecue and some locally-crafted beers we’ll go over the detailed itinerary for your week of unforgettable mountain biking in Canada, and build and tune our bikes.

Day 2: Yukon River Trail

Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Accommodation: Mountain ranch

Distance cycled: 25km (app. 4 – 5 hours)

For your first ride in the Yukon it would seem appropriate to show you one of the absolute ‘must-do’ trails: the Yukon River Trail. The Yukon River is a highlight of any trip to Whitehorse, and riding alongside the bright green waters seems almost unreal.

We will manoeuvre our way through the trails to follow the Yukon River as it flows back to town. We will bike past the historical former town site of Canyon City, where Klondike stampeders stopped and created a makeshift canvas tent city while they pondered how to cross the rapids without losing all their gear. These same rapids were said to look like the manes of white horses, which is how the capital city of the Yukon received its name.

As we arrive back at the lodge you can wash and plunge into the hot tub while your hosts prepare another locally-sourced, home-cooked speciality and fetch you a glass of red wine or a chilled beer.

Day 3: Mount Mcintyre + The Whitehorse Valley

Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Accommodation: Mountain ranch

Distance cycled: 30kms (app. 5 hours)

Today’s ride will be a combination of classic favourites and new purpose-built trails courtesy of the local Parks and Recreation Trail Crew. We will start in the alpine of Mount McIntyre, admiring the views of the Whitehorse valley and towards Fish Lake. We can even see all the way to Lake Laberge, the lake made famous in the Robert Service poem The Cremation of Sam McGee.

As we start the descent, we will ride through many different ecosystems, starting in the alpine right down to the valley floor. While making our way back into Whitehorse, we will ride through parts of the 24 Hours of Light mountain bike race course and check out our new mountain bike skills park. As we pedal to our meeting spot downtown, you will be amazed at the amount of distance you have covered today on your bike!

Day 4: Mountain Hero Mine Trail

Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Accommodation: Mountain ranch

Distance cycled: 20km (app. 6 hours)

Make sure you don’t hold back on breakfast this morning, you have a big day ahead of you! We will drive to the nearby First Nation village of Carcross. This is an alpine day with outstanding 360 degree mountain views! You’ll have a shuttle to take you a good way up the access road, but there is still some stiff climbing ahead before you can reap the rewards of the awesome descent to come. After lunch at the summit, we will explore the old wooden mining relics before we descend down the Mountain Hero Mine trail.

This trail follows the tram line that the historic mine created to get supplies up and down the mountain. This stupendous singletrack descent will have your braking fingers aching and have you laughing out loud as we reconvene at the side of Windy Arm Lake.

Please note: This trail, more than any other, is especially dependent on weather conditions. Your guide will check the conditions in the morning and make the decision as to whether you can go ahead with the ride, or leave it for another day.

Day 5: Paddling The Yukon River

Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Accommodation: Mountain ranch

Time to rest the legs and stretch some different muscles! After another fantastic breakfast we will head out for a paddle on the famous Yukon River. We’ll set off in downtown Whitehorse and paddle downstream to the point where the Yukon and Takhini rivers meet. You can expect to see many eagles, hawks, and gulls playing in the wind tunnels created by the tall sand cliffs that line the river’s route.

After paddling on the river for a few hours, we have several options for the rest of the afternoon. Sampling fine, locally made beer at Yukon Brewing Co., spending the afternoon exploring Whitehorse or add on a short, late afternoon hike in the alpine.

DAY 6: GREY MOUNTAIN TRAIL NETWORK

Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Accommodation: Mountain ranch

Distance cycled: 30km (app. 5 hours)

Today we will ride the Grey Mountain trail network, which is a cross-country day with a flair towards gravity assisted mountain biking and smooth, flowing singletrack.

Your guide will pick the perfect location for our home-made lunch, about half way through the ride. Spectacular views of the Whitehorse valley and the coastal mountains near Carcross accompany us throughout the ride, and any technical climbs are immediately rewarded with awesome downhills.

Expect to pedal, laugh, and have the adrenalin pumping all day! This is what world-class singletrack mountain biking is all about.

Day 7: Montana Mountain Trail

Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Accommodation: Mountain ranch

Distance cycled: 20km (app. 5 hours)

For our final day’s riding in the Yukon we’ll drive to the village of Carcross to ride the lower Montana Mountain trail network. This mountain has recently undergone a transformation from a silver mining hot spot in bygone years, to a current mountain biking paradise!

Funded through the local Carcross Tagish First Nation, the Singletrack for Success program hired local youth to create mountain biking trails for the betterment of the community.

Set in some of Canada’s most beautiful scenery, these professionally built trails snake their way down the mountain and finish at the edge of Bennett Lake. After a full day of riding, we will return to the Mountain Ranch in time to enjoy a refreshing drink before our last celebratory meal together.

Day 8: Departure

Meals: Breakfast

Sadly, this is the end of your fabulous mountain bike tour Yukon in northern Canada. After our final breakfast and delicious Midnight Sun coffee to go, your guide will transport you back to the airport in time to catch your flight back to reality!

Day 1: Welcome to the Rocky Mountains

Through the city of Edmonton, we reach our first destination. This is none other than the resort town of Jasper. It is home to the largest national park in the Canadian Rockies. Jasper National Park attracts those seeking vast wilderness, majestic peaks and lots of wildlife.

Note that if you cannot arrive at the Edmonton Airport by 2:00pm, you will need a ‘pre-tour’ day. You would sleep in Downtown Edmonton for that evening and would start our tour the following day. We would make all arrangements for you in the event you need to sleep in Edmonton.

Day 2: A Fantasy Boat Ride & Abundant Wildlife

As a daytrip from Jasper, we visit Maligne Canyon and Medicine Lake as well as do a boat cruise from Maligne Lake to Spirit Island. Maligne Canyon contains waterfalls, underground stream outlets, birds and plant life. Wildlife is surprisingly abundant along Medicine Lake. Grizzly bear, black bear, mule deer, wolves, moose, mountain sheep and bald eagles are some of the animals which frequent the lake area during the summer season. The lake cruise is scenic and is arguably the highlight of the day.

Day 3: A Monster Bus on a Glacier & One of the Most Scenic Drives on Earth

Although we are relocating from Jasper to the resort town of Banff, a lot of important stops are made along the way: Athabasca Falls, Columbia Icefield (ride on the actual glacier with a specially designed, stretched out monster bus!), Weeping Wall Waterfalls, Bow Lake, Crowfoot Glacier and Peyto Lake. Today is best described as one of the most scenic drives on Earth! Note that lunch is included on today’s tour.

Day 4: A Pilot’s View of Paradise & a Canyon Deservedly Displayed on Postcards

As a daytrip from Banff, our morning starts with a visit to the town of Canmore. It is from there we take a helicopter ride. The mountainous scenery is like no other. In the latter part of the day, after returning to Banff, we visit the nearby Johnston Canyon. Limestone rock eroding over thousands of years led to a picture-perfect creation combining sheer canyon walls, waterfalls, tunnels and natural pools.

Day 5: Instagram-Famous Photo Stops, a Lake Cruise & Thundering Waterfalls

As another daytrip from Banff, today we visit Bow Falls, Surprise Corner Lookout, Hoodoos Viewpoint, Lake Louise and Moraine Lake. We also go on an enjoyable boat cruise at Lake Minnewanka. The evening ends with a ride on Banff Gondola. We ascend Sulphur Mountain (2,281 meters or 7,484 feet) and then follow the well-designed skywalk.

Day 6: The Ultimate Seaplane Tour & an Ice Bar

After relocating by both land and air from Banff to the resort town of Whistler, we go on a seaplane ride: rugged peaks, majestic glaciers, lush alpine meadows and turquoise glacial waters. After this flightseeing tour, we return to town. Over two million people visit Whistler annually. Its pedestrian village has won numerous design awards. Whistler has been voted among the top destinations in North America by major magazines since the mid-1990s.

We encourage you to end the day with a visit to the town’s most famous ice bar. It is fascinating even to those who do not drink.

Day 7: The Outdoor Adventurist’s Favorite Day of All

As excursions from Whistler, we go off-roading, whitewater rafting and ziplining. These are three of the very most popular activities in Whistler…and we are doing them all in one day! Even if we ignore the thrill aspect, the nature we see today gives enough reason why not to miss out.

Day 8: Walking a Suspension Bridge, Touching Peak to Peak by Cable Car & Nightlife

Before relocating by land to the city of Vancouver, we go on the so-called ‘Peak 2 Peak’ Gondola. Until 2017, it held the world record for the longest free span between ropeway towers. Adding to the overall experience is the ski lift ride and a 425-foot suspension bridge called Cloudraker Skybridge.

Once in Vancouver, we head to another suspension bridge. It is called Capilano. It is 140 meters (460 feet) long and 70 meters (230 feet) above the river. Capilano draws over 1.2 million visitors per year. We recommend you end your evening in Downtown Vancouver, specifically in an area called Gastown. There you will find lots of restaurants, galleries, shops and places to party.

Day 9: Whales, Islands, Beaches & a Food Market

Before making a daytrip by seaplane to the village of Tofino, we visit Vancouver’s most famous public market. It is located on Granville Island. Established in 1979, Granville Island Public Market is located in an enclosed facility where customers can purchase fresh produce, meat, seafood, cheeses and other products, many of which are locally sourced. There are approximately 50 vendors in the market, some of which are food vendors. They sell a range of items from Mexican, Asian, Greek and deli food to candy and snacks. The market attracts both local residents and tourists.

The seaplane ride between Vancouver and Tofino is quite scenic. On a clear day, we can see whales as well as Clayoquot Sound. This is a body of water with many inlets and islands. While in Tofino, we have time to walk around town. A visit to Chesterman Beach is recommended for those who wish to swim.

Day 10: Our Tour Ends This Morning

Transportation will be arranged for you to reach the airport or port in Vancouver.