Chilkoot Trail and Dyea National Historic Landmark
in Alaska
From 1897 to 1899, thousands of prospectors and "boomers" used the Chilkoot and White Pass Trails to reach the Klondike and Upper Yukon Valley during the Klondike gold rush. For a few brief years, Dyea became a gold rush boom town; by 1905, the majority of its buildings had been moved, burned, or torn down. All that remains are a number of foundations surrounded by scraps of lumber and metal, 3 cemeteries, and the ruins of the wharf.
Two minor settlements developed along the United States side of the Chilkoot Trail during this period as well, Canyon City and Sheep Camp. Both sites contain remnant buildings, structures, and a wide assortment of gold rush era artifacts. Along the Chilkoot Trail remnants of the tramway systems that moved goods over the pass (known as the Scales), are gold rush era artifacts and structural ruins.
Additional Information More National Historic Landmarks in Alaska Alaska Goldrush NHLs: The Stampede North What was the Klondike Gold Rush?
- States
- Alaska
- Trail type
- National Historical Park trail
- Centroid coords
- 59.5012°, -135.3538°
About Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park
This trail is inside Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park, a national historical park managed by the U.S. National Park Service. Conditions, road status, trail closures, and reservation requirements are published on the park's NPS page — check it before driving in, especially in winter or during major weather events.
Official NPS trail page: https://www.nps.gov/places/chilkoot-trail-and-dyea.htm
Park homepage: https://www.nps.gov/klgo/index.htm
Plan your hike
Maps + permits: long-distance trails like this often require permits for through-hiking, backcountry camping, or specific sections (especially in National Parks). Check with the maintaining organisation listed above and the relevant land manager before booking travel.
Water + supplies: water sources vary seasonally on most U.S. trails. Carry a filter and consult current trail-condition reports — through-hiker journals (PCT-L, AT Reddit, etc.) and the maintaining organisation publish regular updates.
When to go: hiking seasons vary widely with elevation, latitude, and snowpack. Through-hikers traditionally start the AT in March-April (Springer northbound) and the PCT in late April (Campo northbound). High-elevation western trails (CDT, JMT, Wonderland) generally aren't passable until July.
If you've hiked Chilkoot Trail and Dyea National Historic Landmark and have current notes (water sources, trail closures, permit changes), tell us at /contact — we update pages as we learn.
Other trails within 50 miles
Sources
Trail data on this page is compiled from OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL), the maintaining organisation's public-facing materials, and Wikipedia (CC BY-SA where excerpts are quoted). Distance, terminus, and descriptive text for nationally-designated trails are hand-curated from federal land-manager websites and trail-association sources. We do not modify the underlying data; this page presents what is already publicly recorded. To suggest corrections, see our methodology page.