Home/Back to Chilkoot/Start of TrailThere were several ways for a stampeder to get to the Yukon. Each way took its own route and wound through its own dangers, but eventually got the lucky ones to their destination. Below is a description of each route.
Chilkoot Pass: the main route to Dawson. It was a steep pass that was too narrow in some parts for the use of pack animals. Many people traveled this pass in their hunt for gold, but after crossing the pass, they still weren't in Dawson where they could become rich. The stampeders had to travel down Lake Bennett, often finding mishaps in the swiftly flowing river. When the ice broke in the spring, a great rush of people flowed into Dawson. Those who had been waiting in Skagway started on their way, and those at Lake Bennett did as well. Even after the waiting ones had made it to Dawson, more kept coming. The only stop in the flow of stampeders was during the winter, when there was no way to get through.
White Pass: a more desirable route to the Chilkoot. It was ten miles longer, but six hundred feet lower and wide enough along its entire length for the use of pack animals. The trail started out with a few miles gently winding over sloping pathways. Then, the trail grew steeper and it soon became too narrow for the wagons. Goods had to be transferred to the backs of both men and animals. Struggling along, shoulder straps dug into the flesh of both man and animal, and muscles ached from the weight of the load. The further they went in, the colder it got: wind whipping around them, sweat dripping from their clothes, bodies shivering from the cold. The trail zigzagged through canyons and over hills. It slipped between the steep gorges of the Scagway River and across slippery granite which sloped upward at a forty-five degree angle. Along this portion, horses scrambled for footing and men had to crawl. The river crossed through the trail several times, and the climbers were forced to ford its rushing waters. Blizzards struck without warning and the snow stung. The last portion of the journey was Summit Hill, a one thousand foot climb that during the winter was slick with ice, and during the thaws was ankle deep in mud. Mudholes on this hill could swallow a horse if the stampeder wasn't careful. In September of 1897, it became an order to take a year's supply of food. Depending on their own back, a person would have to walk twenty five hundred miles to get everything over the twenty-five mile pass. For ninety days, the stampeder hauled sixty-five pounds of supplies, returning at certain points for more.
All-water Path: This route went from the mouth of the Yukon River to the Klondike. It was advertised as, "Just a pleasant boat trip from St. Michael to Dawson." Because people listened to this pleasant-sounding advertisement, 2500 people eventually became stuck in the ice between Norton Sea, on the Bering Sea, and the Klondike. Of that number, only forty-three ever reached Dawson. The rest eventually made their way back to St. Michael.
All-American Route: The 3500 people who tried this route, started at Valdez on the Gulf of Alaska. From there they walked north over the Valdez glacier, following the river system to the Yukon. During the journey of the glacier, travelers suffered the tortures of snow blindness, blizzards, avalanches, and the the alternate freezing and thawing of the glacial surface. Ice rose so high, equipment had to be hauled over them by block and tackle. When the weather was warm, there was a constant flow of water toward the gulf. Less than a hundred people who opted to this route ever arrived in Dawson. Most of the ones who turned back were half blind, crippled, or extremely ill with scurvy.
All-Canadian, or Ashcroft Route: This route started at Vancouver, heading north to Ashcroft, then on to Teslin Lake at the head of the Yukon River. The 1500 men and 300 horses that went this way found that the trail was one thousand miles of forests so dense that no light ever came through. Poisonous weeds surrounded them, but nothing was available for the animals. Flies and mosquitoes attacked and rain fell ceaselessly.