Follow the Gold Rush Route from Seattle all the way to Dawson City!

Seattle, WA
Before picking up your GoNorth vehicle in Seattle, visit the Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park – a free museum in downtown Seattle. It tells the story of the Klondike Gold Rush. Get into the gold rush mood at Miners Landing and imagine how the first prospectors returned from the Klondike in 1897 with large quantities of gold – and the many ships with 100,000 people embarking from there. All of them with one goal – to strike it rich in the Klondike!

Stanley Park, Vancouver, BC
While the stampeders took the boat from Seattle all the way to Dyea/Skagway, you have several options to choose from.
Before heading north, you should discover Vancouver and its beautiful Stanley Park by bike!

Ferry to Vancouver Island, BC
If you choose to visit Vancouver Island on your way from Seattle up North you can either take the ferry from Vancouver, BC or from Port Angeles, WA on the Olympic Peninsula – which is worth a stop as well!

Vancouver Island, BC
Vancouver Island offers great nature experiences – just leave the main route to find beautiful hidden shore lines and quiet lakes. Victoria is BC’s capital and a beautiful town filled with museums, gardens, seafront parks, bohemian eateries, and breweries.

Cassier Highway
Traveling further north we highly recommend taking the Cassiar Highway. It’s a very scenic route that connects the Yellowhead Highway in BC to the Alaska Highway in the Yukon. Attractions along the way: Beautiful campgrounds at Meziadin Lake, Boya Lake and many more; a side trip to Hyder-Stewart; Jade City. Also there is a good chance of bear sightings along the road!

Campbell Highway
After visiting the Sign Post Forest in Watson Lake, you have the choice which route to take further north. The Robert Campbell Highway is a scenic, lightly traveled, 362-mile road connecting Watson Lake to the Klondike Highway (60% gravel, 40% paved).
Take it slow – enjoy nature and wonderful views on the very nice located Yukon Government Campgrounds. The Campbell Region Interpretive Center in Faro offers a friendly welcome, a coffee and plenty of information for travelers.

Alaska Highway from Watson Lake to Whitehorse
Heading north, the Alaska Highway takes you to Whitehorse – the Wilderness City. After restocking on groceries, we recommend strolling down Main Street and along the Yukon River. Visit the SS Klondike, one of Canada’s few remaining steam-powered paddle-wheelers — or strap on your hiking boots and explore the many trails around town.

Side Trip to Skagway and Dyea
To experience the history of the Klondike Gold Rush we recommend a side trip to Skagway and Dyea – either by train or by car.
Only a few remains still remind of the times of the Gold Rush when Dyea was still a city and many prospectors disembarked at this port to continue their journey to the gold fields around Dawson City. It was abandoned when the White Pass and Yukon Route railroad services were started from the neighboring Skagway – here you can still immerse yourself in the history of the gold rush today.

North Klondike Highway
Break up your road trip on the Klondike Highway by stopping at historic sites such as Montague Roadhouse & Five Finger Rapids. Rest on beautiful campgrounds on the shores of Lake Laberge, Fox Lake or Twin Lakes.

Dawson City
The spirit of the Klondike Gold Rush can still be felt in Dawson City today. Visit a working gold mine, historic sites like Dredge No. 4 or stroll through the city’s unpaved streets. After gold was discovered in 1896, the First Nation camp changed into a thriving city of 17,000 by 1898 – and was called “the Paris of the North”.
Some struck it rich, but most prospectors arrived to discover that the good ground had already been staked and went straight back home. Others stayed to “mine the miners” with dance and gambling halls, bars, brothels, restaurants, and supply stores.