Mountain biking holiday in Canada, but not as you know it: welcome to the Yukon
Mountain biking gold in Canada’s wild Yukon Territory
Endless miles of flowing singletrack, pristine boreal forests, glacial rivers, long summer days, rich history, warm-hearted locals…
This is a mountain biking holiday in Canada. This is the Yukon.
The Yukon Territory is located in Canada’s wild north-west, bordering Alaska. Famous for the Klondike Gold Rush of the 1800s, the outdoor-loving locals have taken advantage of the abandoned trails beaten by the prospectors and turned them into their own kind of gold; mountain biking gold!
With around 800km of trails in the city limits of Whitehorse, the capital of the Yukon, you won’t ride the same piece of trail twice on this week-long mountain biking holiday in Canada. Not unless you really want to! Your local Yukon mountain bike guides will take you high into the alpine mountains, where you’ll be greeted by knock-out views and may even be lucky enough to have close encounters with wild caribou and grizzly bears.
The Yukon really is a land of unspoiled wilderness and adventure, and in order to keep it that way we work with local companies who are committed to responsible and sustainable tourism. That’s why, during your mountain bike holiday in Canada, you’ll be staying in luxury yurts – known as ‘Yurtville’ – powered by solar panels that provide you with deliciously hot showers at the end of your ride, and protect the natural Yukon environment at the same time. The atmosphere in Yurtville is very relaxed and informal, and you’ll have plenty of time off the bike to re-charge your batteries and hang out with your group, taking in the incredible views over the mountains with a nice cold beer from the Yukon Brewery.
Food is one of the most important parts of our mountain biking holiday in Canada and you’ll be spoiled every day with fantastic home-made gourmet meals and snacks, starting with a delicious fruit smoothie whizzed-up by your own pedal power on the bike blender!
Our mountain biking holiday in Canada, in the wilderness of the Yukon, is for intermediate mountain bikers with level 4 fitness, and to find out what this means, read the explanation of our skill and fitness levels.
Tour dates 2013 and 2014
- 14 – 21 July 2013
- 11 – 18 August 2013
- 13 – 20 July 2014
- 10 – 17 August 2014
Please contact our expert tour team if you have different dates in mind for mountain biking in the Yukon and we will do our best to accommodate your requirements. If you would like to extend your time in Canada why not book our five-day trip extension in Whistler Valley, British Columbia?
Want to know more? Ask us a question about our mountain bike tour in Canada, and read more about why you should choose H&I Adventures for your next adventure tour.
Mountain biking holiday in Canada itinerary
Day 1 – Arrival at Yurtville
Your mountain bike guide will greet you at the airport and transfer you to our yurt base camp (Yurtville).
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. There will be time to build and tune your bikes as well.
Depending on flight schedules, we may have time to go for a quick pedal through the local boreal forest.
Day 2 – Grey Mountain trail network
What better way to start a great day on the bike than with a healthy Yukon breakfast including: crêpes, homemade granola, lattes made with locally roasted beans and a Yurtville special: fruit smoothies blended by you on our bicycle blender!?
Today we will ride the Grey Mountain trail network, which is characterised by technical climbs, awesome descents, smooth flowing singletrack, and spectacular views of the Whitehorse Valley and coastal mountains. Our guide will pick the perfect location for lunch, about half way through the ride.
Distance: c. 30kms (5 hours)
Day 3 – Mount McIntyre and the Whitehorse Valley
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 back to Whitehorse, 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 in downtown Whitehorse, you will be amazed at the amount of distance you have covered today on your bike!
Distance: c.30kms (5 hours)
Day 4 – Paddle on the Yukon River
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 a few options for the rest of the afternoon. Sampling fine locally made Yukon Brewing Co. (their amber won the 2009 best in show for Canadian ambers!), spend the afternoon exploring Whitehorse or add on a short, late afternoon hike in the alpine.
Day 5 – Carcross and Mountain Hero Mine trail
We will drive to the nearby First Nation village of Carcross. This is an alpine day with outstanding 360 mountain views! You’ll have an extra-special shuttle to the trail head today, in a converted Swiss Unimog! There is still some climbing ahead before you can reap the rewards of the awesome descent to come. After a brief 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.
Distance: c. 20kms (6 hours)
Day 6 – Carcross and Montana Mountain trail
After breakfast we will 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 yurts in time to enjoy happy hour before another delicious meal.
Distance: c. 20kms (5 hours)
Day 7 – Yukon River trail
Today’s ride takes in one of the Yukon’s ‘must-do’s’. The Yukon River is a highlight of any trip to Whitehorse. A deep bright green colour, it seems almost unreal.
We will maneuver our way through the trails to the follow the Yukon River as it flows to 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.
Distance: c. 25kms (4-5 hours)
Day 8 – Departure
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!
£1,600 / $2,560 USD per person (ex. flights, based on two people sharing a room)
A single supplement of £350/ $560 will be applicable should a single room be requested.
Price includes:
- All meals and snacks (hand-made at Yurtville), starting with dinner on day 1 and ending with breakfast on day 8
- Seven nights’ luxury yurt accommodation
- Airport transfers
- The services of an experienced, bi-lingual (French/English) local mountain bike guide for the duration of the trip
- One-day guided canoe trip on Yukon River
- Back-up vehicles for the duration of the trip
- All group safety equipment
Price excludes:
- Flights to and from Canada
- Travel and activity insurance
- Personal safety and cycling equipment
- Bike hire – we can arrange hire of a Norco full suspension bike at a cost of £240 / $385 USD for the duration of the trip
- Alcoholic beverages
- Any other items not listed as included
Arrival and departure details
Your mountain bike adventure in the Yukon will start and end at Whitehorse airport. Your guide and/or driver will meet you in the arrivals area of Whitehorse airport and he/she will be holding an H&I Adventures sign.
Travelling to the Yukon
There are weekly direct flights from Frankfurt, Germany to Whitehorse in the Yukon with Condor www.condor.com, which coincide with our tour start and finish dates.
You can also fly into Vancouver, Calgary, or Edmonton from all over the world, then connect with one of the Air North daily flights to Whitehorse.
Airlines flying into Canada include: www.ba.com; www.aircanada.com; www.aa.com; www.continental.com.
You must book your bike on to your flight in advance (except on Air North flights), otherwise you could face a heavy charge at the airport. Here are some handy hints and tips on travelling by air with your bike.
Whistler tour extension
If you would like to extend your time in Canada and experience some fantastic natural riding in the Whistler Valley, BC, you should plan to add this to the end of your Yukon tour; from Sunday to Thursday. We recommend taking the morning Air North flight from Whitehorse to Vancouver. Please get in touch if you are interested in booking our five-day Yukon mountain bike tour extension to Whistler.
Preparing yourself and your bike for the trip
Please read the full kit list before you start packing for your mountain bike tour in the Yukon, Canada, to make sure that you have everything you need!
Our mountain biking holiday in Canada, in the wilderness of the Yukon, is for intermediate mountain bikers with level 4 fitness, and to find out what this means, read the explanation of our skill and fitness levels.
The ideal bike for your Yukon mountain bike adventure is a good quality full-suspension mountain bike with around 120mm of travel front and rear.
To get the most out of your mountain biking holiday in Canada you should plan some training in advance of your tour, and it is essential that you ensure that your bike has been properly serviced before the trip.
For more information on our mountain bike tour in the Yukon, and travelling in Canada in general, read the full trip brochure.
Here is a list of frequently asked questions (FAQs) for our mountain bike tour in the Yukon
- Q. How many people will be in the group?
A. We only run small group adventures to ensure that everyone has the best experience possible, and there will be a maximum of eight people in each group. The minimum number of people we require to run our mountain bike holiday in Canada is four.
Q. What’s the age range of people who come on this trip?
A. Our mountain bike tour in the Yukon caters for a wide age range; typically between 30- and 55-years-old, but age is simply a state of mind, as they say, and we welcome anyone over the age of 18! As long as you have a good level of physical fitness and good bike handling skills you will enjoy this mountain bike tour no matter what your age.
Q. What style of mountain biking tour is it?
A.This Canadian mountain bike adventure is a guided mountain bike tour, ideal for intermediate mountain bikers. Riding here, in the vast Canadian wilderness, you’ll experience some tough climbs and technical descents, as well as miles and miles of lovely flowing singletrack through the high alpine, pristine boreal forests, along the Yukon river, and on old prospectors’ trails .
Q. How far will we be mountain biking each day?
A. The distances we cover each day range from 20km to 35km, in accordance with the technical difficulty of each trail. Each evening your guides will chat with you about the following day’s mountain biking and give you an idea of the sorts of trails you can look forward to. If there’s anything you feel anxious about, your guides will be happy to discuss it with you.
Q. What if I come across a section of trail that I can’t ride?
A. Your guide will be very happy to give you some bike skills training during your trip to help improve your confidence and your enjoyment of your Yukon mountain bike adventure. If there is a section that you would prefer not to ride, then you can simply hop off your bike and walk. You won’t be the only one to walk certain sections and it’s not a competition in biking ability; it’s a mountain bike holiday!
Q. Who will be guiding us?
A. Your mountain bike guides are local to the Yukon and experienced professionals who have a real passion for mountain biking and for the culture and wild landscape of this region of Canada. Your safety is their number one priority, closely followed by your enjoyment of the tour. They will always be on-hand to answer any questions or requests you may have throughout your trip. Your mountain bike guide in the Yukon is also bi-lingual in French and English. You can meet your mountain bike guides on our ‘Why H&I Adventures page?’.
Q. What sort of accommodation will we be staying in?
A. On this mountain bike tour in the Yukon you will be staying in luxury yurts perched high on the bluff above Whitehorse, the capital of the Yukon. Affectionately know as ‘Yurtville’, your yurt accommodation is off-grid and has solar panels that soak up all the long hours of Yukon summer sun to furnish you with fantastic hot showers after your ride. Yurtville is all about the group, and you’ll relax each evening with your friends – old and new – in the main yurt, before retiring to your own private bedroom yurt for two or three people. As part of the sustainability policy at Yurtville bathrooom facilities are shared, with one shower and two toilets, so if this doesn’t appeal to you, then our mountain bike holiday in the Yukon may not be for you.
Q. What will the weather be like in the Yukon?
A. The weather in July and August in the Yukon will be perfect for riding, with long sunny days and a temperature of around 20C/65F most days. It does get a lot cooler at night and first thing in the morning, with possible lows of 5C/40F, so you should pack warm layers, a warm jacket and hat for enjoying the long evenings. The Yukon is a semi-arid environment and rain-fall is relatively rare during the summer months. It is wise, however, to pack a waterproof jacket, just in case.
Q. Which meals are included in the tour?
A. All meals and snacks are included in the tour price, and prepared for you from locally-sourced produce by your host at Yurtville. Food is an extremely important part of our mountain bike holiday in the Yukon and you’ll be spoiled every day with delicious, fresh, healthy meals and snacks.
Q. What type of mountain bike is best for this trip?
A. A good quality full suspension mountain bike with 120mm travel front and rear will be ideal for this mountain bike tour. The terrain you will be riding is rough in places and you will feel more comfortable on a full suspension bike for the duration of the trip. It is possible to ride every day on a hard tail, so if this is your preference, then feel free to come with your hard tail. If you wish to travel to Canada with your own bike, we have some handy tips on how to travel by air with your bike. We can also arrange bike hire for you for the duration of the trip at a cost of £240 / $360 per bike.
Q. What clothes and kit should I bring?
A. You must make sure that you have plenty of layers of breathable clothing to ensure that you are always warm enough and can remove a layer if you get too hot, and you should bring a waterproof jacket. You should also bring cycling shorts/trousers, gloves, padded undershorts, specific shoes for cycling, sun cream, insect spray, and Advil or Ibuprofen. Read the full kit list to find out what you need to pack for your mountain bike adventure in the Yukon, Canada.
Q. Will I see bears?
A. There is a chance that you will see a gizzly or black bear during your mountain bike tour in Canada. Your guide is fully wilderness trained and highly experienced at guiding groups of mountain bikers through the Yukon back country, and it is imperative that you follow the instructions of your guide at all times whilst out on the trails.
Q. Will I see the northern lights?
A. In short, no. We visited the Yukon at the end of August 2012 and were extremely lucky to witness the magnificent display of the aurora at that time of year. In mid-July and mid-August, when our tours run, there is too much daylight to be able to see the northern lights, so please don’t pin your hopes on a sighting: it’s not going to happen!
