Adventure is Golden

We want you to have the best experience in the Yukon, so it’s important to be sure that this is the perfect mountain bike adventure, with the right level of challenge, for you.

You ride your mountain bike on average once per week, and would be comfortable riding a variety of trails including: rooty singletrack through forests; long double and singletrack climbs; steep, flowing descents; loose high alpine trails. Read more on our intermediate skill level.

Does this sound like you? Your vacation time is precious and we want to be absolutely sure that you’re making the most of it. Be honest with yourself, if this adventure isn’t right for you, we have other MTB tours that may be a better fit for your mountain biking ability.

Please note: The skill level required reflects an overall rating for the trails on the trip but you should expect to find sections and obstacles that push your ability levels.

Skill level: Intermediate

• You have been mountain biking regularly for at least two years
• You can brake, use gears and corner with confidence
• You have good bike handling skills, and are confident riding rough double track and non-technical singletrack
• You are competent at riding undulating trails with moderate climbs and descents on both double and singletrack, but tend to get off and walk technical singletrack sections
• You mountain bike approximately once a week throughout your biking season

Fitness level: 5/7

• You have a good level of bike fitness, exercising at least three times every week throughout the year, for an hour at a time
• You can ride a mountain bike for up to six hours a day at a moderate pace, with snack and photo stops, for three or more consecutive days
• You can tackle two or three fairly significant climbs a day, up to 600 metres each

Typical trails you’ll be riding

• Double track: undulating forest tracks made up of hard-packed dirt and fist-sized rocks
• Singletrack: plenty of fast, flowing singletrack, but you will also encounter golf ball- to head-sized rocks, bedrock sections, and rooty sections
• The trails on our mountain bike tour Yukon are a mix of buff, purpose-built trails and natural trails that link old disused mines with old settlements across the region
• The trail surface may be soft, potentially muddy at times, but generally the trails in the Yukon are dry and dusty, even sandy in places

Training for your Yukon MTB adventure

To get the most out of your mountain bike tour in the Yukon, Canada you should plan plenty of training in advance of your tour.

The ideal bike for the Yukon trails is a good quality full-suspension mountain bike with 29” or 27.5” wheels, dropper seat post, and 120mm -130mm of travel front and rear. Ideal tyres for the Yukon are…

We recommend that you travel with your own bike, and have some handy tips on how to do this. When travelling with your own bike, you must ensure that it has been properly serviced before the trip.

If you would prefer not to travel with your bike, we can arrange rental of a high quality full suspension mountain bike for the duration of your mountain bike tour in the Yukon, Canada, in conjunction with the local bike shop.

We only run small group mountain bike tours to ensure that everyone has the best experience possible, and there will be a maximum of 12 people in each group. The minimum number of people we require to run this mountain bike tour in the Yukon is six.

Our mountain bike tour in the Yukon caters for a wide age range; typically between 30- and 60-years-old. Regardless of age, you must have the appropriate level of physical fitness and mountain biking skills to participate in this adventure. Please refer to clause 14 of our terms and conditions of booking to find more information on rider age.

This mountain bike tour Yukon 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 .

The distances we cover each day range from 20km to 35km, in accordance with the technical difficulty of the trails: the easier stages of the route are longer. The technical difficulty of the trails increases each day, so you can practise your technique and increase your confidence as you progress through the tour.

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.

No, you only need to carry a 16-litre back pack with you whilst riding. You will be staying in the same accommodation for seven nights, so you can unpack and leave your luggage at the accommodation.

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 mountain bike tour in the Yukon.

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!

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.

On this mountain bike tour Yukon you will be staying in en-suite lodge bedrooms at our mountain ranch situated between the two best biking areas in the Yukon – Whitehorse and Carcross.

On the property, we have a main lodge where everyone is welcome to relax and enjoy the views over the Grey Ridge mountains. All of your meals are served in the main lodge. Our interior rooms have private bathrooms and superb views of the mountain peaks from their balconies.

You can also take advantage of the on-site, complimentary wi-fi, cell service and electrical plug-ins for computers, cell phones, cameras etc

All meals and snacks are included in the tour price, and prepared for you from locally-sourced produce by your host at our mountain ranch. Food is an extremely important part of our mountain bike tour Yukon and you’ll be spoiled every day with delicious, fresh, healthy meals and snacks.

The ideal bike for the Yukon trails is a good quality full-suspension mountain bike with 29” or 27.5” wheels, dropper seat post, and 120mm -130mm of travel front and rear.

Read the full kit list to find out what you need to pack for your mountain bike tour in the Yukon.

There is a self-service laundry facility at your accommodation.

There is a chance that you will see a grizzly 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 backcountry, and it is imperative that you follow the instructions of your guide at all times whilst out on the trails.

In July, definitely not. There’s more chance of seeing the lights on our late August adventure, but there’s never a guarantee with Mother Nature, so don’t pin your hopes on it!

Unfortunately not. We are working hard to provide each and every customer who rides with us an unparalleled mountain bike experience in every destination we ride. This takes years of experience, riding and planning to get right, and a drone adds a very real danger to the group’s riding experience and health & safety.

Airlines flying into Canada include: British Airways; Air Canada; American Airlines; United Airlines.

We strongly advise flying into Vancouver, then connecting with one of the Air North daily flights to Whitehorse, rather than booking all the way through with Air Canada. Air Canada now only allow one bike per flight between Vancouver and Whitehorse.

Visas

It is your responsibility to ensure that you have the correct visa and documentation for entry to and exit from Canada.

Most visitors entering Canada will require an Electronic Travel Authorisation (eTA) or a visitor visa. Please check the Canadian Government website for more details before booking your mountain bike tour Yukon, Canada.

Arrival and departure details

Your mountain bike tour Yukon will start on Day 1 at Whitehorse airport or your H+I recommended hotel.

Your guide and/or driver will meet you in the arrivals area of Whitehorse airport, or the hotel lobby if you have arrived early, and he/she will be holding an H+I Adventures sign.

You should arrive no later than 16:30 on the first day of your adventure, and aim to depart no earlier than 10:00 on the final day.

If your flight arrives earlier on day 1, your guide/driver will collect you at Whitehorse airport then drop you downtown for some free time to explore the city, before meeting the group again at 16:30 to transfer to our mountain ranch.
We have created this handy guide to spending 24 hours in Whitehorse before the start of your Yukon adventure.

Our mountain bike guides are qualified to the very highest level in Canada. This includes first-aid and for this type of trip they also hold a Wilderness Expedition Leader Award, which means that they have the knowledge and experience to lead a group safely in these very remote, wild and unpredictable parts of Canada.

In addition to formal qualifications, our guides have years of experience in the saddle on the Yukon trails and will be able to enhance your holiday with facts and fables on local history, flora and fauna.

They’re also genuinely nice people and will do their best to make sure that everyone in the group has a great time.

One of the things that sets our holidays apart from other mountain bike tours around the world is the excellent accommodation we use, and the Yukon is no exception.

Your accommodation in the Yukon will be in our en-suite mountain lodge rooms, which are powered by solar panels that soak up the long hours of Yukon summer sun to give you lovely hot showers.

The ranch is all about the group being together and having a great time with old and new friends. The main lodge contains living and dining facilities and four en-suite bedrooms, with two more en-suite bedrooms in an adjacent wing. Your mountain accommodation is set in the woods between Whitehorse and Carcross.
You will be spoiled all week with delicious home-cooked meals and snacks, made by your host from fresh, locally-sourced Yukon produce.

Please note: There are two – very friendly – dogs at the lodge, so if you are allergic to dogs this may not be the perfect adventure for you.

No special vaccinations are required for visiting the Yukon.

The Yukon is a vibrant, natural habitat for many species of wildlife, including: grizzly bears, black bears, caribou, moose, elk, and wolves. Your guide has many years of experience and wilderness training in the Yukon environment, so you MUST follow his instructions at all times while mountain biking in the area.

Your guide is a trained first-aider/first-responder, but it is your responsibility to ensure that you are managing your own health and safety at all times on your mountain bike tour Yukon.

Please let us know if you have any special food requirements, allergies or pre-existing conditions your guides should know about.

Your health and safety on tour is our top priority and when you travel with us you will be covered by Global Rescue emergency medical and evacuation services.

The currency in the Yukon is the Canadian dollar (CAD).

All meals are included in the cost of your trip, so you need only bring spending money with you for alcoholic drinks, gifts to take home, and other sundry expenses. There are cash machines and banks in Whitehorse.

Tipping

It is not compulsory to tip your guides or drivers in Canada, but it is much appreciated. If you feel you’ve had a good service or experience on your mountain bike tour in the Yukon, you can tip at your discretion. We recommend around 5% of the tour price, but it’s up to you.

You are required as a condition of booking to be insured against medical and personal accident risks. In this policy you must include cover for mountain biking and we recommend that you take out a policy which covers cancellation and baggage, including your bike.

We work with Global Rescue whose policies are specially designed for adventure travel and you can arrange your insurance cover directly with them.