Dempster Highway

Birdwatching along the Dempster Highway

Taiga Journeys

Unique adventure along Canada’s most northerly highway: Dempster Highway into the arctic tundra!

Overview

This trip combines birding and easy hiking which makes it unique in its nature. We will spend our days exploring the area from the road and on easy to moderate trails. This gives us great opportunities to listen for bird songs and to observe a wide variety of migratory and resident birds. We will also have time to look for spring flowers of which many are only found in this part of the world. Birder’s highlights are Northern Wheatear, Smith Longspur, Surfbird, Rock Ptarmigan, Long-tailed Jaeger, Short-eared Owl, Red-throated Loon, and Wandering Tattler. Your guide will identify and interpret the flora and fauna of the area as well as the physical features of the region. The outstanding birdwatching along the first 200km of the Dempster Highway is well known in the birder community. The road gives access to alpine area where we catch migrants to the north coast on their way through as well as residents of the area that are starting to claim their breeding territory. We will be setting up a comfortable camp in the Tombstone Mountains Campground, sleep in tents and cook healthy meals on the propane stove. You will have 24 hours to dive deep into the land of the midnight sun (yes, it will never get dark this time of the year!). At the end of the trip, we will be heading to Dawson to round out your Yukon experience with a visit to the historic town of the gold seekers.

Please note:
 This program is tailored to the bird lover and naturalist who likes to venture off the road to take advantage of observations in the solitude away from the highway. Hikes will be up to 4 hours, but always in consensus with the participants.

Highlights

Experienced, long-time professional guide
Experience a truly wild environment
No wilderness experience needed; you will be well cared for!
Small groups ensure a low ratio of guides to guests
Unique one-of-a-kind experience
Best birdwatching north of 60.
Taiga Journeys always has room for a customized adventure
Only road access to the arctic environment in Canada!

Details

Duration: 8 days
Level: Moderate
Dates: June
Price: $2,760 + GST per person

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Operator testimonials

AN AWESOME EXPERIENCE FROM START TO FINISH

Elmari

We were looking for a once-in-a-lifetime experience for my husband’s 50th birthday. We got that and so much more. Andrea was the perfect guide for novice paddlers like us. She guided us not only in the basics of paddling, but also shared her knowledge about the land and the history of the land. It was a bonus that she too was an avid bird watcher and we enjoyed sharing that hobby with her. She provided and prepared delicious meals over an open fire and there were plenty of snacks for in between meals. We never felt unsafe with her as our guide. Nothing can beat the beauty of paddling on the Teslin River. Everything right to our float plane flight back to Whitehorse was an awesome experience.

ACCOMMODATING TO ALL OUR NEEDS

Nav

I spent an amazing week hiking in Kluane with Andrea and a small group of four. Before the trip, Andrea answered all my questions and even helped me create a plan for my road trip post hiking. Every day of hiking started with an amazing breakfast at The Cabins, accompanied by very interesting conversations. This is the reason we get away from the "busy-ness" of life, right? Andrea created daily plans for hiking based on what the group wanted. We did everything from easy two-hour hikes to climbing the relatively steep mountains for six hours to see Dall sheep. I really enjoyed her descriptions of various flowers, trees and birds. Dinners by Kathleen Lake were another highlight of the trip. She was able to meet the dietary needs of our group, including gluten free food for me. We could feel that Andrea really loved exploring nature and sharing it with others, and puts her heart into making the trip successful.

A COMPLETE FEELING OF FREEDOM

Jean-Jaques

I took a lot of pleasure with my three teenage kids going on a five-day canoeing trip on the Yukon River from Lake Laberge to Little Salmon by the end of August 2019. The trip was perfectly organized (a must when going into the wild outdoors) and yet we had the complete feeling of freedom that one can enjoy in such a natural landscape. Andrea knows how to guide the group so that we could all move safely and enjoy each and every moment. We even tried pike fishing, saw salmon going upstream ... Besides being an experienced guide, Andrea is a passionate nature lover, sharing and explaining, and there is a lot on the Yukon.