The Canadian side of the Chilkoot Trail saw fewer visits in the past five years combined than it did in any one of the previous five years before the COVID-19 pandemic.
That’s according to year-over-year data from the past 10 years obtained by the News ahead of Parks Canada opening reservations for the Chilkoot Trail National Historic Site’s 2026 hiking season.
The international trail has faced closures amid a global pandemic, a natural disaster and strained relations between the United States and Canada because of U.S. President Donald Trump’s 51st state talk and tariff threats against Canada.
Before the COVID-19-related closure in 2020, visits to the trail peaked in 2018 at 3,590 and dropped to 3,183 in 2019. Both of those years saw more visits than the previous three years, according to the data.
Following zero visits in 2020, the trail had 51 visits in 2021, 86 in 2022, 442 in 2023, 339 in 2024 and 370 in 2025.
“Ready for an unforgettable adventure?”
That’s the question Parks Canada asks in a Facebook post attempting to drive potential visitors to its website to book for the Canadian side of the Chilkoot Trail as reservations open.
News columnist Keith Halliday wrote a piece in summer 2025 featuring the trail after he hiked the Canadian side without encountering any other people until catching the train at Bennett City, B.C.
“You can have your own private park right here right now, thanks to Parks Canada!” Halliday quipped.
The full trail runs from Dyea, Alaska to Bennett City, but crossing the international border to complete the full trail was deemed illegal in 2025, as reported by the News. At the time, a spokesperson for the Canada Border Services Agency said the agency was working to beef up security in a “constantly evolving environment.”
While the international border between Canada and the United States remains closed for 2026, as noted on the Parks Canada website, hikers can still trek the 26-kilometre Canadian stretch of the trail (including a 450-metre elevation gain) each way from Bennett City to the Chilkoot Pass.
Parks Canada provided a brief recent history of visitation to the trail since it reopened to visitors in 2021, when there was no train service to the trailhead at Bennett City, and 2022, when train service was limited. At that point in time, there was no cross-border travel, which would have returned in 2023, when the train service resumed, except for the U.S. side being closed due to flooding that year and in 2024.
After the flood damage, the U.S. National Park Service restored access to their side of the trail last year.
However, that restoration coincided with Parks Canada receiving news from the relevant national border authorities — Canada Border Services Agency and U.S. Customs and Border Protection — that crossing the border won’t be permitted on the Chilkoot Trail because it isn’t an official port of entry.
Oliver Clark, the visitor experience manager for the Chilkoot Trail National Historic Site, said that anecdotally, Parks Canada is hearing that visitors are interested in “following in the footsteps of these people that have travelled it in the past.”
“Back to First Nations traders that were crossing the trail with, you know, exchanging products from the interior to the coast, to in the Gold Rush, of course, the stampeders coming across that trail,” Clark said.
“For some people, it’s pretty important to have that experience.”
In the past, about 95 per cent of visitors were starting on the United States side and crossing into Canada, while only five per cent began the hike in Canada, Clark said. That coincides with the “historical use” of the trail and provides a potentially safer, more doable trek that involves “going up the steep part rather than down it.”
“On the Canadian side, the elevation is a little bit more gentle, and I would say you can still get really amazing views if you go out that way,” Clark said.
Parks Canada’s 2026 offer for the Chilkoot Trail involves a more intimate experience and more flexibility when it comes to adapting plans on the fly or overnighting at camps along the trail compared to previous years.
“The trail is a little bit quieter,” Clark said. “If they want sort of a more personalized or private-feeling experience, maybe the chance to see more wildlife with less visitors on the trail, it’s a really special time to do that.”
The “Canada Strong Pass” was announced in spring 2025 as Trump threatened Canada’s economy and sovereignty, as noted in a press release from the federal Liberal party. The purpose was to encourage families and children to “better discover and celebrate Canada over the summer.”
The “Canada Strong” discount will be offered once again, which works out to a 25-per-cent discount on backcountry camping fees, plus a reservation fee, for the Chilkoot Trail, according to Clark.
To hike the Canadian side of the Chilkoot Trail, there’s a mandatory orientation that must be completed and physical permits that need to be picked up, according to Parks Canada.
Reservations for the portion of the trail in Canada go live on Jan. 19 at 9 a.m. Yukon time.
“This hike is NOT for everyone,” reads the Parks Canada website.
Hazards include difficult navigation over vast snowfields, poor visibility on an unmarked trail, extreme weather including snowstorms in summer, quickly changing weather, rough terrain, fast-flowing creek crossings as well as bears and other wildlife.
Parks Canada suggests the hike can be tough even for the “most experienced hikers.”
The website advises against going if one doesn’t have multi-day backpacking experience and route-finding skills or if one has a heart condition, breathing problems, concussion, recent surgery, other medical complications or recurring pain. It is also not recommended for those without winter hiking experience given avalanches are “possible until mid-July,” per the website.
The trail has no cell service, so the website mentions bringing a satellite communication device to contact emergency services in case of an emergency. The website adds that search-and-rescue efforts could take days to reach someone in an emergency due to weather or the availability of aircraft and rescue personnel.
Contact Dana Hatherly at dana.hatherly@yukon-news.com