Chilkoot Trail Hikers Barred from Full Alaska-Canada Trek in 2025

Hikers dreaming of conquering the full Chilkoot Trail this summer face a harsh reality: the international border at the trail's 3,500-foot summit stays sealed. The 33-mile route, etched into history by 1897 Klondike Gold Rush stampeders from Dyea, Alaska, to Bennett, British Columbia, opened its U.S. side through Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park and Canadian side at Chilkoot Trail National Historic Site for the 2025 season. But Parks Canada and the U.S. National Park Service mandate turnarounds at the boundary, a rule locked in since 2022 amid COVID closures, floods and enforcement hurdles.