Chilkoot Trail Hikers Barred from Full Alaska-Canada Trek in 2025
The iconic 33-mile Chilkoot Trail from Dyea, Alaska, to Bennett, British Columbia, remains split by a closed remote border, forcing hikers to turn back at the summit. Despite both sides reopening for the 2025 season, U.S. and Canadian agencies cite security gaps in this rugged Klondike Gold Rush route. Alaska adventurers decry the lost chance to relive history end-to-end.
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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.
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