Where to Watch the Race
WHERE TO WATCH THE RACE
FAIRBANKS TO WHITEHORSE DIRECTION
The Yukon Quest dog sled trail follows historic Gold Rush and Mail Delivery routes from the turn of the 20th Century. Eleven checkpoints lie along the Yukon Quest trail including the Start and Finish, some more than 200 miles apart.
FAIRBANKS TO TWO RIVERS (45 miles/72 km)
With a population of 84,979, Fairbanks is Alaska’s second-largest city and is a start/finish point for the Yukon Quest.
The race runs on the Chena River and crosses under Nordale Road Bridge in North Pole about 18 miles from downtown Fairbanks.The teams will be in the woods until reaching the Two Rivers area. They will come out at Pleasant Valley Road, 22.5 mile Chena Hot Springs Road. They will turn right a parallel the road, crossing in front of Pleasant Valley Store, 23.5 mile and continuing up to cross Chena Hot Springs Road at 27 mile. The Two Rivers Checkpoint is held in the Twin Bears campground at mile 30.
TWO RIVERS TO MILE 101 (82 miles/131 km)
Once the teams leave Two Rivers, they travel up and over Boulder and Rosebud and will not be visible from the road system until Mile 94 on the Steese Highway.
Mile 101 is a new checkpoint in this year, with a 2 hour mandatory stop. Mushers like to rest their teams here and warm up before the steep climb over the famous 3,650-foot Eagle Summit. Dog teams can be seen at Mile 106 before they start up Eagle summit. They can then be seen at Mile116 as they come down off the summit.
MILE 101 TO CENTRAL (33 miles / 53)
With a population of 113 and at the heart of the Central Mining District, Central is the base for a number of placer mining operations. Teams rest here after the trip over Eagle Summit. Nearby Arctic Circle Hot Springs has been a popular gathering spot for tourists and locals since the late 1800s.
CENTRAL TO CIRCLE CITY (74 miles/119 km)
With a population of 73, Circle City, on the Yukon River, is the most northerly point on the race. It was the site of a major gold rush as well as a supply stop for prospectors. The first phone system in Alaska was installed here. It claims to be the largest log cabin city in the state.
At Mile 147 Steese, teams can be seen as they travel under the Birch Creek Bridge. It is 30 miles of narrow winding road between Central and Circle City. Mushers travel over 70 miles of taiga and frozen swamps after leaving the banks of the Yukon River.
CIRCLE CITY TO EAGLE (159 miles/256 km)
On the Yukon River, Eagle, population 115, is accessible only by air, snow machine or dog team in the winter. The Yukon Quest is one of the biggest events of the winter for area residents, and they come out in full force to support the race.
The trail follows the flat, sometimes soft, sometimes icy, Yukon River. The route is exposed to wind, and markers may be blown over or hard to spot, especially at night. About half-way, mushers travel past the cabin of Charlie Biederman, a legendary figure in the Yukon Quest, who died in 1995.
EAGLE TO DAWSON CITY (147 miles/237 km)
Dawson City, population 1,876 was the site of the Klondike gold rush at the turn of the last century, Dawson City has a unique character. Many miners still spend the summer scouring for gold in the surrounding hills and creeks. Visit Diamond Tooth Gerties, open for Yukon Quest weekend. Dawson City is in the traditional territory of the Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in First Nation. Considered the halfway point in the race, this is the only location where mushers may receive outside help. Handlers arrive early, and pick a spot in the Yukon Government campground across the Yukon River. Some set up elaborate camps for their teams, and the race veterinarians set up shop in a cooking shelter. Access to the campground may be restricted to certain times, at the discretion of the race officials. Mandatory layover: 36 hours.
DAWSON CITY TO PELLY CROSSING (201 miles/324 km)
Pelly Crossing with a population of 350 was the village along the Pelly River which first got involved as a checkpoint for the Yukon Quest during the 1996 race. The town’s main industries are fishing and tourism. Pelly Crossing is in the traditional territory of the Selkirk First Nation.
Near Dawson City, the trail winds down 4,002-foot King Solomon’s Dome, with the only trail viewing possible, from the air. Mushers and their teams then climb through the Black Hills, a series of rolling knolls, until they reach the rustic Scroggie Creek dog drop. Then it’s up a mining road to the cabins at Stepping Stone, where teams often stop for a hot meal and a rest before reaching the next checkpoint, Pelly Crossing.
PELLY CROSSING TO CARMACKS (73 miles/118 km)
Carmacks, population 450, was named for George Carmack, one of the original discoverers of gold in the Klondike in 1896. Situated on the Yukon River, the community is in the traditional territory of the Little Salmon/Carmacks First Nation.
The teams can then be seen along the Klondike Highway in the Minto area, after feasting on the hot moose stew of McCabe Creek, about 34 miles from Pelly. A working farm, McCabe Creek is an official dog drop. Yukon Quest dog teams can later be seen travelling along the Freegold Road as they enter Carmacks.
CARMACKS TO BRAEBURN (77 miles/ 124 km)
Braeburn Lodge, famous for its very large cinnamon buns, has been an official checkpoint since 1999. There is a mandatory layover here during the race of 8 hours
Upon entering Braeburn, the trail takes the mushers deep into the bush and along a chain of lakes.
BRAEBURN TO WHITEHORSE (100 miles/ 161 km)
Whitehorse in the Yukon Territory, the Yukon’s capital city is the starting point of the race (First Avenue). The Yukon River runs through Whitehorse’s downtown core. Whitehorse is home to the Ta’an Kwäch’än and Kwanlin Dun First Nations. The city was long a staging point for shipping and transportation to the gold fields of the Klondike.
This portion of the trail runs on the Old Dawson Trail, today part of the Trans Canada Trail. Teams can be seen following the trail under the Takhini River bridge, at kilometre 4.5 of the North Klondike Highway (Mayo Road).
