Chilkoot Trail expected to fully reopen for 2025

Repairs to the Chilkoot Trail are on track and the hiking trail is expected to fully reopen next year, according to a spokesperson from the U.S. National Parks Service (NPS).

The 53 kilometre-long trail runs through the Yukon over the border to Alaska and is jointly run by the U.S. NPS and Parks Canada. But not all sections of the trail have been open to hikers in the past few years.

The American portion of the trail has been closed for four summers. It was initially closed due to pandemic border restrictions beginning in 2020, and then it was damaged by floods in 2021 and 2022.

The Canadian side of the trail reopened in 2021 and has been open every year since.

Riley E. Hays is the acting manager for Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park and the Chilkoot National Historic Trail in Skagway, Alaska. (Submitted by U.S. National Park Service)

Of the trail's 50 bridges, 11 are undergoing repairs.

Riley E. Hays, acting manager for Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park and the Chilkoot National Historic Trail in Skagway, Alaska said that while repairs are on schedule, the safety of the trail — for both hikers and the trail crew — has been a priority throughout the process, and that doing it right takes time.

She also said the Taiya River, also known as the Dyea River, has been changing and requires different adaptive strategies. Hays said areas of standing water need to be addressed and that with the weather acting the way it has, there are new surprises almost every day.

"We're entering new territory with the dynamic changes that we're seeing in the river," Hays said.

Members of the Chilkoot trail crew with a new sign. (Submitted by U.S. National Park Service )

Being able to work with Parks Canada, Hays said, is part of what makes the trail so special.

Parks Canada's Yukon field unit said in an email that the Canadian side of the trail has typical conditions for this time of the year. Up-to-date conditions can be found on their website.