There's gold in them thar hills...

The brand new second series of Yukon Gold celebrates the enduring myth of the Great Gold Rush and the irresistible lure of a modern day treasure hunt. The series follows a select group of gold miners who have only four short months in Canada's remote and wild Yukon to earn their living for the entire year and are up against soaring operational costs, unreliable machinery and Mother Nature..
Further information on the new series of Yukon Gold can be found at: http://natgeotv.com/uk/yukon-gold/about 

Background on the Yukon's original Gold Rush
In 1896, prospectors found gold in a creek near Dawson City, Yukon, triggering a stampede to the Klondike. Bolstered by dreams and heartened by stories of riches, thousands of miners struggled across Chilkoot Pass and floated the Yukon River to Dawson City. Soon a rollicking frontier town with some 50,000 residents, making it the largest city in Canada west of Winnipeg and north of Seattle, Dawson filled up with desperate prospectors, shrewd entrepreneurs, Mounties and dancehall girls. Today, Dawson City is a national historic site and is still a lively and colourful place bursting with heritage sites and attractions, where you can still meet placer miners, dog mushers and other Klondike characters. You'll feel the grit, heartache and golden dreams of the Klondike Gold Rush when you reach this authentic frontier town. Walk among the carefully restored buildings with costumed inter­preters and feel like you're stepping back in time. Try your hand at blackjack, sample the infamous Sourtoe Cocktail, or take in a Can-Can show at Diamond Tooth Gerties gambling hall, the oldest in Canada. First Nations (native) cultural experiences and wilderness adventures are an important part of the Klondike experience too. Dawson City is a convenient base from which to explore the Dempster Highway (Canada's only road which crosses the Arctic Circle) to Tombstone Park, the Arctic Circle and North Yukon, and across the Yukon River to the Top of the World Highway.

Hiking The Chilkoot today
Have you ever crossed through four eco zones in a few days? You can on the 53 kilometre Chilkoot Trail. The Trail starts near Skagway, Alaska and meanders along the Taiya River through the lush Pacific Rainforest providing magnificent glimpses of the towering Coastal Mountains. Even a couple of glaciers. Treeline is at about the 22 kilometre mark where the verdant spruce forest is beaten into submission by a rock and brush world of astonishing beauty. It's a little intimidating here because you can now see the journey ahead, onwards and upwards and upwards through the chink in the mountain battlement called the Chilkoot Pass. Here, it is Alpine pure and simple: rugged and exposed with exhilarating views of unending snow-clad peaks.

Now, drop down through the pass and its water, water everywhere … and every drop to drink: lakes, rivers and streams, braided and rushing from the snowfields that still cling to the surrounding mountain crevices well into the summer. And it's the flowers, colourful and delicate alpine jewels that will stop you in your tracks.
And then it's into the Boreal Forest of pine, spruce and poplar and the winding journey downwards to the two big lakes at the base. Sound great? It is, but try doing it while carrying a ton of provisions on your back. That's the way the Klondikers had to do it more than 100 years ago. Countless trips throughout the frigid winter to get their food and gear over the top before breakup and the mad race to get to the goldfields to stake their claims and assure their fortunes.

It didn't happen for most. Many couldn't take the Pass and turned back; many foundered on the 644 kilometre trip on Yukon River to Dawson City; some got there too late to stake; many worked hard for nothing. But that's a detail. When the cry of 'Gold' rang out, it was like a shot from a starting gun. In 1898 they were off and Yukon was born.
The Chilkoot Trail is a unique and unforgettable journey with a story that asked: Are you tough enough? Well, are you?

Background on Yukon
Situated in the upper Northwest corner of Canada, next to Alaska, the Yukon is Canada's most accessible northern destination, and with scenic drives into all corners, it's a driver's dream.  The territory boasts a network of highways that rank among the world's premier driving adventures including the legendary Alaska, Top of the World, Klondike and Dempster highways.  Yukon also has an exhilarating combination of postcard scenery, heritage sites and cultural attractions and just beyond the dashboard are inviting towns, campgrounds and countless adventures.

This is a land of friendly characters, midnight sun and breathtaking scenery. In fact, the Yukon is one of North America's major wilderness attractions; close to 80 percent remains pristine wilderness with 5,000-metre peaks, forested valleys, unspoiled waters and untamed wildlife. Roughly the size of France, the Yukon is home to more than 160,000 caribou, 70,000 moose, 22,000 mountain sheep, 7,000 grizzly bears, 10,000 black bears and 250 species of birds… and only 34,000 humans!


Frontier Travel offer a 14-day 'Klondike Explorer' self-drive tour which explores the highlights of the Yukon including Dawson City, the Top of the World Highway and Kluane National Park

www.frontier-canada.co.uk/holiday/view/klondike-explorer-visit-the-yukon-on-a-self-drive-holiday