The Chilkoot Trail is a 53-kilometre backcountry route from Dyea (near Skagway) over the Chilkoot Pass into British Columbia and the Yukon. It was the main route used by stampeders in 1897–98, and it remains one of the most historically significant hikes in North America. The trail takes most hikers three to five days and requires a permit from Parks Canada (Canadian territory begins at the summit).
The lower sections from the Dyea trailhead are accessible as a day walk. The upper section climbs steeply through alpine terrain and past artifacts left behind by the stampeders — rusting stoves, worn boots, pieces of equipment — that have been left in place as a living archaeological site. The contrast between the forest below and the bare, boulder-strewn summit is dramatic.