Adventures and Misadventures in Tombstone Territorial Park

A camping trip to Tombstone Territorial Park, Yukon gives new meaning to “going up north” for vacation. Located just 177 miles south of the Arctic Circle, this park boasts 850 square miles of raw wilderness.

The Dempster Highway

To get to the park, you’ll need to drive 44 miles (71.5 kilometers) on the Dempster highway, which starts in Dawson City, Yukon. Make sure to get gas and supplies in Dawson, because there will be no such luxuries near the park! You may want to consider taking some type of a satellite communicator for emergencies, as there will be no cell reception.

Tombstone Mountain Campground

The Tombstone Mountain campground is the only campground in the park accessible by car. There are also three backcountry campgrounds that I hope to get to eventually.

Due to COVID-19, the park was only open to Yukoners, which made the campground very quiet. We had our choice of campsites and decided on one right beside the rushing North Klondike River.

It was extremely peaceful, even when whiskey jacks stole food right off our picnic table.

Hikes in Tombstone Territorial Park

Charcoal Creek Ridge

The Charcoal Creek Ridge is right across the road from the campground. I imagine it would be a relatively short and easy hike if you follow the directions on the Yukon Hiking website. If you decide not to heed their handy tips to find the trail, this hike may be the least enjoyable hike of your life.

The exbedition starts where the creek meets the road. Once you are on the right side of the creek, pause for a moment to locate the trail. (It will head to your left and follow the creek). Alternatively, you could skip this step and go straight, plunging directly into the thick, tall shrubbery, but doing so will add two hours and much grief to your hike.

As you may gather, Jeremy and I chose the latter option. Jeremy muttered something vague about how “the website mentioned bushwhacking,” and so forward we went.

The ground was covered in mounds of vegetation so spongy that it made the hike as grueling as trudging through vertical sand. But the bigger problem was the thickest possible shrubbery, taller than us, that covered the entire mountain. Sometimes I had to crawl on all fours like an animal, grasping onto whatever I could to heave myself into the tiny crevices between branches. All while climbing upwards in quite a steep fashion. While stuck in a most impassable bush, I declared that perhaps no human in history had ever stood where I did then.

We made it as far up as we could, collapsing onto a rare rock to eat granola bars and admire the view. It started to rain on us. As we descended, we discovered a trail that could have easily taken us the whole way. It took us all of 15 minutes to descend on the trail.

So, if you want a more enjoyable hike, do take the trail. But if you want to earn the title of Extreme Yukon Bushwhacker, don’t bother.

Goldensides

A little further up the Dempster is the trailhead for Goldensides. You cannot miss it, as there is actually a sign and the entire trail is extremely well marked with gravel. The trail follows a ridge of Goldensides mountain to great views of the surrounding mountain ranges. Jeremy knew the one person we ran into on the hike. It’s a small world north of 64!

And Many More!

There are many other hikes in Tombstone Territorial Park. You can check out my separate blog post on Angelcomb Peak, or YukonHiking.ca for more trails.