Chilcoot Pass
The trail to the summit was four miles long with an elevation gain of 3,500 feet. Carved into the ice and snow were 1,500 steps that became known as The Golden Staircase. The average load carried was 50 pounds, but each man had to bring up food and supplies for one year (about one ton) or the Royal Canadian Mounted Police would not allow entry into Canada. This meant it took an average of three months to get everything to the top! Eventually, five tramways were built which helped considerably. Notice the boat, sled, and bike in the following pictures.
An area known as The Scales was a flat basin on top of Long Hill, and it was used as a staging area for the ascent. Long Hill is seen here in a then-and-now photo provided by the National Park Service.
The Summit
Sliding back downhill for another load
There are remnants of the Gold Rush still visible.
Discarded canvas boats
When the Gold Rush was over in 1899 many left to seek their fortune in Nome where gold was just discovered!
For a superb narrative with numerous photos of the entire trek, including a miner’s life in the Yukon after reaching the summit, see The Klondike Quest by Pierre Berton.