Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park
Headlines screamed "Gold!" The dream of a better life catapulted thousands of people to Alaska and the Yukon Territory. Their journey shaped them, and changed the people they encountered and the north forever. Today, the park remembers the trails, boomtowns, and stories of the Klondike Gold Rush.
Fees & passes
Free. No entrance fee here.
Hours
| Summer Hours | Daily · 9:00AM - 4:30PM |
Hours by date. Standard hours apply on every date not listed.
| Dates | Hours |
|---|---|
| Standard hours | 9:00AM - 4:30PM |
| Oct 1, 2026 to Apr 29, 2027NowWinter Hours | Closed |
| Apr 30 to May 1, 2027Spring hours | 9:00AM - 4:30PM |
| May 2, 2027Spring Training | Closed |
When to go
August draws the most visits here and February the fewest, averaged over 2021 to 2025.
Campgrounds
| Sheep Camp ↗ | 27 sites | |
| $20 a night · You must have a permit to stay at this campground. · Books through nps.gov | ||
| Pleasant Camp ↗ | 11 sites | |
| $20 a night · You must have a permit to stay at this campground. · Books through nps.gov | ||
| Canyon City ↗ | 11 sites | |
| $20 a night · You must have a permit to stay at this campground. · Books through nps.gov | ||
| Finnegan's Point ↗ | 6 sites | |
| $20 a night · You must have a permit to stay at this campground. · Books through nps.gov | ||
| Dyea Campground | 22 sites | |
| $10 a night · Campground is open 24 hours a day during summer months. · 22 first-come | ||
Every campground here has its own page on Campsite Atlas, with site counts, hookups, rig limits and booking windows. All of them on one page → How park camping works
Visitor centers
- Klondike Gold Rush Visitor Center ↗Passport stamp
The visitor center is located in the historic White Pass & Yukon Route depot. Talk to a ranger, learn about daily programs, watch park film "Gold Fever: Race to the Klondike," and more. Restrooms, water stations, and benches are available for visitors.
- Visitor Center Museum ↗
The Visitor Center Museum is located on 2nd and Broadway, next to the National Park Service visitor center. The visitor center museum and the parks’ administrative offices share a building.
- The Chilkoot Trail Center ↗
The Chilkoot Trail Center is the registration and information center for the Chilkoot International Trail. Hikers hiking on the Chilkoot Trail must stop here prior to starting their hike. During permit season, regularly scheduled orientations are at 9 am, 11 am, 1 pm, and 3 pm.
- Mascot Saloon Museum ↗
Mascot Saloon Museum is an authentic post-gold rush saloon. This facility is wheelchair accessible and service animals are welcome. There are public restrooms in this building.
- Administrative Office
Visitors can find the Administrative Offices on the second floor of the Visitor Center Museum. These offices serve as a resource for the public when other facilities are closed, providing information about job opportunities, park facilities, and answering general inquiries.
Explore
Things to do
- Hike The Chilkoot Trail With Your Dog1-7 Days
The Chilkoot Trail is a 33-mile recreational hiking trail spanning from coastal Alaska to boreal British Columbia. Each summer over 3,000 people retrace the route of gold seekers by hiking this trail.
Opens on the Park Service site - Explore the Historic Dyea Townsite1-2 Hours
During the gold rush Dyea was a bustling town situated at the start of the Chilkoot trail. Since the gold rush, nature has reclaimed the area. Today there is a network of trails in place of the town roads.
Opens on the Park Service site - Stop By The Ton Of Goods Display5-15 Minutes
Heading to the Klondike was no easy trip. Get a feel for what supplies were needed to make the journey at this outdoor sculpture exhibit.
Opens on the Park Service site - Explore the Moore Homestead15-60 Minutes
The Moore Homestead was established 10 years before the gold rush. Today, contemplate early frontier life in the wilds of remote Alaska as you explore the first building in Skagway and the first family to live here.
Opens on the Park Service site - Visit the Mascot Saloon15-45 Minutes
Once Skagway's longest running saloon, step back in to time with this restored saloon museum. Learn about the role of vice in the community, see how the owner adapted his business in the face of change, and find out why the saloon finally closed.
Opens on the Park Service site
Films
National Park Service productions, public domain.
Webcams
Camera images load live from the National Park Service and partner agencies
News
- Dyea Flats Road construction to cause temporary closures, delays ↗2026-10-07
Visitors and residents traveling Dyea Flats Road should expect traffic restrictions and temporary road closures from Oct. 15 through Nov.
- Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park Welcomes B.A.R.K. Rangers ↗2026-08-19
Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park to host B.A.R.K. Ranger Day on Wednesday, August 26, 2026
- Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park Celebrates Junior Ranger Day ↗2026-07-23
Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park invites visitors of all ages to celebrate Junior Ranger Day Thursday, July 30, with hands-on activities, live entertainment, and opportunities to explore the park and earn a…
- Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park to Celebrate Golden Jubilee ↗2026-06-22
On June 30, 2026, Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park is celebrating its 50th anniversary, or “Golden Jubilee”. In honor of this milestone, the park is hosting several special events throughout the day.
Map
Interactive map by the National Park Service
Historic landmarks nearby
Public land nearby
Distances are approximate. Wilderness Atlas publishes a center point and an acreage for each area rather than a boundary, so each area is treated here as a circle of the same size and the figure is the gap to that circle.
Forest Service trails nearby
These trails are outside the park on National Forest land, within 15 miles of Klondike Gold Rush. Each one opens on Trailhead Atlas.
Distance is measured from the park's reference point to the nearer end of the trail.
Alaska guidebooks
We earn a small commission if you buy through these links. It does not change what we list.
Titles come from Open Library's catalog, matched by subject.
Reference
Wildlife
Full checklist: 176 birds, 35 mammalsHide
Raptors & owlsAmerican kestrel · Bald eagle · Barred owl · Golden eagle · Great horned owl · Merlin · Northern harrier · Northern pygmy owl · Peregrin falcon · Red-tailed hawk · Sharp-shinned hawk · Short-eared owl · Snowy Owl · boreal owl · northern hawk owl · northern saw-whet owl
Waterfowl & wadersAmerican coot · American wigeon · Barrow's goldeneye · Blue-winged teal · Bufflehead · Canada goose · Common goldeneye · Common loon · Common merganser · Double-crested cormorant · Eurasian wigeon · Great blue heron · Greater scaup · Green-winged teal · Harlequin duck · Hooded Merganser · Horned grebe · Lesser scaup · Northern pintail · Pacific loon · Red-breasted merganser · Red-necked grebe · Red-throated loon · Ring-necked duck · Sandhill crane · Snow goose · Trumpeter swan · Tundra swan
Shorebirds & seabirdsAmerica golden plover · American Black Oystercatcher · Arctic tern · Bonaparte's gull · Glaucus-winged gull · Herring gull · Killdeer · Least sandpiper · Lesser yellowlegs · Long-billed dowitcher · Mew gull · Pectoral sandpiper · Red-necked phalarope · Ring-billed Gull · Rock Sandpiper · Sanderling · Semipalmated plover · Semipalmated sandpiper · Short-billed dowitcher · Solitary sandpiper · Spotted Sandpiper · Thayer's gull · Western sandpiper · Wilson's Snipe · dunlin · fork-tailed storm-petrel · glaucus gull
Gamebirds & dovesBlue grouse · Pigeon Guillemot · Rock Ptarmigan · Ruffed grouse · Spruce Grouse · White-tailed Ptarmigan · Willow ptarmigan
WoodpeckersAmerican Three-toed Woodpecker · Downy woodpecker · Hairy woodpecker · Northern flicker · Red-breasted sapsucker
Hummingbirds & swiftsRufous hummingbird · Vaux's swift
Also on the checklistAlder flycatcher · American dipper · American pipit · American redstart · American robin · American tree sparrow · Bank swallow · Barn swallow · Belted kingfisher · Black-billed Magpie · Black-capped Chickadee · Blackpoll warbler · Bohemian wagwing · Brant · Brown creeper · Brown-headed cowbird · Canvasback · Cassin's Vireo · Cedar Waxwing · Chestnut-backed Chickadee · Chipping sparrow · Common nighthawk · Common raven · Common redpoll · Common yellowthroat · Dark-eyed junco · European starling · Fox sparrow · Gadwall · Golden-crowned kinglet · Golden-crowned sparrow · Gray jay · Gray-cheeked thrush · Gray-crowned Rosy-Finch · Greater yellow-legs · Gyrfalcon · Hammond's flycatcher · Hermit thrush · Horned lark · Lapland longspur · Lincoln's sparrow · Macgillivray's warbler · Mallard · Marbled murrelet · Mountain bluebird · Myrtle warbler · Northern goshawk · Northern shoveler · Northern shrike · Northern waterthrush · Northern wheatear · Northwestern crow · Oldsquaw · Olive-sided Flycatcher · Orange-crowned warbler · Pine grosbeak · Pine siskin · Purple Finch · Red crossbill · Red-breasted nuthatch · Red-winged blackbird · Redhead · Ruby-crowned kinglet · Rusty blackbird · Savannah sparrow · Say's phoebe · Snow bunting · Song sparrow · Steller's jay · Surf scoter · Swainson's thrush · Tecolote occidental · Tennessee warbler · Townsend's solitaire · Townsend's warbler · Tree swallow · Varied thrush · Violet-green swallow · Wandering Tattler · Warbling vireo · Western flycatcher · Western tanager · Western wood-pewee · Whimbrel · White-crowned sparrow · White-winged crossbill · White-winged scoter · Wilson's warbler · Winter wren · Yellow warbler · western kingbird
Small mammalsArctic ground squirrel · Beaver · Collared pika · Dusky shrew · Hoary marmot · Keen's mouse · Long-tailed vole · Masked shrew · Meadow jumping mouse · Northern bog lemming · Northern flying squirrel · Northern red-backed vole · Northern water shrew · Porcupine · Red squirrel · Snowshoe hare · Tundra vole
Marine mammalsHarbor porpoise · Harbor seal · Northern sea lion
PredatorsBlack bear · Brown bear · Coyote · Ermine · Gray wolf · Land otter · Lynx · Marten · Mink · Red fox [Cross Phase] · Wolverine
Hoofed mammalsMoose · Mountain goat · caribou
BatsLittle brown bat
Activities
Activity guides for this park Birdwatching in the national parks · Camping in the national parks · Hiking in the national parks · Rock climbing in the national parks · Wildlife watching in the national parks
Weather & climate
Skagway has a highly variable climate with frequent rain and high winds. Average temperatures May through September range from 47-60ºF. Average temperatures October through April range from 28-38ºF.
Questions people ask
Does Klondike Gold Rush charge an entrance fee?
No. Klondike Gold Rush is free to enter.
Source: National Park Service
What are the hours at Klondike Gold Rush?
Standard hours are 9:00AM - 4:30PM, every day. Dated exceptions are listed under Hours.
Source: National Park Service
Can I camp in Klondike Gold Rush?
Yes. The Park Service lists 5 campgrounds in Klondike Gold Rush: Sheep Camp, Pleasant Camp, Canyon City, Finnegan's Point, and Dyea. 4 take reservations through Recreation.gov; 1 is first-come, first-served.
Do any Klondike Gold Rush campgrounds have hookups or showers?
No. None of the 5 listed campgrounds report showers, electric hookups, or a dump station.
Source: Campgrounds
Do Klondike Gold Rush campgrounds book through Recreation.gov?
Not all of them. Sheep Camp, Pleasant Camp, Canyon City, and Finnegan's Point take reservations through nps.gov.
Source: Campgrounds
How busy is Klondike Gold Rush?
1,489,935 recreation visits in 2025, number 58 of 387 units that report visitation.
Source: Most visited parks
Is there cell service at Klondike Gold Rush?
At the park's reference point, FCC coverage maps show AT&T 5G. No reported coverage for Verizon and T-Mobile. Coverage inside the park varies by location.
Source: FCC Broadband Map
When was Klondike Gold Rush established?
1976. It covers about 21 square miles.
Source: Wikipedia
What is the weather like at Klondike Gold Rush?
Skagway has a highly variable climate with frequent rain and high winds. Average temperatures May through September range from 47-60ºF.
Source: Weather & climate
Follow this park
- Alerts feed (RSS)
- Every active Park Service alert for this unit, one item each, rebuilt with the nightly data refresh.
- Add dates to your calendar (.ics file)
- Fee-free entrance days that apply here and each published hours exception, as all-day events.
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