Lake Laberge
A 50 Km Long Lake On The Yukon River Made Famous By The Poem About The Cremation Of Sam McGee, With A Long Gravel Beach, Campgrounds, Lake Trout Fishing, Strong Winds And A Stretch Of The Old Gold Rush Route. A Day Trip Or Paddling Trip From Whitehorse · Whitehorse, Yukon
Lake Laberge, also written Lebarge, is a long, narrow lake on the Yukon River about 40 km north of Whitehorse, roughly 50 km from end to end (confirm). Robert Service made it famous in a poem about the cremation of Sam McGee, and gold rush stampeders crossed it in 1898 on their way to Dawson. A campground on the west side reached from the Klondike Highway gives access to a gravel beach, a boat launch and lake trout fishing (confirm name and fee). Mountains rise from the shoreline, islands break the open water, and the mood is more of big sky and long light than of resorts. It is a lake that rewards patience: calm evenings in July are magical, but a strong wind can raise steep waves within an hour. Locals fish, paddle and picnic here, and visitors come for the poem as much as for the water. Fuel, food and cell signal are limited once you leave the highway. Allow half a day from Whitehorse, or a night if you camp.
Lake Laberge, a long river-lake on the Yukon River about 40 km north of Whitehorse, reached from the Klondike Highway and the Deep Creek road; coordinates approximate, Whitehorse, Yukon, Canada
The lake is open at any hour and there is no gate on the shore, but the campground and boat launch run in a summer season, generally from about mid May to mid September (confirm dates). Ice usually leaves the lake in late May or early June and returns in November, and thin ice around the shoreline can persist for weeks, so open water is a mid summer matter. Daylight is nearly continuous in June and July, which allows late paddles, while the sun sets early from September. The access roads from the Klondike Highway are gravel and can be rough after rain, and winter services on the highway are limited.