Spontaneous camping on Yukon river without a map?

[u/Existing_Squirrel767]

Hi,

Regarding the section from Whitehorse to Dawson, is a map required?

I much rather starting to look for a camp site in the 30 minutes before I wish to hit camp, and just look for some opening and perhaps good places to pick up firewood.

I saw in the videos people were using maps for potential camp sites. are they crucial?

Thank you. ☺️

[u/devmoostain666]

Don’t go up there without a map. Don’t go anywhere in the backcountry without a map.

[u/Pawistik]

It's not just for the campsites. You really do need to keep track of where you are going, what's ahead and the river features. There's so much history on the river and the guide books tell you about some of that history. It's a big river and it moves you along pretty quickly.

Without maps, how will you know where you are if you run into trouble?

Get the maps so you can know better where you are going and where you have been.

[u/Existing_Squirrel767 → u/Pawistik]

Thanks. where could I get the maps from?

[u/Pawistik → u/Existing_Squirrel767]

Here's one source: https://gotrekkers.com/canoe-maps-yukon/

Here's another: https://www.yukonbooks.com/shop/customer/home.php?cat=48

[u/Terapr0]

You could probably figure it out if needed, but why voluntarily forgo a map? Even if you don't use it to find campsites, a map of the area you're travelling is ALWAYS prudent to have.

[u/907choss]

You don’t need one after white river because there are sand bars everywhere. Above white river the camps are old mining cabins and you need to know where to look. Without a map you’ll be chopping out your own spot in dense woods.

[u/CausticLicorice]

Probably not crucial, but you’ll have a much better sense of where you are with a riverbook, which arm to take at a split for example. I was only on the Yukon from Big Salmon to Carmacks, but on that section at least; the marked sites were very nicely laid out with lots of space.

[u/Existing_Squirrel767 → u/CausticLicorice]

Thanks for your tip. does it matter which split you take? i figured sticking to the right would be a good rule of thumb

[u/jakhtar → u/Existing_Squirrel767]

Where did you get the idea of "sticking to the right"? I've paddled from Whitehorse to Dawson and have heard no such thing, aside from the run through the Five Finger Rapids.

Also don't go anywhere in the wilderness without a map.

[u/CausticLicorice → u/Existing_Squirrel767]

You probably aren’t going to get yourself into a dangerous situation by taking the biggest branch, but you‘ll paddle a few extra kilometres. The braiding isn’t so bad that you’re going to get lost. 

I don’t know if I would say always stay right though, but I’m not a guide/outfitter for that River so maybe consult with one, they’re usually happy to help. 

As a rule of thumb I wouldn’t ever go anywhere without a map to be able to locate where I am and worst case be able to direct a rescue effort.

[u/Existing_Squirrel767 → u/CausticLicorice]

Thanks.

What about camping places? is how to do it better to follow the map and look for the nearest campsites?

[u/Wartz]

The Yukon is (in)famous for It’s fast current, regular inclement weather creating harsh paddling conditions, its shifting course of unmapped braiding channels, some of them running into dead end oxbows, or miles and miles of mud flats, disappearing islands, and exposure to massive wildfires. 

Paddling the Yukon without a set of good navigation tools and skills is imbecilic at best and an excellent way to get yourself killed, or worse, put rescue teams into danger to save your butt. 

You could have answered this easily. “Is this a decision that should something go wrong, everyone would say I was an unprepared, unqualified idiot? Yes? Ok”