Summer backpacking in the Yukon is sunshine and rainstorms, rocks and meadows, bears and berries, wildflowers and roaring creeks, ups and downs – and Bock’s Lake is no exception. Sitting next to Kluane National Park, this little gem of a hike is a perfect mini-adventure!
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Waiting on the Weather
We are stuck in Whitehorse. Rain – every day for days. It’s not the norm; where is summer? Rainfall warnings are issued for Kluane. We keep postponing our backpack trip, one day after another. We drive over to Haines Junction and wait, patiently. Heading up to Congdon Creek Yukon Government campground, we are still waiting… impatiently. When the clouds lift around noon, we jump for joy – and dash to the trailhead.
The lower portion of Bock’s Creek is still a roiling mess of brown fury, but levels are quickly dropping. Boulders tumble in the creek, cracking like bowling balls on pins. We follow the creekside levee/mining road, happy to finally be on our way. Within one kilometre of the highway, the road is washed away to less than half of its normal width.
Bock’s Lake is not an official trail. It’s more of a bulldozed path in the rocks for the first three kilometers beside the creek. Picking our way through the rubble, we stay to the right side of the creek. At around four kilometres, we reach a pinch point. The creek is flush against the right bank. Still deep and brown, it’s too fast to cross. Plus, there is the added excitement of rolling, toe-crushing boulders. The only way around is up the slope.
Backpacking in the Yukon
Did I mention there’s no trail? A lot of hiking in the Yukon – with the exception of parks such as Kluane – is done on old mining roads, up creek drainages and across alpine meadows. Route-finding skills are a must – and now we must put them to the test.
Bushwhacking – let me say – is not my favourite activity. Alders slap the face. Buffaloberry scratches arms and legs. Sidehilling through brush is even less fun. It is exhausting. The detour cost us precious energy, but the relief on reaching the other side makes it all worthwhile.
The good thing about being on a wilderness backpack is that campsites are wherever you want them to be. With our late start, we decide to camp part way. We choose a flat spot next to the river – away from the loaded buffaloberry bushes and the chance for a hungry bruin to wander by in search of a snack. A herd of Dahl sheep on a distant slope provide the evening’s entertainment as we settle in for a well-earned dinner.
Reaching Bock’s Lake
Day two proves to be a whole lot easier. There are a few small detours into the brush, but others have taken the same route before us and there are rough paths to follow. We stick to the right side with a few small side streams that are small enough to jump across. Cobble-sized rocks give way to boulders and our steps naturally become slower and more cautiously placed.
A mother Dahl sheep and her young watch us from a grassy slope as we climb a up above the creek to a meadow. The last hill is now in view and a light path angles up to the summit overlooking the gray green sheen of Bock’s Lake.
The mountaintops ahead are covered in mist. Ground squirrels chatter a welcome. Camp is set up above the lake. A tarp is strung next to a rock outcrop far enough away to be our kitchen and dining room. Across the lake, a recent rock slide has taken a chunk of the mountain. Every hour, more rocks fall, echoing like the sound of a gun. One car-sized chunk of rock falls and crashes down the slope, leaving a slide of smaller rocks in its wake. Meadows are dotted with wildflowers and mushrooms. Light rain falls as we start to doze.
One Last Summit
Waking to frost on the tent was bit of a surprise, but blue skies were a welcome sight. Wolfing down kale/potato/bacon pancakes topped with salsa, we savour clear views and opt for an easy climb up to a peak above camp for a bird’s eye view of our surroundings.
Sitting on the summit, a favourite spot with the wildlife too (if tufts of hair, tracks and droppings are any indication), we scan the hillsides for more sheep and goats. A sliver of Kluane Lake glistens in the distance. Our river pathway winds below, a light grey ribbon in the valley bottom.
We sigh in unison. It is a little slice of heaven on earth, and we are lucky to witness it.
When You Go
Bock’s Lake is approximately 10.5 kilometres from the trailhead on the Alaska Highway. To access the trailhead for Bock’s Lake drive 100 kilometres north of Haines Junction. A highway sign for Bock’s Creek is about 14 kilometres north of the Congdon Creek Campground.
There is a road immediately north of Bock’s Creek. It’s advisable to park close to the highway as it can wash out. We parked our truck and trailer at Destruction Bay RV Park (four kilometres north) for $10/night, which gave us extra security for boats and bikes and miscellaneous gear and allowed us to keep perishables in the fridge. One bike was used as a shuttle and left near the trailhead for our return.
For additional places to hike in the Yukon, check out Yukonhiking.ca and our post on Hiking in Tombstone Territorial Park!
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