Yukon Ho – Dempster Day 2 – Mountain Biking on Goldensides and Surfbird

Day 2 – Tombstone Campground at approx km 71 to Engineer Creek Campground (193.8km).

We rode Goldensides at 74.7km – a short trail you can hike or ride just past the Tombstone Lookout. The trail is 4km long with a 200m elevation gain to incredible views. Optional routes can be attempted as a hike. We also attempted to ride Surfbird at 98km – located in the Tombstones Range of Tombstone Park, it’s a series of mellow permafrost-tussocked ridges that should result in a view of the backside of the Tombstones. We never got there. Temps were cool and skies were blue today.

Inside Passage Ferry and Intro || Stewart Cassiar Hwy to Dempster || Dempster – Day 1 – Day 2 – Day 3 – Day 4 – Day 5 || Dawson to Kluane, the Kluane Flight and Golden Circle || Riding in Whitehorse and Carcross || Northern BC – Nonda Ridge  and Stone Mountain Provincial Park

Tombstones Yukon biking – Goldensides and Surfbird Mountain from Lee Lau on Vimeo.

 

Tombstones view from the Goldensides parking lot.

 

Goldensides Trailhead

 

Riding up Goldensides with the North Klondike river and Tombstone Valley in the distance.

 

More views of the North Klondike and Tombstone Valley

 

Lee  on the final pitch to the summit of Goldensides

 

Sharon playing at the top.

 

This was a great trail to ride.

 

Optional routes from Walter Lanz’s book.

 

View looking North from the Tombstone lookout.

 

Enjoying the views at the Tombstone Lookout.

 

Blackstone Uplands.

 

Pilot Peak and Valley in Blackstone Uplands.

 

Surfbird from the South looking from the Dempster – looks sooo easy

 

Park at the Surfbird Microwave tower and head up from there.

 

Sharon starts the slog.

 

 Lee makes his way over the tussocks. Not a recommended riding area… not even a trail… note the puddles… they are everywhere.

 

Easier to push then to ride!

 

Tussocks are the problem. Huge tussocks. Picture wet ground from the top layer of permafrost getting soggy after summer melt then ten thousand horses going through (the ground frost-heaves and forms these mounds). It’s like having an endo hole every metre

 

Some parts were ridable.

 

The views didn’t suck.

 

Toyota Tacoma at the bottom of Surfbird getting ready for the next leg of the Journey on the Dempster!

 

Northern border of Tombstone Park at 115km.

 

We stop along the Blackstone River for a break.

 

Windy Pass Summit at 152km and 1,100m above sea level.

 

Distincta Ridge at Windy Pass- Very rocky inhospitable terrain. Lee is convinced it would be a fun ride. hmmm

 

Drunken Boreal forest of the Oglivie area, Sunset near Engineer Campground. Dominated by Spruce that can live in this permafrost ground, no pine trees grow in this dry land.

 

Aurora Borealis at Engineer Creek Campground.

The next day we ride Sapper Hill (193.8km) then drive past Eagle Plains (369km), the Arctic Circle (405km) and camp at Rock River Campground (445.8km).