Chilkoot
An Adventure in Ecotourism

Allan Ingelson, Michael Mahony and Robert Scace

About the Book

A trail book unlike any other, Chilkoot: An Adventure in Ecotourism is a richly woven insight into the Chilkoot Trail and the region straddling the American-Canadian border in the Alaska and British Columbia panhandles of the Pacific Northwest. The authors present the trail in three interrelated parts. They begin by describing the trail as a classic example of modern ecotourism with reference to management practices and user expectations, responses, and satisfaction. Then they show the amazing history of the trail. They conclude with an illustrated presentation of their own experiences.

The Chilkoot has a long and varied history: it was an important trade route of the coastal Tlingit people; it attracted worldwide notoriety during the frantic Klondike Gold Rush days; and now it has an international reputation among recreational hikers.

Today, Chilkoot is an icon. It is thirty-three miles (53.1km) of dense forest, rugged mountain, golden sand dune, rushing river, and sylvan lake settings stretching from Alaskan salt tidewater to freshwater Lake Bennett at the headwaters of the Yukon River in British Columbia. Rich in natural and cultural history and protected entirely as parkland, the Chilkoot forms a major portion of the extensive Klondike Gold Rush International Historical Park.

About the Authors

Allan Ingelson, formerly an associate curator with the Glenbow Museum in Calgary, Alberta, has lectured at the University of Calgary since 1991. His research interests include environmental regulation, cultural and historical resource management, and natural resources law. He makes his home in Calgary, Alberta.

Micheal Mahony, a freelance photographer and avid hiker, has photographed flora and fauna in western and northern Canada, the United States, and the Philippines. He resides in Calgary, Alberta.

Robert Scace, a geographer and practising environmental consultant for over thirty years, has studied a spectrum of environments, from the urban and industrialized to the wild and uninhabited. He has an abiding personal and professional interest in planning, management, human use, and facility assessment in national and historic parks, heritage river corridors, and other valued heritage landscapes. He lives in Calgary, Alberta.

Table of Contents

1. Unveiling a Triptych
2. Hiking the Trail Today: An Overview

1. Getting a Fix on Ecotourism
2. The Chilkoot Trail
3. Recreational Visitors on the Chilkoot Trail
4. Ecotourism Challenges

1. First Nations and the Chilkoot
2. Klondike Diversity: An International Stampede

Part Three: Along the Chilkoot Trail

Appendix
Bibliography
Index

Orders

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