Pre/Post Conference Trips
Have your sights set on seeing more during your visit to the Yukon?
There are still a few spaces left on the Pre and Post Conference Field Trips. Check out the 3 options, and if interested, full details for each trip and additional pictures can be found below.
The Road to Beringia
Klondike goldfields and southern Dempster Highway
Cross the permafrost transitions from glaciated Yukon to unglaciated Beringia across central Yukon. We will visit the exceptional exposures of the Klondike goldfields, view the syngenetic permafrost (Yedoma) of Beringia, recover Ice Age fossils, and new understanding of the origins and paleoecology of the mammoth steppe. We will also drive the southern Dempster Highway and look at issues related to maintaining roads, thaw hazards, and infrastructure in the ice-rich glaciated landscapes of the Southern Ogilvie Mountains. In addition, we will look at the growing challenges of landslide hazards in permafrost regions and for the community of Dawson City.
Alaska Highway
The Ibex Valley and the North Alaska Highway
Visit an active retrogressive thaw slump (RTS) adjacent to the Alaska Highway, check out thermokarst ponds and frost heave mounds, and explore remediation and adaptation strategies along the Highway.
Mackenzie Delta
The dynamic permafrost and societal resilience in the Beaufort Delta region
The Mackenzie Delta region of western Arctic Canada is comprised of diverse geological, climatic, and ecological conditions giving rise to a broad range of permafrost landscapes and sensitivity to disturbance or climate-driven thaw. This field trip provides an unprecedented opportunity to learn about pure and applied permafrost research in this region, explore a diversity of permafrost environments, and the consequences of thaw on ecosystems, infrastructure, and traditional use by Gwich’in and Inuvialuit.
Field Trip Details
Leads: Duane Froese, Jeff Bond, Dereck Cronmiller, Elizabeth Hall, Grant Zazula, Louis-Philippe Roy,
5 days: June 12th - 16th 2024
Number of participants: Max. 35
Costs: $1400 double occupancy room / $1800 single room
Program:
Day 1 (June 12): Whitehorse to Dawson City via motor coach
Stop 1: White River Ash near Carmacks
Stop 2: Five Finger Rapids
Stop 3: Stewart Neosol (Late Wisconsinan glacial limit) at Pelly Crossing
Stop 4: Wounded Moose paleosol and periglacial features developed on ancient (Pliocene) glaciated landscapes of Yukon
Day 2 (June 13): Klondike area ‘muck’/Yedoma and permafrost preservation of Ice Age megafauna
Stop 1: Midnight Dome overview of unglaciated Yukon and history of Yukon River, Tr'ondëk Hwëchin historic site of Tr’ochëk
Stop 2: Vegetation permafrost relations in the Klondike area
Stop 3: Klondike muck exposure, Pleistocene ground ice, lower Hunker Creek
Stop 4: Hester Creek Late Pleistocene ground ice, muck/yedoma, placer gold mining and ice age fossils of the Klondike
Day 3 (June 14): Southern Klondike goldfields—drive Dawson to Sulphur Creek and Dominion Creek
Stop 1: Dawson rockslide
Stop 2: King Soloman Dome lookout and development of Klondike goldfields, periglacial landscapes and permafrost vegetation-relations in central Yukon
Stop 3: Lucky Lady gold mine (Sulphur Creek) and ground ice dynamics across the Pleistocene-Holocene transition.
Stop 4: Dominion Creek: Tour a working gold mind and the role of permafrost in mining, recovery of gold and reclamation. Impacts of recent fires and historic (Goldrush era) mining on permafrost and landscapes of the Klondike region
Day 4 (June 15): South Dempster Highway
Drive Dawson to North Fork Pass and Chapman Lake moraines.
Stop 1: Km 30 road Icings
Stop 2: Km 82 Recuring sinkhole formation
Stop 3: Km 116 Chapman Lake with Retrogressive Thaw Slumps and Sinkholes
Stop 4: Km 124 Chapman Lake airstrip
Stop 5: Km 126 Degrading ice wedge field.
Day 5 (June 16): Return to Whitehorse via motor coach in time for Opening Reception
Morning in Dawson and walking tour of permafrost in the community.
For questions, please reach out to Duane Froese.
Lead: Fabrice Calmels
Co-leader: Guy Doré, Chris Burn, Daniel Fortier
4 Days: June 11th to June 14th 2024
Number of participants: 20
Costs: $1500
Program:
Day 1 (June 11): Depart from Whitehorse, night in Haines Junction
The participant will visit an active retrogressive thaw slump (RTS) adjacent to the Alaska Highway at km 1456 which provided a unique opportunity for permafrost characterization, monitoring, and climate change analysis in the greater Whitehorse area. Permafrost in this area is discontinuous and found in sporadic, isolated patches that can be significantly ice-rich and thaw-sensitive. Dr. Chris Burn’s Takhini Permafrost Research Sites include Forested, burn, and vegetation free sites.
Day 2: (June 12): From Haines Junction to Destruction Bay (night in DB)
- Site Visits in Haines Junction - Permafrost Wetland, Pine Lake -- permafrost features such are thermokarst ponds and frost heave mounds - discussion with CAFN Guardians about climate change impact in the communities at the Dakų Cultural Centre.
- Lunch catered by KFN people at Burwash Landing - discussion with HPW staff working in the area to discuss their challenges.
- Visit at the Park Canada interpretive center for an 2hrs walking visit with Mary-Jane Johnson, a local that can discuss about the region of Kluane Lake area.
Day 3: (June 13): From Destruction Bay to Beaver Creek
The excursion will continue with the visit of the northern 200 km of the Alaska highway, from Destruction Bay to the Yukon/Alaska border. The area has been subject of multiple research studies where researchers have identified and characterized sensitive permafrost areas underlying the highway, produced a permafrost thaw sensitivity vulnerability map, worked in partnership with Yukon Highway and Public Works on rehabilitating specific sections of the highway, and experimented with remediation and adaptation strategy such as the Beaver Creek test site, south to Beaver Creek.
AH km 1762: Donjek Bridge and Thermosyphons
AH km 1786: High Albedo Surfaces (may not be valid due to resurfacing)
AH km 1801: Water Ponding, Lontidudinal Cracking And Geogrids
AH km 1842: Dry Creek Rest Area Thermosyphon Site: Massive Ice and Thermokarst
AH km 1845: Stability Of Cut Slopes
AH km 1852: sinkhole is forming at the LHS, that might originally be a Kettle.
Day 4: (June 14): more site visit and retour to Whitehorse
AH km 1865: Beaver Creek Experimental Road Site, including: ACE (Air Convection embankment), Heat Drains, Longitudinal Culverts, Snow/Sun Sheds, Grass Covered Embankment, Snow Clearing, and Light Colored Aggregates BST.
AH km 1891: Beaver Creek Landslide
AH km 1892: Interceptor Ditch, Ice Wedge, Drainage (culverts) and Thermal Erosion
For questions, please reach out directly to Fabrice Calmels.
Leads: Steve Kokelj, Jen Humphries, Alice Wilson, Emma Stockton, Charles Klengenberg.
6 days: June 22nd - 27th 2024
Number of participants: 15
Costs: $2400 depending on numbers
Description:
The Mackenzie Delta region of western Arctic Canada is comprised of diverse geological, climatic, and ecological conditions giving rise to a broad range of permafrost landscapes and sensitivity to disturbance or climate-driven thaw. This field trip provides an unprecedented opportunity to learn about pure and applied permafrost research in this region, explore a diversity of permafrost environments, and the consequences of thaw on ecosystems, infrastructure, and traditional use by Gwich’in and Inuvialuit.
Objectives: 1) Explore the influence of geological legacy, paleoclimate, and ecology on permafrost conditions and landforms that characterize the Mackenzie Delta region; 2) Investigate variation in infrastructure performance across these different permafrost settings; and 3) Explore ecosystem and societal consequences of thaw-driven change.
Program:
Day 1 (June 22: Arrival in Inuvik and Introduction to the Tour - Dinner - Inuvik Walking Tour evening
Day 2 (June 23): Road trip from Inuvik to Yukon Border along Dempster Highway - Visit Fort McPherson
Day 3 (June 24): Road trip from Inuvik to Tuktoyatuk - visit with Hamlet of Tuktoyaktuk and lunch, field stops on the return trip.
Day 4 (June 25): Morning briefing - flight across Mackenzie Delta into Willow River and return.
Day 5 (June 26): Trip into the Mackenzie Delta to Reindeer Station - With IRC - BBQ at Reindeer Station
Day 6 (June 27): Breakfast - Presentations and wrap-up. Departures at noon.
For questions, please reach out directly to Steve Kokelj or Jen Humphries.
Scenes from the Alaska Highway Field Trip
Scenes from the Klondike / Beringia Field Trip
Have questions? Check out the FAQ!
