Yukon Quest International Sled Dog Race

Yukon Quest International Sled Dog Race

This legendary dogsled race follows a 1,000-mile (1600 km) route through the vast wilderness between Whitehorse, Yukon, and Fairbanks, Alaska. Most front-runners complete the rigorous Yukon Quest journey in 12 days. Dramas unfold on the trail daily—teams running neck and neck, racers helping one another out of perilous situations, exhausted mushers seeing apparitions on the trail.

There are other long-distance sled dog races, including the higher profile Iditarod, but the Yukon Quest takes one of the most isolated, rugged routes on the continent, earning the moniker ‘the toughest sled dog race in the world’. This international event attracts about 30 dog teams from around the world, competing for about $125,000 U.S. in prize money. Media and visitors gather in Dawson City, the halfway point and mandatory layover, to see and hear first-hand the rigours of the race.