Yukon River Paddling and Outdoor Skills Training Course for Adults and Educators 2027

A professional development and personal adventure for outdoor enthusiasts and aspiring change-makers wanting to learn more.

The Yukon is a special place for Fireside Adventures. It was our earliest teacher, revealing the transformative educational power of nature and the urgent need for more human connectiveness through outdoor skills training. Words can’t quite do the Yukon justice. Larger than life, it boasts thousands of years of Indigenous culture, and an unparalleled environment for outdoor adventures, while also bearing the realities of climate change that are ten times what southern Canada is experiencing. The Yukon is a lens into both our past and our future.

The Yukon is the perfect stage for World Bound Adults: Yukon, a one-of-a-kind" professional development course designed for teachers, youth workers, outdoor educators, and adventure leaders/seekers who want to deepen their impact through nature-based and climate-focused education!? It’s for those wanting to expand their learning and life experience.

As part of the expedition, our Guides will also provide hands-on instruction in:

• Core outdoor and expedition paddling skills for safe, confident canoe travel on the Yukon River including Outdoor Council of Canada Field Leader Paddling, Hiking and Overnight certifications. 

• Outdoor cooking and backcountry expedition planning for future trips personally or with your work. .

• Outdoor leadership fundamentals, including group dynamics, risk management, and field-based teaching.

• Yukon geography, culture, and environmental history, connecting Indigenous knowledge and environmental stewardship.

Our approach is rooted in the belief that nature itself is the ultimate classroom. Through storytelling, field workshops, and guided reflection, participants will leave with practical, transferable strategies to integrate outdoor experiential education and climate action learning into their own classrooms, camps, community programs, and/or home. Whether you’re a teacher looking to expand your curriculum, a youth worker aiming to inspire environmental leadership, child care worker or an adult adventurer seeking to turn your passion for the outdoors into something more purpose-driven —this Yukon training course is your next step.

Test yourself on the Yukon River and learn the skills of outdoor education and climate leadership
On the World Bound for Adults Yukon course, participants will paddle the majestic Teslin and Yukon Rivers from Johnston Crossing to Carmacks (370km). On this professional development adventure, we will be travelling back in time as we learn about Yukon’s geography, history (pre-colonization to now), modern resource management, and how Yukoners are adapting to the severe impacts of climate change. We provide an inclusive experience for participants with varying skill levels, interests, and agendas to keep the experience informative, safe, and fun for everyone.

Learn core outdoor educator skills
On this epic 370km canoe journey, we’ll teach you what we do best: developing and utilizing outdoor education skills to provide kids with experiential learning opportunities in the great outdoors. We ensure the knowledge you learn is transferable to the classroom, enabling you to share bushcraft techniques and wilderness knowledge with your students and maybe even plan some exciting field trips!

Take Yukon climate change workshops
As with all our professional development adventures, we provide workshops (totalling 10 hours) and education materials (K-12) relating to climate change education. Education materials for this experience will be Yukon-focused, illustrating the best of Canada’s most iconic northern territory. Of course, both our expedition and curriculum are also intended to be more broadly transferable to climate change education being taught in the classroom and/or share within any community..

There’s more than one reason that Fireside Adventures keeps coming back to the Yukon year after year. From the people to the vast expanse of nature, here are just a few reasons that the Yukon is one of the world’s greatest natural classrooms.

A Natural Paradise

With a population of less than 48, 000, it’s impossible to visit the Yukon and not find yourself far from the hustle of civilization. Once you leave Whitehorse, you’ll be immersed in some of the most pristine and thriving wilderness that Canada has to offer. In the Land of the Midnight Sun, you’ll see an abundance of wildlife, the ruins of the Gold Rush, enjoy days of zero darkness, and so much more.

Room to Breathe

Alongside your trusty guides and the best fellow educators, there’s no better way to recharge and refocus so you can return in September ready to take on the challenge of being one of your school’s most competent climate leaders. Get ready to free yourself from the demands and distractions of modern life, and find the space to breathe deeply. Fresh air and peaceful days await on the Yukon River!

Participants are asked to arrive in Whitehorse the day before departure. Day 0 is an optional but highly recommended day where participants will be able to gain extra pre-trip training, including joining their Fireside instructors as they prepare for the trip.

We’ll begin at the Beez Kneez, where your instructors will welcome you and guide the group through an engaging and purposeful start to the journey.

The afternoon includes a full trip orientation: reviewing the paddling plan, connecting through a short team-building session, conducting personal and group gear checks, finalizing the menu, and working together to pack food and equipment. We’ll also spend time on the water with a two-hour introductory paddling session to build confidence and rhythm as a team.

As the evening unfolds, instructors will be available to gather in downtown Whitehorse for relaxed introductions, conversation, and a few laughs. It’s a chance to settle in, connect, and begin shifting into an expedition mindset. As the Yukon River begins to call, there’s a shared

sense of anticipation in the air... the quiet excitement of pushing off into something bigger than yourself. This first day is about coming together, feeling prepared, and stepping just beyond your comfort zone as the journey begins.

Early start to the day! We depart the Beez Kneez at 8:30 AM and travel to Johnson’s Crossing, where we’ll begin building our foundational canoe skills... covering parts of the canoe, essential paddle strokes, and on-water safety.

Alongside these practical skills, the day also introduces key “teachables,” including:

● Knots and tarp setup

● History of the Yukon and the Teslin River

● Leave No Trace principles

Following lunch, we aim to get on the water and ease into our first stretch of paddling before setting up camp. The day concludes with our first night under the midnight sun... a memorable start to the journey ahead.

THE EXPERIENCE

Over the coming days, we journey along the remarkable Teslin River... beginning with calm, steady waters that gradually gather pace as we move toward its confluence with the Yukon River. The landscape shifts with every bend: quiet stretches of boreal forest, wide-open valleys, and traces of a rich and layered history. With each day on the water, participants grow in confidence, competence, and connection... refining paddling technique, strengthening outdoor skills, and learning to move as a cohesive expedition team.

Eventually, we meet the majestic Yukon River and say farewell to the Teslin. Here, the current quickens, the scale expands, and the sense of journey deepens. Along the way, we encounter remnants of Yukon’s past... including an abandoned sternwheeler and the historic Little Salmon Village... offering powerful moments to reflect on the relationship between people, place, and time.

We arrive in Carmacks in the late afternoon, with time to reset, enjoy a well-earned shower, and return to Whitehorse on July 19, 2026. For those wanting to extend the adventure, optional travel to Dawson City can be arranged.

As one Yukon Elder shared, “The land is our teacher. When you are on it, you learn who you are and how to live.” This journey honours that truth... learning not just about the land, but from it.