Race to the Midnight Sun

Welcome to the official Yukon River Quest web site. The Yukon River Quest is an annual marathon paddling race. Paddlers come from around the world to test their endurance, racing day and night to the Klondike on one of North America’s great rivers. It is open to solo and tandem canoes and kayaks, solo stand-up paddle boards (SUP0, and bigger C4 and Voyageur canoes. Please fully explore our site for information on how to participate in this great event, whether as a racer, a member of a support crew, or as a volunteer. The Yukon River passes through Five First Nations on our race route: Kwanlin Dun, Ta’an Kwachan Council, Little Salmon/Carmacks, Selkirk, and Trondek Hwechin. Our race honours their culture and those who have lived off the river and nurtured it for centuries.

22nd ANNUAL YUKON RIVER QUEST: JUNE 24 – JUNE 28, 2020 – Registration opened on November 1, 2019 at 18:00 (6 PM) PDT. We had 99 teams registered in the first hour, and the field of 125 teams was full by 03:37 on Nov. 2nd (a record)! Teams who still want to get in the race should pay the $50 wait list fee in case teams drop over the winter. There is a total team limit of 125 teams, and limits on the number of solo (50) and voyageur (15) teams. Teams will be added from the wait list as teams drop. See Rule 2 for how this process works. NOTE: Solo paddlers who have not completed the YRQ must race tandem or voyageur or must convince the YRQ Technical Committee that they have sufficient marathon racing or wilderness paddling experience. Solo racers must be able to self-rescue. Solo racers must provide a satisfactory paddling resume prior to registration. YRMPA reserves the right to reject any entry. Read latest press release about the 2020 YRQ in NEWS. As of 07 November there were already 20 teams on the wait list.

2020 RULES NOW POSTED: BE PREPARED – THIS IS A TOUGH WILDERNESS PADDLING RACE! – Become familiar with the 2020 Race Rules. Read the Preamble about what you will experience out there, and how to prepare for this tough wilderness race. Also check out the various articles on our RULES & PREPARATION page, such as how much food and fluids are needed to sustain you in a long river race and other essential tips to help you finish! View the racer and support crew briefings (they will be updated early in the new year). Support crews need to become familiar with all of this information to help your team prepare! Check out the SUPPORT link above. Check out the FAQs to learn more about navigation, insurance requirements, support at Carmacks, how to get back from Dawson, and more.