Dateline: December 13, 2025. Last update: January 1, 2026.

    The Yukon Quest was first run in 1984 between Fairbanks, Alaska, and Whitehorse, Yukon, and soon gained a reputation as "the toughest sled dog race in the world."

    The final 1,000-mile race was held in 2020 - due to the COVID_19 pandemic there was no race in 2021, and a variety of factors led to the Yukon and Alaska boards separating in 2022 and starting their own shorter races, which still use the Yukon Quest name.

History of the Yukon Quest, 1984-2000
A summary by Jason Small, from The Whitehorse Star's Yukon Quest Supplement, published on February 9, 2001.

Yukon Quest archives
Race summaries from 1984 to now, on the official Yukon Quest site.

The Yukon Quest at The ExploreNorth Blog
There are 21 posts specifically about the Quest, posted from 2009 to 2019, with a total of 398 photos. The easiest way to find them is to search the titles in the post archives.

Yukon Quest trail elevations
A graphic from The Whitehorse Star's 1999 race supplement.

Yukon Quest sled dog race clothing & mementoes
Photos of clothing & mementoes from past raves.