Tutchone Tours Boat and Trailer Purchase

Imagine yourself in the middle of the Yukon wilderness. You're on the territory's largest river on a beautiful summer day, spotting Dahl mountain sheep and hearing about Yukon First Nation history through the eyes of a local Indigenous guide. After an hour, you'll arrive at Yukon's largest historic site, Fort Selkirk, better known as the Hücha Hudän, "People of the flat land." Experiences such as this are offered by Tutchone Tours, a tourism business based in Pelly Crossing.

When the tours began in 2021, Tutchone Tours could only accommodate groups of five. Despite the challenges of the pandemic, this unique experience earned a strong reputation in the Yukon tourism industry, resulting in interest from larger groups. It became apparent that the businesses needed to upsize.

In 2022, CanNor provided Tutchone Tours with funding, through IDEANorth, to help purchase a larger boat and trailer. With this investment, Tutchone Tours can now offer the river boat tour to groups of up to 10 – double the initial capacity.

This growth and expansion marks another milestone for owner and operator Teri-Lee Isaac, a Selkirk First Nation Citizen of the Northern Tutchone Wolf Clan in Pelly Crossing. From here, Ms. Isaac can continue business development and possible job creation in the small community, which is located midway between Whitehorse and Dawson City.

"I encourage any Indigenous Yukon First Nation who's interested in starting a business in tourism to do so, although it requires a lot of hard work, if you're dedicated and passionate about your business, you'll succeed, and the amount of support you'll receive will allow you to grow even more."