Dates: Friday, September 25th to Sunday, September 27th, 2026 (Friday evening to Sunday afternoon)
Location: Kluane Lake Research Station, Mile 1054 of the Alaska Highway, YT
Spots Available: 40
Registration Rate: $500 including tax. This registration fee includes accommodations, all meals, and all facilitated sessions. Yukon Association of Education Professionals (YAEP) members will have access to a subsidized registration rate of $200 because of YAEP's generous support of this event.
Open to: All educators
Location details: Kluane Lake Research Station (KLRS) is located on the traditional lands of the Kluane and Champagne and Aishihik First Nations, on the shore of the largest lake in the Yukon, beautiful Lhù’ààn Mân (Kluane Lake). KLRS is also situated next to the world’s largest sub-polar icefield and powered by a hybrid-renewable energy system. The extreme elevation difference between Lhù’ààn Mân and the crest of the St. Elias Mountains provides remarkable biodiversity within a small geographical area. Researchers staying at KLRS study a variety of disciplines, including glaciology, geomorphology, geology, biology, botany, zoology, hydrology, and climatology.
Land Acknowledgement: We are very thankful to be gathering on the traditional lands of the Kluane First Nations and Champagne and Aishihik First Nations and for the opportunity to collaborate and learn from members of these communities. We offer our deepest gratitude for their ongoing care for this land and for the opportunity to seek rest, renewal, and connection here.
Accommodation details: Accommodations will be shared with 6 other adults in small cabins with bunk beds. Single beds, mattresses, top sheets, and pillows are provided. Visitors must bring their own sleeping bags and/or blankets. Cabins are heated with wood stoves and feature 12VDC solar powered lights and two USB charging ports. AC power is available in shared user spaces (kitchen, lounge, classroom) but not the cabins.
Washroom and Facilities: There is a centrally located washhouse with four showers, eight sinks, and four toilets, divided into men's and women's areas. Visitors are responsible for bringing their own personal toiletries and towels. A washing machine, clothes drier, and laundry soap are provided for use of clients staying at KLRS.
Food: KLRS will provide delicious food prepared by a Red Seal chef on-site. They are able to accommodate dietary restrictions with advance notice. Snacks, coffee and tea are self-serve 24 hours a day. While the kitchen area in the mess hall is off limits to visitors, there is storage space and a visitor fridge available for any personal food items or beverages you wish to bring. Please Note: Food is not permitted in the cabins to avoid attracting bears and mice.
Accessibility: KLRS is a rugged outdoor setting, located between an gravel airstrip, boreal forest, sandy beach, and glacial-fed lake. There are lots of rocks and roots on walking trails over uneven ground. Most buildings have basic ramps or 1-2 steps. The showers are not accessibility friendly. Many of the cabins are a 2-4 minutes walking distance from the washhouse with flushing toilets. Some of the cabins are closer to rugged outhouses. Most of the cabins have bunk beds that are low to the ground and not accessibility friendly. Two cabins have 4 single beds. The wall tents have 2 single beds each.
Getting There: KLRS is approximately a 2 hour and 40 minute drive from Whitehorse. From Whitehorse follow signs for the Alaska Highway West, towards Haines Junction. Continue for approximately 2 hours until you reach the Village of Haines Junction. Turn right to continue on the Alaska Highway towards Fairbanks (you will see the RCMP detachment across the road and the Top Spot gas station to your right). Continue for approximately 40 minutes (60km). The entrance to KLRS is a gravel road immediately off the highway (first right turn after passing Silver Creek). Signs direct you 1km from the turn. Continue straight along the gravel road until you come to a stop sign. This is the entrance to an active runway so beware of aircraft (see below for details). Continue across the runway, pass both sets of orange cones on the right, and turn right. The KLRS parking area is located on the left, on either side of the tree grove in front of the flag poles.Note: Last gas option leaving Whitehorse is Goody’s Gas approximately 15 minutes outside Whitehorse. The next gas station is not until Haines Junction. The last opportunity for gas before arriving at the station is Haines Junction.
Cell Phones: Please note, there is no cell (mobile) phone coverage at KLRS. Locally to KLRS, there is cell coverage in Haines Junction, Destruction Bay, and Burwash Landing. Depending on the type of mobile device you have, you may be able to obtain cell coverage within (approximately) a 10-minute drive of KLRS towards Haines Junction. In emergencies, family and friends can contact you on the Station phone at: +1 (867) 841-4561.
Suggested Packing List: Please review our suggested packing list here.
What to Expect: Please ensure you have reviewed the following document before the retreat - KLRS Visitor Information
Are we missing anything? Please feel free to email us at info@takemeoutside.ca if you have any questions or requests for support!
Facilitator bios coming soon!
The Sample Schedule below shows an example of what the Retreat schedule could look like. The exact Retreat schedule is currently being confirmed and will be shared with participants before the Retreat.
Session descriptions coming soon!
Registration will open Wednesday, June 24th at 8am PT. At that time, a button to register will appear here.
The registration rate for this retreat is $500 including tax. This registration fee includes accommodations, all meals, and all facilitated sessions. Yukon Association of Education Professionals (YAEP) members will have access to a subsidized registration rate of $200 because of YAEP's generous support of this event.
We are committed to supporting educators from underserved or underrepresented communities to attend our retreats. If you face financial barriers and/or identify as Black, Indigenous, a Person Of Colour, have lived experience with a disability, are part of the 2SLGBTQ+ community or a member of another marginalized group, please feel free to reach out to info@takemeoutside.ca for the potential of a subsidized registration or to request other types of support to attend this Retreat.
Cancellation Policy: Please notify us as soon as possible at info@takemeoutside.ca if you need to cancel your registration. Cancellations made at least 30 days before the date of the Retreat are fully refundable. In the case that Take Me Outside had to cancel an Educator Wellness Retreat, every effort would be made to notify participants at least 30 days before the event and all registration fees would be fully refunded.