The largest of the settlements between Dyea and the Chilkoot summit was Sheep Camp, once the site of a seasonal camp for hunting mountain sheep. At the height of the rush over the Chilkoot Pass, in 1897 and 1898, there were usually at least 1500 people in Sheep Camp.
Thirteen miles from Dyea, Sheep Camp was the last major stop before the push to the summit. Below it, the trail climbed in relatively easy stages through coastal and alpine forest. Above it, the trees disappeared and the trail climbed more and more steeply to the summit, four miles away.
Sheep Camp was a bustling town with saloons, restaurants, hotels, and packing companies, mostly housed in tents. When the Chilkoot Trail lost out to the White Pass rail route, Sheep Camp disappeared, virtually overnight.
