Yukon Territory

       

WHITEHORSE
   ORIENTATION & INFORMATION
   SIGHTS
   ACTIVITIES
   TOURS
   SLEEPING
   EATING
   DRINKING
   GETTING THERE & AWAY
   GETTING AROUND
ALASKA HIGHWAY
   BC TO WHITEHORSE
   WHITEHORSE TO ALASKA
HAINES HIGHWAY
   HAINES (ALASKA)
KLONDIKE HIGHWAY
   SKAGWAY (ALASKA)
   CHILKOOT TRAIL
   CARCROSS
   WHITEHORSE TO CARMACKS
   CARMACKS
   MINTO
   STEWART CROSSING
DAWSON CITY
   ORIENTATION
   INFORMATION
   SIGHTS
   ACTIVITIES
   TOURS
   FESTIVALS & EVENTS
   SLEEPING
   EATING
   DRINKING
   ENTERTAINMENT
   GETTING THERE & AWAY
   DAWSON CITY TO ALASKA
DEMPSTER HIGHWAY
ARCTIC PARKS
   VUNTUT NATIONAL PARK
   IVVAVIK NATIONAL PARK
   HERSCHEL ISLAND (QIQIKTARUK) TERRITORIAL PARK

The name Yukon is evocative as well as descriptive: adventure, the far north, wilderness, moose. How can you even hear ‘Yukon’ and not feel a stirring within? And for good reason. This vast and thinly populated wilderness – most species far outnumber humans – has a grandeur and beauty only appreciated by experience. You can’t just pop in and go ‘neat!’ Getting here is part of the thrill and even the roads have their own lore.

Few places in the world today are so unchanged over the course of time. Aboriginal people, having eeked out survival for thousands of years, hunt and trap as they always have. The Klondike Gold Rush of 1898 was the Yukon’s high point of population yet even its heritage is ephemeral, easily erased by time.

Any visit will mean much time outdoors. Whether it’s treks into Kluane National Park, canoe expeditions down the Yukon River or Arctic explorations in the north, it will be you and the Yukon. Yes, the summers are short, but like the explosion of wildflowers in July, they are intense, magnified under the near-constant light. Fall comes early but with its own burst of color as leaves turn shocking shades of gold and crimson. In winter, you’ll understand why so many would never leave. Days of utter quiet to contemplate a snowy solitude. You’ll also appreciate the people, who find freedom to be themselves in a land where there are few to judge. Join the offbeat vibe of Dawson City, the bustle of Whitehorse and the unique character of villages throughout. Find your own meanings of the Yukon.

HIGHLIGHTS

History

There’s evidence that humans were eating animals in the Yukon some 15,000 to 30,000 years ago, depending on your carbon-dating method of choice. However, it’s widely agreed that these people were descended from those who crossed over today’s Siberia while the land bridge was in place. There’s little recorded history otherwise, although it’s known that a volcanic eruption in AD 800 covered much of the southern Yukon in ash. Similarities to the Athapaskan people of the southwest US have suggested that these groups may have left the Yukon after the volcano ruined hunting and fishing.

In the 1840s Robert Campbell, a Hudson’s Bay Company explorer, was the first European to travel the district. Fur traders, prospectors, whalers and missionaries all followed. In 1870 the region became part of the Northwest Territories (NWT). But it was in 1896 when the Yukon literally hit the map after gold was found in a tributary of the Klondike River near what was to become Dawson City. The ensuing gold rush attracted upwards of 40,000 hopefuls from around the world. Towns sprouted overnight to support the numerous wealth-seekers, who were quite unprepared for the ensuing depravities (see boxed text).

In 1898 the Yukon became a separate territory, with Dawson City as its capital. Building the Alaska Hwy (Hwy 1) in 1942 opened up the territory to development. In 1953 Whitehorse became the capital, because it had the railway and the highway. Mining continues to be the main industry, followed by tourism.

Local Culture

The 30,000-plus hardy souls who live in the Yukon Territory take the phrase ‘rugged individualists’ to heart. It’s hard to stereotype but safe to say that the average Yukoner enjoys the outdoors (in all weather conditions!), relishes eating meats seldom found on menus to the south and has a crack in their truck’s windshield (caused by one of the many dodgy roads).

Of course the independence of Yukoners comes at a price to the rest of Canada. More than 70% of the territory’s annual revenue each year comes from the federal government and it has been used to fund all manner of services at relatively comfortable levels. Whitehorse, for instance, has a range of cultural and recreational facilities that are the envy of southern Canadian communities many times its size. More than 5000 people have government jobs.

YUKON FACTS

Thanks to the Yukon’s long isolation before WWII, the 14 First Nations groups have maintained their relationship to the land and their traditional culture, compared to groups forced to assimilate in other parts of Canada. They can be found across the territory and in isolated places like Old Crow living lives not fundamentally changed in centuries. It’s not uncommon to hear various aboriginal dialects spoken by elders.

Light – or the lack thereof – does play an important role in local life. Many people adjust to the radical variations in daylight through the year just fine but others do not. Every year you hear of long-time residents and newcomers alike who one day (often in February) announced enough was enough and moved south for good.

Land & Climate

The land seems to ripple in the Yukon. Unlike the broad plains of the NWT to the east, the Yukon consists of a series of mountain ranges separated by wide valleys. The iconic Yukon River links the two main population centers, Whitehorse and Dawson. The real drama is in the southeast where the St Elias Mountains span the territory. Canada’s five tallest mountains are here as are the world’s largest icefields below the Arctic, all within Kluane National Park.

Summers, spanning June, July and August, are short but warm, even hot, with occasional thunderstorms. Many places are only open from May to September because, outside of these months, visitors are few, winters are long, dark and cold and many summer residents head south.

On average there are 19 hours of daylight each day in Whitehorse during July, and only six in January.

Parks & Wildlife

The Yukon has a major Unesco World Heritage site. Raw and forbidding, Kluane National Park sits solidly within the Yukon abutting Tatshenshini-Alsek Provincial Park in British Columbia (BC), while Glacier Bay and Wrangell-St Elias national parks are found in adjoining Alaska.

The Yukon has four territorial parks (www.yukonparks.ca), but much of the territory itself is parklike and government campgrounds can be found throughout. Tombstone Territorial Park is both remote yet accessible via the Dempster Hwy, so that you can absorb the horizon-sweeping beauty of the tundra and majesty of vast mountain ranges.

Hiking and kayaking/canoeing are big during the short summers while everybody has a set of skis for cross-country treks during the long winters.

Information

There are excellent visitor information centers (VICs) covering every entry point in the Yukon: Beaver Creek, Carcross, Dawson City, Haines Junction, Watson Lake and Whitehorse.

Thanks to its generous support by the Canadian taxpayer, the Yukon government produces enough literature and information to supply a holiday’s worth of reading. Among the highlights are Camping on Yukon Time, Art Adventures on Yukon Time and lavish walking guides to pretty much every town with a population greater than 50. Start your collection at the various visitor centers or hop online (www.travelyukon.com). Another good internet resource is www.yukoninfo.com.

A great way to read iconic classics about the Yukon by Jack London (think Call of the Wild) free online is at www.online-literature.com.

Getting There & Around

There are three major ways to reach the Yukon with your vehicle (Click here): by ferry to the entry points of Skagway and Haines, Alaska, by the Alaska Hwy from Dawson Creek, BC, and by the Stewart-Cassiar Hwy from northwest BC that joins the Alaska Hwy neat Watson Lake.

Whitehorse is linked by air to Vancouver, Edmonton, Calgary, Alaska and the NWT. There are even flights direct to Germany during summer. Dawson City has flights to Inuvik in the NWT and to Alaska.

YUKON TERRITORY ITINERARIES

Four Days

Do a short loop through the territory. Enter via the Alaska Hwy or Haines, Alaska and exit via the other. Along the way, spend a full day in Whitehorse (opposite), soaking up the culture of this surprising northern metropolis. Along the way take a detour via Carcross, the tiny Klondike Gold Rush-era town. And be sure to pause in Haines Junction where numerous day hikes will take you into the Unesco-listed scenery of Kluane National Park.

Seven Days

The Yukon naturally lends itself to one great circle drive. Enter at Skagway, Alaska where you soon escape the cruise-ship day-trippers and enter a rugged land documented by Jack London. Follow the Klondike Hwy to lively Whitehorse (opposite) and from there continue due north to Dawson City. Spend at least two days in this national park site being alternatively transported back to the gold rush while partying in the present. Follow the Top of the World Hwy (Hwy 9) across mountain tops to the Alaskan border and connect down through the US and onto the Alaska Hwy in the Yukon at Beaver Creek. Turn south at Haines Junction and experience several changes of scenery in only 175km on the Haines Hwy before ending your journey at Haines, Alaska.

ONLY IN THE YUKON

Certain details about the Yukon are different from the rest of Canada. Important ones are:

You can reach Whitehorse from BC by bus. From there a patchwork of companies provides links to Skagway, Dawson and Alaska. Rental cars (and RVs) are not only expensive but only available in Whitehorse. The Alaska Hwy and Klondike Hwy are paved and have services every 100km to 200km.

Return to beginning of chapter

WHITEHORSE

pop 23,800

The leading city and capital of the Yukon, Whitehorse is also likely to have a prominent role in your trip. The territory’s two great highways, the Alaska and the Klondike, cross here; it’s a hub for transport. You’ll find all manner of outfitters and services for explorations across the territory. Most of its residents have government-related jobs they flee for the outdoors no matter what the season.

Utility aside, Whitehorse can delight. It has a well-funded arts community, good restaurants and a range of motels. Exploring the sights within earshot of the rushing Yukon River can easily take a day or more. Look past bland commercial buildings and you’ll see a fair number of heritage ones awaiting your discovery.

Whitehorse has always been a transportation hub, first as terminus for the White Pass & Yukon Route railway from Skagway in the early 1900s. During World War II it was a major center for work on the Alaska Hwy. In 1953, Whitehorse was made the capital of the territory to the continuing regret of much smaller and isolated Dawson City.

Return to beginning of chapter

ORIENTATION & INFORMATION

Whitehorse sits just off the Alaska Hwy. The old downtown is compact, the main traffic routes are 2nd and 4th Aves. A vast wasteland of chain stores has appeared north of the center. Among local newspapers, the Yukon News is feisty and definitely not a bland booster.

Bookstores

Laundry

Library

Medical Services

Post

Tourist Information

Return to beginning of chapter

SIGHTS

Museums

The carefully restored SS Klondike (867-667-4511; South Access Rd & 2nd Ave; adult/child $6/2; 9am-5pm mid-May–mid-Sep) was one of the largest sternwheelers used on the Yukon River. Built in 1937, it made its final run upriver to Dawson in 1955 and is now a national historic site. Try not to wish it was making the run now.

The Yukon’s attic, the MacBride Museum (867-667-2709; cnr 1st Ave & Wood St; adult/child $7/3.50; 9am-6pm mid-May–Sep, noon-4pm Tue-Sat Oct–mid-May) covers the gold rush, First Nations, intrepid Mounties and more. Old photos vie with old stuffed critters, all under a sod roof.

A downtown gem, the 1900 old log church (867-668-2555; 303 Elliott St; adult/child $3/free; 10am-6pm mid-May–Aug) is the only log-cabin-style cathedral in the world. Displays include the compelling story of Rev Isaac Stringer who boiled and ate his boots while lost in the wilderness for 51 days. Fittingly, all that’s left is his sole.

Highly recommended, the Yukon Beringia Interpretive Centre (867-667-8855; www.beringia.com; Km1473 Alaska Hwy; adult/child $6/4; 9am-6pm) focuses on Beringia, a mostly ice-free area that encompassed the Yukon, Alaska and eastern Siberia during the last ice age. Engaging exhibits re-create the time, right down to the giant beaver by the door. It’s just south of the airport.

Hey tenderfoot, find out what the Alaska Hwy was really like back in the day at the Yukon Transportation Museum (867-668-4792; 30 Electra Circle; adult/child $6/3; 10am-6pm May-Aug). Let’s just say mud was a dirty word. Exhibits cover planes, trains and dog-sleds. It adjoins the Beringia Centre.

Waterfront

One look at the majestic Yukon River and you’ll understand why the waterfront is being reborn. The beautiful White Pass & Yukon Route Station (Front St) has been restored and anchors the area. Next door, the Old Fire Hall (867-333-4255; Front St) has sales by local artists and live performances of music and comedy on a shifting schedule.

At the north end of the waterfront, the new Shipyards Park has a growing collection of historic structures gathered territory-wide and a skateboard track and toboggan hill. Linking it all is a cute little waterfront trolley (adult/child $2/free; 9am-9pm May-Sep).

Whitehorse Fishway

Stare down a salmon at the Whitehorse Fishway (867-633-5965; admission $2; 9am-9pm Jun-Aug), a 366m wooden fish ladder (world’s longest) past the hydroelectric plant just south of town. Large viewing windows let you see chinook salmon swim past starting in late July (before that it’s grayling). Outside amidst the thunderous roar of the river’s spillway, there’s usually a tent where you can learn about the ingenious traditional aboriginal fishing methods. Note that salmon counts and average sizes are decreasing, another feared result of global warming.

The fishway is easily reached on foot from town; see right.

Art Galleries

Whitehorse is at the center of the Yukon’s robust arts community.

Arts Underground (867-667-4080; Hougen Centre lower level, 305 Main St; 9am-5:30pm Mon-Sat) is run by the Yukon Arts Society. There are carefully selected and well-mounted rotating exhibits.

The name says it all. Yukon Artists @ Work (867-393-4848; 3B Glacier Dr; noon-5pm daily Jun-Aug, Fri-Sun Sep-May) has the creations of 35 local artists, some of whom may be busy creating when you visit. It’s in a warehouse 10km south of the airport.

Return to beginning of chapter

ACTIVITIES

The VIC can guide you to numerous local hikes and activities year-round. Otherwise, Whitehorse is a major outfitting center for adventures on Yukon waterways.

Canoeing & Kayaking

Whitehorse is the starting place for popular canoe and kayak trips to Carmacks or on to Dawson City. It’s an average of eight days to the former and 16 days to the latter. Many people get transportation here to their desired put-in point.

Kanoe People (867-668-4899; www.kanoepeople.com; cnr 1st Ave & Strickland St), is right at the river’s edge and can arrange guided and unguided trips (canoe/kayak to Carmacks $205/275; to Dawson City $350/495), which include orientation and transportation. There’s a range of gear, maps and guides for sale. Custom trips can be arranged.

Up North Adventures (867-667-7035; www.up north.yk.ca; 103 Strickland St) offers similar services and competitive prices; staff speak German. In winter it offers snowmobile treks.

Cycling

Whitehorse has scores of bike trails along the Yukon River and into the surrounding hills. The VIC has maps. For bike rentals, try Philippe’s Bicycle Repair (867-633-5600; 508 Wood St) which has good used bikes from $10 per day (or $50 for the entire summer!). It’s also the place to take your bike for any kind of work.

Walking & Hiking

You can walk a scenic 5km loop around Whitehorse’s waters that includes a stop at the fishway. From the SS Klondike head south on the waterfront footpath until you reach the Robert Service Campground and the Rotary Centennial Footbridge over the river. The fishway (left) is just south. Head north along the water and cross the Robert Campbell Bridge and you are back in the town center.

ANNOYANCES BIG & SMALL

Talk to an unexpectedly encountered bear in a calm voice (‘Do you know Yogi?’ might break the ice) is but one of the myriad suggestions for dealing with outdoor hazards in the government booklet Into the Yukon Wilderness. It’s invaluable and available at any visitor information center.

One pest, however, doesn’t require you to bone up in order to avoid being boned: mosquitoes are ravenous all summer long and come in 25 local varieties. Click here for ways to avoid getting bit. And ponder the question, what do the ravenous buggers eat when you’re not there?

Return to beginning of chapter

TOURS

The Yukon Historical & Museums Association (867-667-4704; 3126 3rd Ave; admission $2; 10am-4pm Mon-Sat Jun-Aug) offers quirky and interesting downtown walking tours four times daily. Meet at their office in the 1904 Donneworth House. Ask your guide to show you the WWII-era American latrine that’s still not winning any hearts and minds.

Discover the natural beauty all around Whitehorse with a free (!) Yukon Conservation Society (867-668-5678; www.yukonconservation.org; 302 Hawkins St; 10am-4pm Mon-Fri Jul & Aug) nature hike. There are 10 itineraries ranging from easy to hard.

Return to beginning of chapter

SLEEPING

Whitehorse gets busy in summer, so book. The VIC has lists of B&Bs and holiday homes. Most everything is open year-round.

Wal-Mart has proven to be a disruptive influence here as elsewhere. Steadfastly sticking to its corporate policy of letting RVers (primarily from the US) overnight for free in its parking lot has been a financial disaster for local RV parks. Worse, there’s been a real increase in waste discharging by the side of Yukon roads since people started sticking their $250,000 rigs in the dusty Wal-Mart lot.

Budget

There are several RV campgrounds on the Alaska Hwy near the airport.

Robert Service Campground (867-668-3721; sercamp@hotmail.com; Robert Service Way; sites $16; May-Sep; wi-fi) This delightful tents-only 69-site campground along the river is just 1km south of town along the South Access Rd. It has firepits, a café and a small store.

Beez Kneez Bakpakers (867-456-2333; www.bzkneez.com; 408 Hoge St; dm/r $25/50; wi-fi) Like the home you’ve left behind, this cheery hostel has a garden, deck, grill and free bikes. But there’s no TV, so you can join the international vibe.

Hide on Jeckell Guesthouse (867-633-4933; www.hide-on-jeckell.com; 410 Jeckell St; dm/r $25/50; wi-fi) Board games and books may keep you inside, the hot tub may keep you outside. Gardens and bikes are further amenities at this slightly suburban setting dead close to downtown.

Midrange

Whitehorse has loads of motels, but choose carefully as some are past their sell-by date. The ones here are not.

Stratford Motel (867-667-4243; www.thestrat fordmotel.com; 401 Jarvis St; r $80-110; ) Tidy just begins to describe this two-story place with 49 standard motel rooms. There’s a coin laundry all year and flowers galore in summer.

Town & Mountain Hotel (867-668-7644, 800-661-0522; www.townmountain.com; 401 Main St; r $90-160; wi-fi) To be any more central, you’d have to sleep in the middle of the street. (Lonely Planet advises against this.) Family-owned, this three-story hotel has 30 rooms right out of the motel furniture catalogue.

High Country Inn (867-667-4471, 800-554-4471; www.highcountryinn.ca; 4051 4th Ave; r $90-200; wi-fi) Towering over Whitehorse (OK it has four stories), the High Country caters to business travelers and high-end groups. The 84 rooms are large – some have huge whirlpools right by the bed, a feature the hotel correctly says could make your stay ‘memorable.’

Edgewater Hotel (867-667-2572, 867-668-3014; www.edgewaterhotelwhitehorse.com; 101 Main St; r $100-180; ) Much updated, the Edgewater has a dash of style. The 30 rooms are smallish (some lack air-con) but have high-speed internet and flat-screen TVs. Better rooms have river views.

River View Hotel (867-667-7801; www.riverviewhotel.ca; 102 Wood St; r $120-150; wi-fi) Recently renovated, many of the 53 rooms have the type of view implied by the name. Close to everything, yet on a quiet street, it’s a good choice.

Return to beginning of chapter

EATING

Ignore the influx of chains and enjoy one of Whitehorse’s excellent restaurants, most of which are in the center. There’s a great range on offer, look for fresh Yukon salmon in season.

Zola’s Café Doré (867-668-5780; 305 Main St; snacks $2-6; 7am-9pm; ) A busy coffeehouse right in the center, Zola’s sums up the role of strong java in winter this way: ‘Dark will fortify the coldest weather.’

Yukon Meat & Sausage (867-667-6077; 203 Hanson St; sandwiches $6; 9am-5:30pm Mon-Sat) A traditional deli with excellent take-out or eat-in sandwiches (you choose from about 100 options) and soups. There’s a range of house-smoked meats and gourmet foods perfect for provisioning.

Bocelli’s Pizzeria (867-667-4838; cnr 4th Ave & Alexander St; meals $8-16; noon-2pm Mon-Fri, 5-10pm daily) Every pizza here comes with homemade basil tomato sauce and a lash of garlic. Mama mia! The myriad of options includes pesto and shrimp. Eat in the small dining room or get it delivered.

Yukon Mining Co (867-667-6457; High Country Inn, 4051 4th Ave; meals $8-20; 11am-late Apr-Oct) A sprawling covered deck here gets mobbed with locals and visitors alike all through the season. Backed by a huge bar, diners choose from huge burgers, salads and steaks. This is one of the best places for fresh Yukon fish.

Sanchez Cantina (867-668-5858; 211 Hanson St; meals $10-20; 11:30am-3pm, 5-9:30pm) You have to head south across several borders to find Mexican this authentic. Among the surprising words on the menu are adobo, molé, pozolé and ceviché. It all comes from a compact, open kitchen. Enjoy drinks on the small patio.

Giorgio’s Cucina (867-668-4050; 206 Jarvis St; meals $15-35; 11:30am-2pm, 5-10pm) The best restaurant locally serves up inventive Italian fare along with fine steaks and seafood. Service is polished while the huge portions might just polish you off. Excellent wine list and desserts.

Self-catering choices include 3 Beans Natural Foods (867-668-4908; 308 Wood St; 10am-5:30pm Tue-Sat) which has a good range of organic foods. And just because the summer is short doesn’t mean that food doesn’t grow in the Yukon. The Fireweed Community Market (Shipyards Park; 3-8pm Thu mid-May–mid-Sep) draws vendors from the region. Berries are fabulous.

Return to beginning of chapter

DRINKING

Whitehorse has a fair number of grotty old boozers. But you can find delightful and atmospheric bars in the Edgewater Hotel and High Country Inn (see opposite). Look for the tasty brews of the local Yukon Brewing Co.

Coasters (867-633-2788; 206 Jarvis St; 3pm-late) Hidden in the pedestrian 202 Motor Inn, this surprisingly huge bar has one of the best staff in town. Energetic and fun, there are always specials at the bar and high jinks brewing in the back banquettes. There’s live music and comedy many nights; they get some good Vancouver bands. Sunday is open mike.

Return to beginning of chapter

GETTING THERE & AWAY

Whitehorse is the transportation hub of the Yukon.

Air

Whitehorse airport (YXY; 867-667-8440; www.gov.yk.ca) is five minutes west of downtown off the Alaska Hwy.

Whitehorse-based Air North (800-661-0407; www.flyairnorth.com) serves Dawson City, Old Crow, Inuvik in the NWT, Fairbanks in Alaska, and Vancouver, Edmonton and Calgary. Air Canada (888-247-2262; www.aircanada.com) serves Vancouver. Condor (800-364-1667, in Germany 01805 707 202; www.condor.com) has twice-weekly flights to/from Frankfurt in summer and First Air (800-267-1247; www.firstair.ca) flies to Yellowknife in the NWT.

Bus & Train

Bus services, er, come and go. It’s always good to check the latest with the VIC.

Alaska Direct Bus Line (867-668-4833; www.alaskadirectbusline.com; 501 Ogilvie St) offers a summer service to Dawson ($150, eight hours, twice weekly); Tok, Alaska (US$125, eight hours, three times weekly), via the Alaska Hwy and Haines Junction (US$60, two hours).

Greyhound Canada (867-667-2223, 800-661-8747; www.greyhound.ca; 2191 2nd Ave) reaches the end of the line in Whitehorse. Service south along the Alaska Hwy to Dawson Creek ($205, 21 hours, three times per week, April to October) connects with buses for the rest of BC and Canada.

White Pass & Yukon Route (Whitehorse ticket office, Front St) offers a delightful rail and bus connection to/from Skagway (adult/child US$106/53, four hours, one daily, May to mid-September). The transfer point is Fraser, BC.

Yukon Alaska Tourist Tours (867-668-4414; www.yatt.ca; 102 Lambert St) runs to Dawson on Friday in summer ($100, eight hours) and returns on Sunday; daily to Skagway (US$55, four hours, late May to early September).

Return to beginning of chapter

GETTING AROUND

To/From the Airport

Yellow Cab (867-668-4811) charges about $16 from the center for the 10-minute ride.

Bus

Whitehorse Transit System (867-668-7433; ticket $2; every 30-70min; Mon-Sat) has a transfer point at the Qwanlin Mall. Route 2 serves the airport, the center and the Robert Service Campground.

Car & RV

Budget (867-667-6200; www.budget.com), Hertz (867-668-4224; www.hertz.com) and National/NorCan (867-456-2277; www.national.com) are at the airport. Check your rate very carefully as it’s common for a mileage charge to be added after the first 100km, which will not get you far in the Yukon. Also understand your insurance coverage and whether damage from Yukon’s rugged roads is covered.

Fraserway RV Rentals (867-668-3438; www.fraserwayrvrentals.com; 9039 Quartz Rd) rents all shapes and sizes of RV from $80 to $250 per day depending on size (it matters) and season.

Whitehorse Subaru (867-393-6550; www.whitehorsesubaru.com; 17 Chilkoot Way) can usually beat the biggies on price, but don’t expect an Outback.

Return to beginning of chapter

ALASKA HIGHWAY

It may be called the Alaska Hwy but given that its longest stretch is in the Yukon (958km) perhaps another name is in order…

Roughly 2450km in length from Dawson Creek, BC, to Delta Junction, far inside Alaska, the Alaska Hwy has a meaning well beyond just a road. Sure it’s a way to get from point A to point B, but it’s also a badge, an honor, an accomplishment. How many highways in the world have T-shirts along the lines of ‘I survived the Alaska Hwy!’? Even though today it’s a modern road, the very name still evokes images of big adventure and getting away from it all.

As you drive the Alaska Hwy in the Yukon know that you’re on the most scenic and varied part of the road. From little villages to the city of Whitehorse, from meandering rivers to the upthrust drama of the St Elias Mountains, the scenery will overwhelm you.

Return to beginning of chapter

BC TO WHITEHORSE

You’ll never be far from an excuse to stop on this stretch of the Alaska. Towns, small parks and various roadside attractions appear at regular intervals. None are massively compelling but overall it’s a pleasant drive. Click here for details of the Alaska Hwy in BC.

Watson Lake

Originally named after Frank Watson, a British trapper, Watson Lake is the first town in the Yukon on the Alaska Hwy and is just over the border from BC. It’s mostly a good rest stop except for the superb VIC (867-536-7469; www.watsonlake.ca; 8am-8pm summer), which has a good museum about the highway and a passel of territory-wide info. The town offers campgrounds, motels, full services and a Greyhound Canada stop.

SCENIC DRIVE: ROBERT CAMPBELL HWY

To get right off the beaten path, consider this lonely gravel road (Hwy 4) which runs 588km from Watson Lake north and west to Carmacks where you can join the Klondike Hwy for Dawson City. Along its length, the highway parallels various rivers and lakes. Wilderness campers will be thrilled.

Ross River, 373km from Watson Lake at the junction with the Canol Rd (Hwy 6), is home to the Kaska First Nation and a supply center for the local mining industry. There are campgrounds and motels in town.

The town is famous for its Sign Post Forest just outside the VIC. The first signpost, ‘Danville, Illinois,’ was nailed up in 1942. Others were added and now there are 62,000 signs, many purloined late at night from municipalities worldwide.

Twenty-six kilometers west of Watson Lake is the junction with the Stewart-Cassiar Hwy (Hwy 37), which heads south into BC Click here. For a discussion of the various routes into the Yukon, Click here.

Just west of the junction, family-run Nugget City (867-536-2307, 888-536-2307; www.nuggetcity.com; campsites from $20, cabins from $80; wi-fi) has accommodations and food that’s three cuts above the Alaska Hwy norm. Stop just for the baked goods, especially the berry pie.

Another 110km west, past the 1112km marker, look for the Rancheria Falls Recreation Site. A boardwalk leads to powerful twin water falls. It’s an excellent stop.

Teslin

Teslin, on the long, narrow lake of the same name, is 272km west of Watson Lake. Long a home to the Tlingits (lin-kits), the Alaska Hwy brought both prosperity and rapid change to this aboriginal population. The engrossing George Johnston Museum (867-390-2550; Km 1294 Alaska Hwy; adult/child $5/3; 9am-5pm mid-May–early Sep) details the life and culture of a 20th-century Tlingits leader through photographs, displays and artifacts.

Johnson’s Crossing

Some 53km north of Teslin is Johnson’s Crossing, at the junction of the Alaska Hwy and Canol Rd (Hwy 6). During WWII the US army built the Canol pipeline at tremendous human and financial expense to pump oil from Norman Wells in the NWT to Whitehorse. Like any good military boondoggle, it was abandoned after countless hundreds of millions of dollars (in 1943 money no less) were spent.

Return to beginning of chapter

WHITEHORSE TO ALASKA

For long segments west of Whitehorse, the Alaska Hwy has been modernized to the point of blandness. Fortunately this ends abruptly in Haines Junction. From here the road parallels legendary Kluane National Forest and the St Elias Mountains. The 300km to Beaver Creek is the most scenic part of the entire highway.

Haines Junction

It’s goodbye flatlands when you reach Haines Junction and see the sweep of imposing peaks looming over town. You’ve reached the stunning Kluane National Park and this is the gateway. The town makes an excellent base for exploring the park or staging a serious four-star mountaineering, backcountry or river adventure. German travelers will hear their language spoken all over town.

The magnificent Haines Hwy heads south from here to Alaska.

Yukon Tourism and Parks Canada share the VIC (Yukon Tourism; 867-634-2345; www.hainesjunctionyukon.com; 8am-8pm Jun-Aug; Parks Canada 867-634-7250; www.parkscanada.gc.ca/kluane; Logan St; 10am-6pm mid-May–Aug, 10am-4pm Sep–mid-May) in the Kluane National Park headquarters building. There’s lots of info from the two agencies and a good model of the local terrain. In summer, rangers give regular nature talks.

LET THERE BE HIGHWAY

Nowadays the aura of the Alaska Hwy is psychological rather than physical. In every way it’s a modern two-lane road, with smooth curves, broad sight lines and paving from one end to another. But that has not always been the case. A famous 1943 photo shows a jeep seemingly being sucked down to China through a morass of mud while soldiers look on helplessly.

With the outbreak of WWII, Canada and the US decided that years of debate should end and that a proper road was needed to link Alaska and the Yukon to the rest of Canada and the US.

That a road, any road, could be carved out of the raw tundra and wilderness of the north in a little over a year was a miracle. Although unlimited money and manpower (US soldiers and Canadian civilians, including Aboriginal people) helped. The 2450km gravel highway ran between Dawson Creek in BC and Fairbanks in Alaska. The route chosen for the highway followed a series of existing airfields – Fort St John, Fort Nelson, Watson Lake and Whitehorse – known as the Northwest Staging Route.

In April 1946 the Canadian section of the road (1965km) was officially handed over to Canada. In the meantime private contractors were busy widening, graveling and straightening the highway, leveling its steep grades and replacing temporary bridges with permanent steel ones – a process that has continued since, creating the modern road you drive today.

Known variously as the Alaskan International Hwy, the Alaska Military Hwy and the Alcan (short for Alaska-Canada) Hwy, it’s now called the Alaska Hwy. It has transformed both the Yukon and Alaska, opening up the north to year-round travel and forever changing the way of life of the First Nations along the route.

The Alaska Hwy begins at ‘Mile 0’ in Dawson Creek in northeastern BC and goes to Fairbanks, Alaska, although the official end is at Delta Junction, about 155km southeast of Fairbanks.

Mileposts long served as reference points. But improvements shortening the road and Canada’s adoption of the metric system have made mileage references archaic. Historic numbers persist in the names of some businesses and attractions.

For more on the Alaska Hwy and its harrowing past, check out the visitor information center in Watson Lake (opposite) and the Yukon Transportation Museum in Whitehorse. For a minutely detailed guide to every feature including seemingly every pothole and moose-turd, look for the Milepost, a legendary annual publication.

WORTH THE TRIP: CARCROSS

At Jake’s Corner 47km west of Johnson’s Crossing, you can detour off the Alaska Hwy via Hwy 8 to the Gold Rush-era town of Carcross. It’s well worth the extra 45km you’ll drive detouring off the stretch of the Alaska Hwy between Jake’s Corner and Whitehorse.

All shops, lodging and services are clustered around the Alaska and Haines Hwys junction.

ACTIVITIES

The ridges surrounding Haines Junction don’t begin to hint at the beauty of Kluane National Park (right). Although the park should be your focus, there are some good activities in and around Haines Junction.

For a hike after hours of driving, there’s a pretty 5.5km nature walk along Dezadeash River where Hwy 3 crosses it at the south end of town.

Paddlewheel Adventures (867-634-2683; www.paddlewheeladventures.com; 116 Kathleen St), opposite the VIC, arranges Tatshenshini rafting trips ($125 per person, includes lunch), scenic float trips and guided interpretive hikes ($45 to $125). It rents mountain bikes or canoes ($25 per day) and provides local transportation.

Owned by a longtime park warden and guide, Kruda Ché Boat Tours (867-634-2378; www.krudache.com) will arrange any number of custom tours by boat and on foot within Kluane National Park. Wildlife, history and aboriginal culture are among the themes.

SLEEPING & EATING

There’s a cluster of motels and RV parks in Haines Junction. There’s a beach and shade at Pine Lake, a territorial campground 6km east of town on the Alaska Hwy. Cerulean waters highlight Kathleen Lake (sites $14), a Parks Canada campground 24km south on Haines Junction off the Haines Hwy.

Alcan Motor Inn (867-634-2371, 888-265-1018; www.alcanmotorinn.com; s/d $95-140; ) The modern two-story Alcan has 23 large rooms with great views of the jagged Auriol Range. Some have full kitchens and there’s a public coin laundry.

Raven Motel (867-634-2500; www.yukonweb.com/tourism/raven; 181 Alaska Hwy; r $120-150; wi-fi) There are 12 comfortable motel-style rooms here and guests can partake of a vast German-style break buffet. But the real star is the restaurant, which has the best food between Whitehorse and Alaska. Menus are complex and continental (meals $35 to $50).

Village Bakery & Deli (867-634-2867; Logan St; meals $6-10; 7am-9pm May-Aug; wi-fi) A local treasure, the bakery here turns out excellent goods all day. The deli has good sandwiches and you can enjoy it all under the trees on the huge deck. On Friday night there’s a popular barbecue.

Frosty Freeze (867-634-7070; Alaska Hwy; 11am-10pm May-Sep) What looks like a humdrum fast food joint is several orders of magnitude better. The shakes are made with real ice cream, the sundaes feature fresh berries, the burgers are huge and juicy and the pizza is simply superb.

GETTING THERE & AWAY

Alaska Direct Busline (867-668-4833, 800-770-6652; www.alaskadirectbusline.com; mid-May–Sep) Runs services three times per week to Whitehorse (US$60, two hours) and west to Beaver Creek (US$85, four hours) and Alaska.

Kluane National Park & Reserve

For once the aboriginal name doesn’t quite cover it. The Southern Tutchone word Kluane (kloo-wah-neee) means ‘lake with many fish.’ In this case a word meaning ‘jaw-dropping natural beauty’ or ‘county-sized glaciers flowing around stunning peaks’ might be better. From the Alaska Hwy, you only see the edge of the park; to really appreciate it requires commitment, although you can get a taste in short day-hikes.

WHAT THE…?

The huge sculpture that looks like a nightmare cupcake at the intersection of the Alaska and Haines Hwys is really meant to be a winsome tableau of local characters and critters. Repairs are constant as locals – or art critics – regularly blast holes in the artwork.

Usually just called Kluane National Park, its 22,015 sq km cover the southwest corner of the Yukon. With BC’s Tatshenshini-Alsek Provincial Park to the south and Alaska’s Wrangell-St Elias National Park to the west, this is one of the largest protected wilderness areas in the world. Its Unesco world heritage designation cites, among others, the ‘over 100 named and as many unnamed glaciers.’

INFORMATION

Parks Canada has two information centers. One is in Haines Junction (Click here) and the other at Tachal Dhal (Sheep Mountain; Alaska Hwy; 9am-5pm May-Sep), 130km west of Haines Junction. Get a copy of the Recreation Guide, which shows the scope of the park (and how little is actually easily accessible). The map shows hikes ranging from 10 minutes to 10 days.

Winters are long and harsh. Summers are short, making mid-June to mid-September the best time to visit. Note that winter conditions can occur at any time, especially in the back country. See Haines Junction (opposite) for the park’s campground.

SIGHTS

The park consists primarily of the St Elias Mountains and the world’s largest non-polar icefields. Two-thirds of the park is glacier interspersed with valleys, glacial lakes, alpine forest, meadows and tundra. The Kluane Ranges (averaging a height of 2500m) are seen along the western edge of the Alaska Hwy. A greenbelt wraps around the base where most of the animals and vegetation live. Turquoise Kluane Lake is the Yukon’s largest. Hidden are the immense icefields and towering peaks, including Mt Logan (5959m), Canada’s highest mountain, and Mt St Elias (5488m), the second highest. Partial glimpses of the interior peaks can be found at the Kilometer 1622 viewpoint on the Alaska Hwy and also around the Donjek River Bridge, but the best views are from the air. You can arrange charters of planes or helicopters in Haines Junction.

ACTIVITIES

There’s excellent hiking in the forested lands at the base of the mountains, along either marked trails or less defined routes. There are about a dozen in each category, some following old mining roads, others traditional aboriginal paths. Detailed trail guides and topographical maps are available at the information centers. Talk to the rangers before setting out. They will help select a hike and can provide updates on areas that may be closed due to bear activity. Overnight hikes require backcountry permits ($10 per person per night).

The Tachal Dhal information center is the starting point for Slims West, a popular 60km round-trip trek to Kaskawulsh Glacier – one of the few that can be reached on foot. This is a difficult route that takes from three to five days to complete and includes sweeping views from Observation Mountain (2114m). An easy overnight trip is the 15km Auriol loop, which goes from spruce forest to subalpine barrens and includes a wilderness campground. It’s 7km south of Haines Junction.

To get a sense of the devastation caused by beetles in the last decade Click here stop at the short Spruce Beetle Loop, 17km northwest of Haines Junction, just off the highway.

Fishing is good and wildlife-watching plentiful. Most noteworthy are the thousands of Dall sheep that can be seen on Sheep Mountain in April, May and September. There’s a large and diverse population of grizzly bear, as well as black bear, moose, caribou, goats and 150 varieties of birds, among them eagles and the rare peregrine falcon.

Many enjoy skiing or snowshoeing beginning in February.

Destruction Bay

This small village on the shore of huge Kluane Lake is 107km north of Haines Junction. It was given its evocative name after a storm tore through the area during construction of the highway. Most of the residents are First Nations, who live off the land through the year. Congdon Creek is 17km east of town on the Alaska Hwy and has an 81-site territorial campground and a fine lakeside setting.

Burwash Landing

Commune with an enormous, albeit stuffed, moose at the excellent Kluane Museum (867-841-5561; adult/child $6/4; 9am-6:30pm mid-May–mid-Sep). Enjoy intriguing wildlife exhibits and displays on natural and aboriginal history. There’s boating on Kluane Lake, including a good 10km paddle to the wildlife-filled mouth of the Kluane River.

Beaver Creek

Wide-spot-in-the-road Beaver Creek is a beacon for sleepy travelers or those who want to get gas – certainly its lackluster eateries will ensure the latter. The Canadian border checkpoint is just north of town; the US border checkpoint is 27km further west. Both are open 24 hours.

The VIC (867-862-7321; Km 1202 Alaska Hwy; 8am-8pm May-Sep) has information on all of the Yukon. A strange sculpture garden just north tempts the silly (or intoxicated) into unnatural acts.

Of the four motels in town, the 1202 Motor Inn (867-862-7600, 800-661-0540; 1202 Alaska Hwy; r from $50) is least offensive. The 30 rooms are basic and functional. Get one away from the idling trucks.

Alaska

Note that the incredible scenery of the Alaska Hwy dims a bit once you cross into its namesake state. The Alaska Hwy department leaves the road much more despoiled than the pristine conditions in the Yukon.

From the US border, it’s 63km (39 miles) to Tetlin National Wildlife Refuge on the Alaska Hwy. About 117km past Tetlin, you’ll reach the junction with the Taylor Hwy (Hwy 5) which connects north with the Top of the World Hwy to Dawson City.

Return to beginning of chapter

HAINES HIGHWAY

If you’re doing only a short loop between Haines and Skagway via Whitehorse, this 259km road might be the highlight of your trip. In fact no matter what length your Yukon adventure, the Haines Hwy (Hwy 3) might be the high point. In a relatively quick distance you see glaciers, looming snow-clad peaks, lush and wild river valleys, wind-swept Alpine meadows and a bald-eagle-laced river delta.

Heading south of Haines Junction, look west for a close-up of the St Elias Mountains, those glaciers glimpsed at the top stretch all the way to the Pacific Ocean. About 80km south, look for the Tatshenshini River viewpoint. This white-water river flows through protected bear country and a valley that seems timeless.

About 10km further, look for Million Dollar Falls. For once the sight lives up to the billing as water thunders through a narrow chasm. Let the roar lull you to sleep at the nearby territorial campground.

The highway crosses into BC for a mere 70km but you’ll hope for more as you traverse high and barren alpine wilderness where sudden snow squalls happen year-round. At the 1070m Chilkat Pass, an ancient aboriginal route into the Yukon, the road suddenly plunges down for a steep descent into Alaska. The US border is 72km north of Haines, along the wide Chilkat River Delta.

Home to scores of bald eagles year-round, the handsome birds flock like pigeons each fall when they mass in the trees over-looking the river drawn by the comparatively mild weather and steady supply of fish.

Pullouts line the Haines Hwy (Hwy 7 in Alaska), especially between mileposts 19 and 26. Take you time driving and find a place to park. Just a few feet from the road, it’s quiet and when you see a small tree covered with 20 pensive – and sizable – bald eagles, you can enjoy your own raptor version of The Birds.

Return to beginning of chapter

HAINES (ALASKA)

Unlike Skagway just across the Lynn Canal, Haines has escaped the cruise ship mobs and it’s all the better for it. It’s a real community with a real downtown close to the working waterfront. There are good shops, a couple of small museums and a historic fort. You can easily walk around much of the town in a few scenic hours. As you gaze out over the beautiful mountain-backed waters – possibly with a relaxing beverage in hand – you’re unlikely to be jealous of those aboard the conga line of cruise ships puffing (and we mean puffing, the pollution is deplorable) their way to the next port.

Coming from the south on the Alaska Marine Highway ferries, Haines is definitely the port of choice for accessing the Yukon. For more coverage of Haines and southeast Alaska, see Lonely Planet’s Alaska.

Information

Prices for Haines are in US$. Haines is on Alaska time, one hour earlier than Yukon time.

HOT TOPIC (AHEM)

The Yukon should serve as exhibit one in the case for global warming and climate change. Every corner of the territory is experiencing rapid changes in the environment because it’s getting warmer a lot quicker than anybody ever imagined. In the far north, Herschel Island is literally dissolving as the permafrost thaws. One gruesome sign: long-buried coffins floating to the surface of the melting earth. Unesco has listed it as one of the world’s most threatened historic sites.

In Dawson City locals have for decades bet on the day each spring when the Yukon River suddenly breaks up and begins flowing. Detailed records show that the mean date for this has moved one week earlier in the last century to May 5, with the pace accelerating.

Perhaps the most easily seen and horrifying evidence that something’s going on is in Kluane National Park. It’s generally believed that winters have moderated just enough (in the Yukon equivalent of the ‘I-walked-12-miles-uphill-each-way-to-school-in-the-snow’ lament, old-timers wonder what happened to those crispy 60-below-zero days of their youth) so that various tree-killing beetles didn’t die off during the cold months. The result was a beetle explosion in the mid-1990s that wiped out millions of fir, spruce and pine trees.

Preparing the Yukon for a radically different and warmer future is now a major political topic, even if nobody has the answers.

Sights & Activities

Walk the center and waterfront and then amble over to Fort Seward, an old army post dating back 100 years. Now a national historic site, the many mannered buildings have been given a range of new uses, from art galleries to funky stores to B&Bs.

Haines makes the most of its eagles, and has a festival (http://baldeaglefest.org) in their honor every November. Numerous local guides will take you to see the birds in ways you can’t do from the side of the Haines Hwy.

Sleeping & Eating

The CVB has oodles of choices at all price ranges.

Portage Cove State Recreation Site (Beach Rd; tent sites US$5; 15 May-Aug.) It’s worth losing your car so you can stay at this beautiful bicyclist- and backpacker-friendly campground right on the water 1.6km south of town. Light a campfire and let the mist roll in.

Captain’s Choice Motel (907-766-3111, 800-478-2345; www.capchoice.com; 108 2nd Ave N; r US$85-160; wi-fi) An admiral might even choose this place. Many of the 40 rooms have sweeping water views and all are large. It’s right in the center.

Mountain Market & Café (907-766-3340; 151 3rd Ave; meals US$4-10; 7am-7pm Mon-Fri, 7am-6pm Sat & Sun) Get your Haines Hwy or Alaska ferry picnic here. Treats include excellent coffee, baked goods, big sandwiches and lots of organic prepared foods.

Fireweed (907-766-3838; Bldg 37 Blacksmith Rd; meals US$6-16; 11am-10pm) In Fort Seward, Fireweed just seems to get better by the year. Enjoy the excellent pizzas, salads, chowders and seafood out on the deck overlooking the Lynn Canal. We still swoon over the Haines Brewing Spruce Tip Ale.

Getting There & Away

There’s no public transportation from Haines into the Yukon.

Alaska Maritime Highway System (800-642-0066; www.ferryalaska.com) is a superb service that links Haines and the Yukon to BC and the US. Boats serve Skagway (US$31, vehicles from US$41, two hours, five to seven weekly), Juneau, Petersburg, Wrangell, Ketchikan, and importantly, Prince Rupert in BC (US$178, cabins from US$270, vehicles from $395; 35 hours; two to three per week); also Bellingham, Washington in the US (US$353, cabins from US$271, vehicles from US$800; 68 to 80 hours; one to two per week). For more information on this service, Click here. The ferry terminal is situated 6.5km south of town.

The Haines-Skagway Fast Ferry (907-766-2100, 888-766-2103; www.chilkatcruises.com) carries passengers only (adult/child US$25/12.50, 35 minutes, three or more per day, June to September) and docks near the center.

Return to beginning of chapter

KLONDIKE HIGHWAY

Beginning seaside in Skagway, Alaska, the 716km Klondike Hwy climbs high to the forbidding Chilkoot Pass before crossing into stunning alpine scenery on the way to Carcross. For much of its length, the road generally follows the Gold Rush Trail, the route of the Klondike prospectors. You’ll have a much easier time of it than they did (opposite).

North of Whitehorse, the road passes through often gentle terrain that has been scorched by wildfires through the years. Signs showing the dates let you chart nature’s recovery.

Return to beginning of chapter

SKAGWAY (ALASKA)

Skagway has been both delighting and horrifying travelers for over 100 years. In 1898 scamsters of all kinds preyed upon arriving miners bound for Dawson. Today it’s T-shirt vendors preying on tourists. When several huge cruise ships show up at once, the streets look like one great disturbed ant hill.

However, behind the tat there’s a real town that still has many preserved charms. At night after the cruise ships have sailed it has its own quiet charm. Still, there’s no need to linger as the Yukon beckons. Although it’s in the US, it can only be reached by car on the Klondike Hwy from the Yukon (with a short stretch in BC). It’s the starting point for the famed Chilkoot Trail and the White Pass & Yukon Route.

Skagway is the last stop on the Alaska Marine Hwy System’s inland passage service from the south and as such is an important entry point for the Yukon. Lonely Planet’s Alaska has extensive coverage of Skagway and the rest of Southeast Alaska.

Orientation & Information

From the ferry terminal, the foot and vehicle traffic spills onto Broadway St and the center of town. There’s a full range of services including shops selling a substance known as ‘fudge,’ which seems popular with the cruise ship crowd. The Klondike Hwy leaves from the north end of town.

Prices below are in US$. Skagway is on Alaska time, one hour earlier than the Yukon. Most places close outside of summer.

Sights

A seven-block corridor along Broadway, part of the historic district is home to restored buildings, false fronts and wooden sidewalks from Skagway’s gold rush era. The Park Service (above) has tours, a museum and info.

The White Pass & Yukon Route (WP&YR; 907-983-2217, 800-343-7373; www.wpyr.com; cnr 2nd Ave & Spring St; adult/child US$98/49; early May-late Sep) is the stunning reason most people visit Skagway (other than T-shirts). The line twists up the tortuous route to the namesake White Pass, tracing the notorious White Pass trail used during the Klondike Gold Rush.

Sleeping

Reservations are strongly recommended during July and August. The CVB has comprehensive accommodations lists.

Pullen Creek RV Park (907-983-2768, 800-936-3731; www.pullencreekrv.com; 501 Congress St; campsites US$14-30) This park is right next to the ferry terminal.

Skagway Home Hostel (907-983-2131; www.skagway.com; cnr 3rd Ave & Main St; dm US15-20, r US$50; ) Not a far walk from the ferry dock (or call for free pick-up), this friendly 1900 house has a variety of dorms and private rooms.

Sergeant Preston’s Lodge (907-983-2521; www.sgtprestonslodge.com; 370 6th Ave; r US$80-115; wi-fi) The 40 bright and clean rooms are right in the historic center. Call for ferry pick-up.

Getting There & Away

From Skagway to Whitehorse on the Klondike Hwy (Hwy 2) is 177km. Customs at the border usually moves fairly quickly.

BOAT

Alaska Maritime Highway System (800-642-0066; www.ferryalaska.com) The excellent service links Skagway and the Yukon to BC and the US. Boats serve Haines (US$31, vehicles from US$41, two hours, five to seven weekly), Juneau, Petersburg, Wrangell, Ketchikan, and importantly, Prince Rupert in BC (US$190, cabins from US$270, vehicles from $416, 35 hours, two to three per week); also Bellingham, Washington in the US (US$363, cabins from US$271, vehicles from US$820, 68 to 80 hours, one to two per week). For more on this service, Click here.

The Haines-Skagway Fast Ferry (907-766-2100, 888-766-2103; www.chilkatcruises.com) carries passengers only (adult/child US$25/12.50, 35 minutes, three or more per day, June to September).

BUS & TRAIN

Yukon Alaska Tourist Tours (867-668-4414; www.yatt.ca) has daily buses between Skagway and Whitehorse (US$55, four hours, late May to early September).

White Pass & Yukon Route (opposite) offers a cool rail and bus connection to/from Whitehorse (adult/child US$106/53, four hours, one daily May to mid-September). The transfer point is Fraser, BC.

Return to beginning of chapter

CHILKOOT TRAIL

Arduous at best and deadly at worst in 1898, the Chilkoot Trail was the route most prospectors took to get over the 1110m Chilkoot Pass from Skagway and into the Yukon. Today, hikers reserve spots months in advance to travel the same route.

The well-marked 53km trail begins near Dyea, 14km northwest of Skagway, and heads northeast over the pass. It then follows the Taiya River to Lake Bennett in BC, and takes three to five days to hike. It’s a hard route in good weather and often treacherous in bad. You must be in good physical condition and come fully equipped. Layers of warm clothes and rain gear are essential.

Hardware, tools and supplies dumped by the prospectors still litter the trail. At several places there are wooden shacks where you can put up for the night, but these are usually full so a tent and sleeping bag are required. There are 10 designated campgrounds along the route, each with bear caches.

YO DUDE, GOLD!

The Klondike Gold Rush continues to be the defining moment for the Yukon. Certainly it was the population highpoint. Some 40,000 gold-seekers washed ashore (some literally) in Skagway hoping to strike it rich in the gold fields of Dawson City, some 700km north.

To say that most were ill-prepared for the adventure is an understatement. Although some were veterans of other gold rushes, a high percentage were American men looking for adventure. Clerks, lawyers and waiters were just some of those who thought they’d just pop up north and get rich. The reality was different. Landing in Skagway, they were set upon by all manner of flim-flam artists, most working for the incorrigible Soapy Smith. Next came dozens of trips hefting their 1000lb of required supplies over the frozen Chilkoot Pass. Then they had to build boats from scratch and make their way across lakes and the Yukon River to Dawson. Scores died trying.

Besides more scamsters, there was another harsh reality awaiting in Dawson: by the summer of 1897 when the first ships reached the west coast of the US with news of the discoveries on Dawson’s Bonanza Creek, the best sites had all been claimed. The Klondike Gold Rush mobs were mostly too late to the action by at least a year. Sick and broke, the survivors glumly made their way back to the US. Few found any gold and most sold their gear for pennies to merchants who in turn resold it to incoming gold seekers for top dollar. Several family fortunes in the Yukon today can be traced to this trade.

Today, that many Klondikers would be described as ‘couch-potatoes’ is clear from their stories. The depravation, disease and heartbreak of these ‘dudes’ of the day make for fascinating reading. Among the many books about the Klondike Gold Rush, the following are recommended (and easily found in the Yukon):

The Klondike Fever by Pierre Berton is the classic on the gold rush.

Sailor on Snowshoes by Dick North traces Jack London’s time in the Yukon and the hunt for his cabin. London’s stories of the gold rush made his name as a writer.

Soapy Smith by Stan Sauerwein is a delightful tale about the Skagway scalawag for whom the word incorrigible was invented.

The Klondike Hwy (opposite) from Skagway via Whitehorse and as far as Minto follows what Parks Canada calls the Gold Rush Trail. To stay on the course of the gold-seekers from there you’ll need to paddle the Yukon River.

At the Canadian end you can either take the White Pass & Yukon Route train from Bennett back to Skagway or further up the line to Fraser in BC, where you can connect with a bus for Whitehorse.

The Chilkoot Trail is a primary feature of the Klondike Gold Rush International Historic Park, a series of sites managed by both Parks Canada and the US National Park Service that stretches from Seattle, Washington, to Dawson City. Each Chilkoot hiker must obtain one of the 50 permits available for each day in summer; reserve in advance. Parks Canada/US National Park Service charge $53 for a permit plus $12 for a reservation. For information, contact the Trail Centre in Skagway. Each day eight of the permits are issued on a first-come, first-served basis.

Return to beginning of chapter

CARCROSS

Long a forgotten gold rush town, cute little Carcross, 74km southeast of Whitehorse, is on a roll. There are daily trains in summer from Skagway on the White Pass & Yukon Route (round-trip adult/child $175/87.50), which returned to the town in 2007 after a three decade absence. Some old buildings are being restored and the site on Lake Bennett is superb. (Although Klondike prospectors who had to build boats here to cross the lake didn’t think so.)

The VIC (867-821-4431; 8am-8pm May-Sep) is in the old train station and has an excellent walking tour booklet of the town. The station also has good displays on local history and directly behind is a hall where local artists show their wares.

Carcross Desert, the world’s smallest, is the exposed sandy bed of a glacial lake. It’s 2km north of town.

Return to beginning of chapter

WHITEHORSE TO CARMACKS

Leaving Whitehorse by the Klondike Hwy is none-too-exciting. There’s land with low trees and a few cattle ranches. After about 40km, however, look for serene Lake Laberge, which has a beach, followed by Fox Lake, 24km further north, and Twin Lakes, 23km south of Carmacks. Each has a government campground with shelters and pump water.

Return to beginning of chapter

CARMACKS

This village of 400 sits right on the Yukon River and is named for one of the discoverers of gold in 1896, George Washington Carmacks. A rogue seaman wandering the Yukon, it was almost by luck that Carmacks (with Robert Henderson, Tagish Charlie and Keish – aka Skookum Jim) made their claim on Bonanza Creek. Soon he was living the high life and it wasn’t long before he abandoned his First Nations family and headed south to the US.

Given his record as a husband and father, it’s fitting that Carmacks be honored by this uninspired collection of gas stations and places to stay. The main reason to stop is the excellent Tage Cho Hudan Interpretive Centre (867-863-5830; admission by donation; 9am-4pm May-Sep). Volunteers explain aboriginal life past and present. Like elsewhere in the territory, residents here are keenly attuned to the land, which supplies them with game and fish throughout the year. A pretty 15-minute interpretive walk by the river provides a glimmer of insight into this life.

SCENIC DRIVE: SILVER TRAIL

Exactly what the name implies, this old mining road (Hwy 11) heads east from Stewart Crossing. The first 52km to Mayo (www.yukonweb.com/community/mayo) is paved and there are some turnouts for nature walks along the way. Mayo dates to 1903, when it was a busy river port for the surrounding silver industry. Today it has a couple of motels and a cute little downtown on the river with restored buildings and plaques detailing its history.

From here the road turns to gravel. The first of two nearly abandoned mining towns, Elsa is 45km from Mayo (sadly no-one thought to name any places locally Ham or Rye) and is closed to the public. But Keno City (www.kenocity.info), a further 16km, has a small mining museum that’s usually open at peak times in summer. There are good hikes here to alpine meadows, snowy peaks and up Keno Hill, which has a signpost with distances to cities worldwide (eg Melbourne 8300 miles).

In summer, there’s usually an information booth for the Silver Trail in Stewart Crossing, just south of the bridge.

This is also the junction with the Robert Campbell Hwy.

About 25km north of Carmacks, the Five Finger Recreation Site has excellent views of the treacherous stretch of the rapids that tested the wits of riverboat captains traveling between Whitehorse and Dawson. There’s a steep 1.5km walk down to the rapids.

Return to beginning of chapter

MINTO

Easily missed – unless you’re toting a canoe or kayak – Minto is where the Klondike Hwy leaves the route of the Gold Rush Trail. This is a popular place to put in for the four- to five-day trip down the Yukon River to Dawson City. It’s about 72km north of Carmacks.

Return to beginning of chapter

STEWART CROSSING

Another popular place to get your canoe wet, Stewart Crossing is on the Stewart River, which affords a narrow and somewhat more rugged experience before it joins the Yukon to the west for the trip to Dawson.

Otherwise unexceptional, the village is the junction of the Klondike Hwy (Hwy 2) and the Silver Trail (Hwy 11).

North of Stewart Crossing the Klondike Hwy continues for 139 bland kilometers to the junction with the Dempster Hwy. From here it’s only 40km to Dawson City.

Return to beginning of chapter

DAWSON CITY

If you didn’t know its history, Dawson would be a delightful place to pause for a while, plunging into its quirky culture and falling for its seductive funky vibe. That it’s one of the most historic and beautiful towns in Canada is like gold dust on a cake: unnecessary but damn nice.

Set on a narrow shelf at the confluence of the Yukon and Klondike rivers, a mere 240km south of the Arctic Circle, Dawson City was the center of the Klondike Gold Rush. In 1898 more than 30,000 prospectors milled the streets – a few newly rich, but most without prospects and at odds with themselves and the world. Shops, bars and prostitutes relieved these hordes of what money they had. But Dawson’s fortunes were tied to the gold miners and as the boom ended, the town began a decades-long slow fade.

CURSE OF THE CINNAMON BUNS

For decades Yukon motorists have answered the siren song of cinnamon buns sung by roadside businesses. But what once might have been a tasty treat has been lost in an escalating battle of the buns. Everybody claims theirs is the biggest, even as the size approaches the weight and shape of something dropped out of a woolly mammoth. Worse, these beasts are heavy on tough dough and light on taste. Beware, unless you need canoe ballast.

The territorial capital was moved to Whitehorse in 1952 and the town lingered on, surviving on the low-key but ongoing gold mining industry. By 1970 the population was under 900. But then a funny thing happened on the way to Dawson’s demise: it got rediscovered. Improvements to the Klondike Hwy and links to Alaska allowed the first major influx of summertime tourists who found a charmingly moldering time capsule from the gold rush. Parks Canada designated much of the town as historic and began restorations.

Today, you can wander the dirt streets of Dawson, passing old buildings with dubious permafrost foundations leaning on each other for support (that’s in comparison to the real drunks you’ll see leaning on each other for support outside the local saloons). There’s a rich cultural life, with many people finding Dawson the perfect place for free expression (those bongo drums you hear are another new arrival).

Dawson can get busy in the summer, especially during its festivals. But by September the days are getting short, the seasonal workers have fled south and the 2000 year-round residents (professionals, miners, First Nations, dreamers, artists and those who aren’t sure where they fit) are settling in for another long and quiet winter.

Return to beginning of chapter

ORIENTATION

Dawson City, 527km from Whitehorse, is small enough to walk around in a few hours. The Klondike Hwy leads into Front St (also called 1st Ave) along the Yukon River. Just north of town, a free ferry crosses the Yukon River to the Top of the World Hwy and onward to Alaska.

Like a gold nugget on a tapped out creek, street numbers are a rarity in Dawson. Unless noted otherwise, opening hours and times given here cover the period from mid-May to early-September. For the rest of the year, most sights, attractions and many businesses are closed.

Return to beginning of chapter

INFORMATION

The biweekly, volunteer-run Klondike Sun covers special events and activities.

Return to beginning of chapter

SIGHTS

You can easily fill three or more days with the many things to see and do in and around Dawson. If the summertime hordes get you down, head up hill for a few blocks where you’ll find timeless old houses and streets.

In a real boon to families, almost all attractions are free for kids 12 and under.

Klondike National Historic Sites

It’s easy to relive the gold rush at a myriad of preserved and restored places. Parks Canada does an excellent job of providing information and tours. In addition to the individual sight fees listed here, there are various good-value Parks Canada passes (adults $14-32). For information, go to the Parks Canada desk in the VIC. See right for details on Dredge No 4.

ROBERT SERVICE CABIN

Called the ‘Bard of the Yukon,’ poet and writer Robert W Service lived in this typical gold-rush cabin (cnr 8th Ave & Hanson St; admission free; 2:30-3:30pm) from 1909 to 1912. Don’t miss the dramatic readings (adult $7; 1:30pm & 7pm).

COMMISSIONER’S RESIDENCE

Built in 1901 to house the territorial commissioner, this proud building (Font St; adult $7; 10am-5pm, tour times vary) was designed to give potential civic investors confidence in the city. The building was the longtime home of Martha Black, who came to the Yukon in 1898, owned a lumberyard and was elected to the Canadian Parliament at age 70. (Martha Black by Flo Whyard is a great book about this amazing woman.)

SS KENO

The SS Keno (adult $7; 10am-6pm) was one of a fleet of paddle wheelers that worked the Yukon’s rivers for more than half a century. Grounded along the waterfront, the boat re-creates a time before any highways.

HARRINGTON’S STORE

This old shop (cnr 3rd Ave & Princess St; admission free 9am-4:30pm) has historic photos from Dawson’s heyday.

Dänojà Zho Cultural Centre

Inside this beautiful riverfront wood building (867-993-6768; www.trondek.com; Front St; adult $5; 10am-6pm) there are displays and interpretative talks on the Hän Hwëch’in (River People) First Nations. The collection includes traditional artifacts and a recreation of a 19th-century fishing camp. Check on the schedule of cultural tours and performances of authentic dances.

Jack London Interpretive Centre

In 1898 Jack London lived in the Yukon, the setting for his most popular stories, including Call of the Wild and White Fang. At the writer’s cabin (8th Ave at Grant St; admission $2; 10am-6pm) there are daily interpretive talks. A labor of love by historian Dick North, Dawne Mitchell and others, this place is a treasure trove of stories – including the search for the original cabin.

Dawson City Museum

Make your own discoveries among the 25,000 gold rush artifacts at this museum (867-993-5291; 5th Ave; adult $7; 10am-6pm). Engaging exhibits walk you through the grim lives of the miners. The museum is housed in the landmark 1901 Old Territorial Administration building.

Midnight Dome

The slide-scarred face of this hill overlooks the town to the north, but to reach the top you must travel south of town about 1km, turn left off the Klondike Hwy onto New Dome Rd, and continue for about 7km. The Midnight Dome, at 880m above sea level, offers great views of the Klondike Valley, Yukon River and Dawson City. There’s also a steep trail that takes 90 minutes from Judge St in town; maps are available at the VIC.

Crocus Bluff & Cemeteries

A 15-minute walk up King St and Mary McCloud Rd behind town leads to cemeteries that are literally filled with characters. There’s a short path out to pretty Crocus Bluff that has excellent views of Dawson and the Klondike and Yukon rivers. Historic cemeteries are nearby. If you’re driving, ignore the ‘Local Traffic Only’ signs coming up King St. On New Dome Rd, turn at Mary McLeod Rd (ignoring the ‘No Exit’ signs).

Mine Sites

The deeply scarred valleys around Dawson speak of the vast amounts of toil that went into the gold hunt. Dredge No 4 (Bonanza Creek Rd; adult $7; 10am-4pm, tour times vary), 13km off the Klondike Hwy, is a massive dredging machine that tore up the Klondike Valley and left the tailings, which remain as a vast, rippled blight on the landscape. The Parks Canada tours are absorbing.

Just 1.5km further up the valley, the Bonanza Creek Discovery Site is roughly where gold was first found in 1897. It’s a quiet site today with a little water burbling through the rubble.

Galleries

Dawson has a thriving arts community – even the mayor is an artist. The Klondike Institute for Art and Culture (KIAC; 867-993-5005; www.kiac.org; cnr 3rd Ave & Queen St) has an impressive new studio building, galleries and educational programs.

KIAC’s exhibition space, the ODD Gallery (867-993-5005; cnr 2nd Ave & Princess St; hrs vary), shows local works.

No Gold Gallery (867-993-5203; cnr Front St & Queen St) has works by a dozen local artists. Bombay Peggy’s (right) also displays and sells local works.

Return to beginning of chapter

ACTIVITIES

Besides arriving by canoe or kayak, many people also exit Dawson via the Yukon River. A popular trip good for novices goes from Dawson for three days and 168km downstream to Eagle City, Alaska.

Dawson Trading Post (867-993-5316; Front St; canoe per day $35) rents out canoes and arranges longer trips. Dawson City River Hostel (right), across the river, can also rent you a canoe and help make arrangements.

Besides the walks above town listed under Sights, a three-hour hike to Moosehead, an old First Nations village, is popular. The trail follows hillsides above the river north of town, be sure to get a map at the VIC.

You can explore much of the Dawson area by bike, including the Ridge Road Heritage Trail, which winds through the gold fields south of town. Rent bikes at Circle Cycle (867-993-6270; cnr King St & 7th Ave; bikes per day $25) or the Dawson City River Hostel.

Return to beginning of chapter

TOURS

Parks Canada docents, often in period garb, lead excellent walking tours (adult $7; 9:30am, some days extra tours) of Dawson. Learn about individual buildings and the many characters that walked the streets (many of whom could be called ‘streetwalkers’). You can also take an audio tour (adult $7; 9:30am-4:30pm) where you guide yourself.

Goldbottom Tours (867-993-5023; www.goldbottom.com; ticket office Front St; tours from $20) is based 15km up Hunker Creek Rd (junction with Hwy 2 just north of the airport) at a working placer gold mine. You can pan for gold and see how the hills still manage to yield a nugget or two.

Return to beginning of chapter

FESTIVALS & EVENTS

Return to beginning of chapter

SLEEPING

Reservations are a good idea in July and August, although the VIC can help. Many places will pick you up at the airport; ask in advance. Unless otherwise stated, the following are open all year.

Yukon River Campground (sites $12) On the western side of the river about 250m up the road to the right after you get off the ferry, this territorial campground has 98 shady sites.

Dawson City River Hostel (867-993-6823 summer; www.yukonhostels.com; dm $16-20, r from $42; mid-May–Sep) This delightfully eccentric hostel is across the river from town and five minutes up the hill from the ferry landing. It has good views, cabins, platforms for tents and a communal bathhouse. Owner Dieter Reinmuth is a noted Yukon author.

Gold Rush Campground RV Park (867-993-5247; 866-330-5006; www.goldrushcampground.com; cnr 5th Ave & York St; sites $20-40; Jun-Sep; wi-fi) Convenience trumps atmosphere at this big parking lot for RVs.

Bombay Peggy’s (867-993-6969; www.bombaypeggys.com; cnr 2nd Ave & Princess St; r $75-200; Mar-Dec; wi-fi) A renovated brothel, Peggy’s allure is its period furnishings and spunky attitude. Budget ‘snug’ rooms share bathrooms. The bar is justifiably popular (opposite).

5th Ave B&B (867-993-5941; www.5thavebandb.com; 702 5th Ave; r $85-115; wi-fi) A vision in blue, this modern B&B has rooms with shared and private bathrooms and a comfy, vaguely frontier feel. Breakfasts are substantial.

Downtown Hotel (867-993-5346, 800-661-0514; www.downtownhotel.ca; cnr Queen St & 2nd Ave; r $95-160; wi-fi) This prominent hotel has 34 rooms in the main heritage building and 25 more in a modern annex. Not all have air-con; ask to see a couple.

Klondike Kate’s (867-993-6527; www.klondikekates.ca; cnr King St & 3rd Ave; cabins $100-140; Apr-Sep; wi-fi) The 15 cabins here behind the ever-popular restaurant (below) are fronted by flowers and have fridges and microwaves.

El Dorado Hotel (867-993-5451, 800-764-3536; www.eldoradohotel.ca; cnr 3rd Ave & Princess St; r $100-160; wi-fi) Reborn after a fire, the El Dorado has 46 modern rooms, including six new air-con suites. There are another six contemporary rooms in the old 1897 Yukon Hotel building on Front St.

Return to beginning of chapter

EATING

Picnickers, hikers and backcountry campers will find two good grocery stores in town. With exceptions noted below, most places close outside of summer.

River West (867-993-6339; cnr Front & Queen Sts; meals $4-7; 7am-7pm Mar-Oct) Busy throughout the day, this excellent coffeehouse, bakery and café looks out on the Front St action. Grab an outside table.

Klondike Kate’s (867-993-6527; cnr King St & 3rd Ave; meals $6-20; 8am-9pm) Two ways to know spring has arrived: the river cracks up and Kate’s reopens. Locals in the know prefer the latter. The long and inventive menu has fine sandwiches, pastas and fresh Yukon fish. Look for great specials. This is the place for breakfast.

Drunken Goat Taverna (867-993-5800; 2nd Ave; meals $7-20; noon-9pm) Follow your eyes to the flowers, your ears to the Aegean music and your nose to the excellent Greek food, run 12-months-a-year by Tony Dovas. Out back there’s a simple take-out with excellent pizzas.

Antoinette’s (867-993-6822; 3rd Ave near Princess St; meals $10-20; 5-9pm Tue-Sat) Look for the leaning Mountie out the front of this house where noted chef Antoinette Oliphant prepares a short but exquisite menu each night. Inside or on the patio, it feels like a glam dinner party.

La Table on 5th (867-993-6860; Aurora Inn, 5th Ave; meals $10-25; 5-9pm) The best steaks are the color of rare and the menu has continental flair at this Swiss-accented fine restaurant. Make arrangements in advance and a local storyteller will join you at your table.

Return to beginning of chapter

DRINKING

The spirit of the prospectors lives on in several saloons in Dawson. On summer nights the action goes on until late (sometimes as early as 4am).

Bars at Westminster Hotel (3rd Ave; noon-late) These two bars carry the mostly affectionate monikers ‘Snakepit,’ ‘Armpit’ or simply ‘Pit.’ The places for serious drinkers, there’s live music many nights.

Bombay Peggy’s (867-993-6969; cnr 2nd Ave & Princess St; 11am-11pm) There’s always a hint of pleasures to come swirling around the tables of Dawson’s most inviting bar. Enjoy good beers, wines and mixed drinks inside or out.

Downtown Hotel (867-993-5346; cnr Queen St & 2nd Ave; 11am-late) This unremarkable bar comes to life at 9pm in summer for what best can be called the ‘Sourtoe Schitck.’ Tourists line up to drink a shot of booze ($10) that has a pickled human toe floating in it. It’s a long-running gag that’s delightfully chronicled in Dieter Reinmuth’s The Saga of the Sourtoe. (That the toe – it is real – looks much like a bit of beef jerky should give pause to any one used to late night Slim Jim jonesing…)

Midnight Sun (867-993-5495; cnr Queen St & 3rd Ave; noon-late) The boozy venue for live music; it jumps with people shaking it to good local and regional bands.

Return to beginning of chapter

ENTERTAINMENT

Diamond Tooth Gertie’s (867-993-5575; cnr Queen St & 4th Ave; $6; 7pm-2am mid-May–mid-Sep) This popular re-creation of an 1898 saloon is complete with small-time gambling, a honky-tonk piano and dancing girls. The casino helps promote the town and fund culture. Each night there are three floor shows heavy on corn and kicking legs.

Return to beginning of chapter

GETTING THERE & AWAY

Dawson City airport (YDA) is 19km east of town off the Klondike Hwy. Air North (800-661-0407; www.flyairnorth.com) serves Whitehorse, Old Crow, Inuvik in the NWT and Fairbanks in Alaska.

There are no rental cars available in Dawson. Bus services to Dawson seem to be in a constant state of flux.

Alaska Direct Bus Line (867-668-4833; www.alaskadirectbusline.com) serves Whitehorse ($150, eight hours, twice weekly) and Tok, Alaska ($125, eight hours, three times weekly) in summer.

Yukon Alaska Tourist Tours (867-668-4414; www.yatt.ca) runs from Whitehorse on Friday in summer ($100, eight hours) and returns on Sunday.

LOCAL VOICE

Terrie Turai, producer, choreographer and dancer for the dance hall show at Diamond Tooth Gertie’s

‘I’d been a professional since I was 19. In 1998 I got a call from a friend who said, “Come to Dawson” and “bring another dancer.” It was a job, so I came and when I saw this little old town I thought “What have I done?”. Prior to that I’d done mostly Broadway-style musicals.

But after the first year, something about Dawson pulled me back every summer.

We re-create old cancan dances based on the old routines. One difference is that the girls who were here during the gold rush spent their time battling for the attention of miners so they could later get tips. We’re much more about entertainment, although one night a guy tossed a girl over his shoulder and tried to leave. We said “No! She has another show in three hours!”.

One thing I’ve learned here is how to drink. Dawson teaches you well. What I find really amazing is that of the five dancers here in 1998, four of us live here full-time. Something about the Yukon sucks you right in. I guess I couldn’t feel more at home.’

Return to beginning of chapter

DAWSON CITY TO ALASKA

From Dawson City, the free ferry crosses the Yukon River to the scenic Top of the World Hwy (Hwy 9). Only open in summer, the mostly paved 106km-long ridge-top road to the US border has superb vistas across the region.

You’ll continue to feel on top of the world as you cross the border, the land is barren alpine meadows with jutting rocks and often grazing caribou. The border crossing (9am-9pm Yukon time/8am-8pm Alaska time, 15 May-15 Sep) has strict hours, if you’re late you’ll have to wait until the next day.

On the US side the road becomes all gravel. After 19km you reach the Taylor Hwy (Hwy 5). The old gold-mining town of Eagle on the Yukon River is 105km north. Some 47km south over dirt roads (expect to get dirt in parts of your vehicle and person you didn’t think possible), you encounter Chicken, a delightful place of free-thinkers happy to sell you a stupid T-shirt at one of the gas station/cafés or tell a goofy yarn. Another 124km south and you reach the Alaska Hwy where a turn east takes you to the Yukon. Just a tick west, Tok has services and motels. Alaska time is one hour earlier than the Yukon.

Return to beginning of chapter

DEMPSTER HIGHWAY

Rather than name this road for an obscure Mountie (William Dempster), this road should be named the Firestone Hwy or the Goodyear Hwy, for the number of tires it’s sent to an explosive demise. This 736km thrill ride is one of North America’s great adventure roads, winding through stark mountains and emerald valleys, across huge tracts of tundra and passing Tombstone Territorial Park (opposite).

The Dempster (Hwy 5 in the Yukon, Hwy 8 in the NWT) starts 40km southeast of Dawson City off the Klondike Hwy and heads north over the Ogilvie and Richardson mountains beyond the Arctic Circle and on to Inuvik in the NWT, near the shores of the Beaufort Sea.

Built on a thick base of gravel to insulate the permafrost underneath (which would otherwise melt causing the road to sink without a trace), the Dempster is open most of the year, but the best time to travel is between June and early September when the ferries over the Peel and Mackenzie rivers operate. In winter, ice forms a natural bridge over the rivers, which become ice roads. The Dempster is closed during the spring thaw and the winter freeze-up; the timing of these vary by the year and can occur from mid-April to June and mid-October to December, respectively.

Graveled almost its entire length, the highway has a well-deserved reputation for being rough on vehicles. Travel with extra gas and tires and expect to use them. Check road and ferry conditions (800-661-0750; www.hwy.dot.nt.ca/highways); the Western Arctic Information Centre in Dawson City is a good resource. It takes 10 to 12 hours to drive to Inuvik without stopping for a break. (Given that William Dempster regularly made 700km dog-sled journeys in sub-zero weather, this rugged and challenging road is properly named after all.)

Accommodations and vehicle services along the route are few. The Klondike River Lodge (867-993-6892) at the south junction rents jerry cans for gas that you can take north and return on the way back.

The next available services are 369km north in Eagle Plains. The Eagle Plains Hotel (867-993-2453; www.eagleplainshotel.com; r $100-130) is open year-round and offers 32 rooms. The next service station is 180km further at Fort McPherson in the NWT. From there it’s 216km to Inuvik.

The Yukon government has three campgrounds – at Tombstone Mountain (72km from the start of the highway), Engineer Creek (194km) and Rock River (447km). There’s also a NWT government campground at Nitainlaii Territorial Park, 9km south of Fort McPherson. Sites at these campgrounds are $12.

Return to beginning of chapter

ARCTIC PARKS

North of the Arctic Circle, the Yukon’s population numbers a few hundred. It’s a lonely land with little evidence of humans and only the hardiest venture here during the short summers.

The 280-person village of Old Crow (www.oldcrow.ca) is home to the Vuntut Gwitch’in First Nations and is unreachable by vehicle. Residents subsist on caribou from the legendary 130,000-strong Porcupine herd, which migrates each year between the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) in Alaska and the Yukon. Not surprisingly, the locals are against the constant threat of oil drilling on the US side of the border in the ANWR.

On the Yukon side of this vast flat arctic tundra, a large swath of land is now protected in two adjoining national parks, Vuntut and Ivvavik. Information on both can be obtained from the Parks Canada office in Inuvik, NWT Click here, where you can get information on the very limited options for organizing visits to the parks (think chartered planes, long treks over land and water and total self-sufficiency). There are no facilities of any kind in the parks.

Return to beginning of chapter

VUNTUT NATIONAL PARK

Vuntut, a Gwich’in word meaning ‘among the lakes,’ is about 100km north of Old Crow, where there is a one-person park office (867-667-3910; www.pc.gc.ca/vuntut). The 4345-sq-km park was declared a national park in 1993. It lives up to its name with scores of lakes and ponds, home to 500,000 waterbirds in late summer. Archaeological sites contain fossils of ancient animals such as mammoths, plus evidence of early humans.

Return to beginning of chapter

IVVAVIK NATIONAL PARK

Ivvavik, meaning ‘a place for giving birth to and raising the young,’ is situated along the Beaufort Sea adjoining Alaska and covers 10,170 sq km. The park (www.pc.gc.ca/ivvavik) is one of the calving grounds for the Porcupine caribou herd; thousands are born over a three-week period beginning in late May.

The park holds one of the world’s great white-water rivers, the Firth River, which can be navigated for 130km from Margaret Lake near the Alaskan border north to the Beaufort Sea. When the river meets Joe Creek, the valley narrows to a canyon and there are numerous areas of white-water rated Class II and III+.

WORTH THE TRIP: TOMBSTONE TERRITORIAL PARK

Shades of green and charcoal color the wide valleys here and steep ridges are dotted with small glaciers and alpine lakes. Summer feels tentative but makes its statement with a burst of purple wildflowers in July. Clouds sweep across the tundra bringing squalls punctuated by brilliant sun. Stand amongst this and you’ll know the meaning of the sound of silence.

Tombstone Territorial Park (www.yukonparks.ca) lies along Dempster Hwy for about 50km. The park’s only formal campground (sites $12) has a small but excellent Interpretive Centre (9am-5pm late May–mid-Sep). It’s 72km from the start of the highway and is set in along the headwaters of the Yukon River just before Tombstone Mountain, the point where the trees run out and the truly wild northern scenery begins.

There are good day hikes near the campground, as well as longer, more rigorous treks for experienced wilderness hikers. Permits are required for backcountry camping, especially at several lakes popular in summer. (The park’s backcountry camping guide shows refreshing honesty in its answer to this frequently asked question: ‘Will you come looking for me if I don’t return?’ ‘No.’)

Tombstone is an easy day-trip from Dawson City (112km each way). With preparations, however, a multiday park adventure could be the highlight of your trip.

Return to beginning of chapter

HERSCHEL ISLAND (QIQIKTARUK) TERRITORIAL PARK

Its aboriginal name means ‘it is island’ and indeed it is. Barely rising above the waters of Mackenzie Bay on the Beaufort Sea, Herschel Island (867-667-5648; www.yukonparks.ca) has a long tradition of human habitation. The Inuvialuit lived here for thousands of years, making the most of the prime position on the seal-rich waters. In the late 1800s American whalers set up shop at Pauline Cove, a natural port deep enough for ocean vessels and protected from northerly winds and drifting pack ice.

Abandoned in 1907, the whalers left behind several wooden buildings which survive today, often appearing ghost-like out of the gloom. Evidence can also be found of missionaries, whose position as redeemers of souls was never embraced locally. Today Inuvialuit families use the island for traditional hunting.

There are no permanent residents, although in summer a growing number of scientists set up shop, monitoring the island’s steady disintegration as it melts away Click here.

Summer visits to the island are possible via daytime tours from Inuvik. The flight across the MacKenzie Delta to reach the island is spectacular and park rangers often give tours. Backcountry camping during the short summer season (from late June to August) is possible. There are fire rings, wind shelters, pit toilets and limited water. Others visit the island at the end of a kayak trip in Ivvavik National Park.


Return to beginning of chapter