Having spent a dozen summers in the Yukon (and zero winters), this is a road trip guide to traveling in the territory.

About the Yukon

Thirty-six thousand people live in the Yukon and about 25 thousand of them reside in Whitehorse, the capital. The Yukon covers an area larger than California or Sweden, meaning there is an incredible amount of wilderness. There are so few roads in the Yukon you could conceivably drive every highway in the territory during one visit. Twenty percent of the population is indigenous, and you will encounter various First Nations groups as you travel across the Yukon, especially in the smaller communities.

Not much traffic on the Top of the World Highway

Why visit the Yukon?

The Yukon is a less expensive, less touristy version of Alaska. You can trace the Yukon Trail video game from Skagway to Dawson City, travel the breathtaking Dempster Highway to the Arctic Ocean, and drive the Top of the World Highway. Dawson City, the heart of the Klondike Gold Rush, is unmissable. For wildlife, look for caribou, moose, Dall sheep, mountain goats, wolves, eagles, muskoxen, lynx, foxes, black bears, and grizzly bears. With its northern latitude, summer features incredibly long sunsets. For berry-pickers, July through September brings wild strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, cloudberries, lowbush and highbush cranberries.

Roadside raspberry and strawberry picking at 10pm

Transportation

Short of flying a private plane, driving is the most efficient way to see the Yukon. This means renting a vehicle in Whitehorse or driving a great distance from outside. Whitehorse is a 30-hour drive from Vancouver and 13 hours from Anchorage. An expensive 3-day ferry journey from Bellingham to Skagway is also possible on the Alaska Marine Highway System (~$2000 for 2 adults and a car). For the intrepid on a budget, hitchhiking is reasonably common, though low-traffic areas could be a problem.

Flights

The only major airport is in Whitehorse, though Air North operates flights to smaller communities from there. Most passengers arrive from bigger cities in southern Canada. Seasonal flights also arrive from Juneau, Alaska (Alaska Seaplanes) and Frankfurt, Germany (Condor).

Accommodation

Whitehorse and Dawson both have plenty of options, including hostels. The most convenient accommodations for a long road trip are the numerous government campgrounds. For $12/campsite/night, all campgrounds include outhouses, free firewood, picnic tables, and at least one shelter. Most include untreated water.

The cooking shelter at Kathleen Lake Campground, Kluane National Park

When to visit

Summer is the best time to visit. Aside from bone-chilling weather at all other times of year, the sun stays up far longer in the summer. On Dawson’s shortest day of the year (December 21), the sun rises for 4 hours and 10 minutes. On the longest day (June 21), the sun is up for 21 hours and 3 minutes. Many establishments catering to visitors are only open in the summer.

Two recommended options:

• July. Best weather and most daylight; bad mosquitos. The Yukon is famous for the midnight sun, though you may have trouble sleeping. The Dawson City Music Festival (third weekend in July) is legendary and suitable for all ages.

• August – early September. The first freeze (likely in late August or early September, depending on the latitude) will decimate the mosquitoes, but requires warm gear if you are tent camping. Fall colors during the first couple weeks of September are spectacular. Though you won’t have as much daylight, you might see the Aurora Borealis.

Fall colors in Tombstone Territorial Park

Major Destinations

Whitehorse. Whitehorse bills itself as “The Wilderness City.” The majority of Yukoners live in Whitehorse and all major facilities are here. Many people fly here to start their journeys. If you are passing through, this is the place to load up on food and gas, as prices go up in the more far-flung locations. The nearby Miles Canyon Suspension Bridge is a lovely walk and the Beringia Center is top notch. The Whitehorse Fishladder and Hatchery is most interesting in mid to late August when the fish are running. The Yukon Wildlife Preserve contains most of the large mammals in the Yukon, minus wolves and bears.

At the Whitehorse Fish Ladder and Hatchery, salmon travel almost 2,000 miles from the Bering Sea, on the longest salmon migration in the world.

Dawson City. I have heard Dawson described “summer camp for adults” or “what Portland wishes it was.” Dawson is the best place in the Yukon—and maybe in the entire world. I spent two summers here as a kid and it will forever be my favorite city

For a town of 1,500, the town boasts a surprising array of activities. Here are my recommendations:

• Explore the town, walking along the wood boardwalks. Specifically, walk Front Street past the shops, then double back and walk along the dyke overlooking the Yukon River.

• Visit Diamond Tooth Gertie’s and watch the shows with can-can dancers. Each show gets more risque as the night goes on.

• Tour the Dawson City Museum to learn about gold rush history.

• Drive or hike up the Dome for a view of town, the Moosehide Landslide, and the Yukon River.

• Explore the Paddlewheel Graveyard—ships abandoned in West Dawson when the highway was completed.

• Dawson City Music Festival—even if you don’t consider yourself a “festival person,” this festival is unique. DCMF relies on an army of volunteers and community spirit to produce a charming festival for all ages. If you want to feel like a local, volunteer in exchange for a free pass and make some friends.

• Drink a Sourtoe Cocktail at the Downtown Hotel—a shot of alcohol garnished with a mummified human toe.

• Gold panning—a bit touristy, but I understand why people like it. Inquire at the Klondike Visitor Information Centre or check out Goldbottom Mine Tours (my brother used to be a guide there).

Panning for gold

Keno City. Keno is a community with a couple dozen residents that somehow supports two bars. Located in a beautiful valley, Keno is a 90-minute detour off the highway from Whitehorse to Dawson.

The Keno Mining Museum (with free wifi) explains the silver and lead-mining history of the town that previously supported hundreds of residents. Driving up Keno Hill for a view from the signpost is the highlight of a visit to Keno. Drivers on the road to Keno often report moose sightings!

Abandoned tracks at the top of Keno Hill

Tombstone Territorial Park. Tombstone encompasses beautiful jagged peaks with a picturesque valley. Tombstone in the fall is perhaps the Yukon’s most iconic scene, as the shrubs and trees turn to reds, yellows, and oranges. The Grizzly Valley lookout and Goldensides are two of the best short hikes. Multi-day hikes will take you to Mount Monolith and Tombstone Mountain. Stop at the Tombstone Interpretive Center to learn about the park and ask for recommendations from staff.

Tombstone Territorial Park

Kluane National Park. Home to Mount Logan, the second tallest mountain in North America, Kluane National Park is full of massive mountains that often require multi-day hikes to access. For day hikes, the King’s Throne is a steep, but manageable hike with a gorgeous view the whole way, and Sheep Mountain is an excellent place to view Dall sheep.

Scenic drives

Top of the World Highway. The Top of the World Highway connects Dawson City and eastern Alaska. The highway is particularly scenic because it follows the tops of the hills, giving views of the valleys below. The drive can be done as a day-trip from Dawson, or as a loop into Alaska, connecting with the Alaska Highway in Tok. From Dawson, take the free George Black ferry to West Dawson, and continue driving west. Chicken, Alaska is a popular tourist trap/turnaround point. I recommend stopping at the turn-off to Eagle, Alaska, when the paved road turns to gravel.

Top of the World Highway on a clear day

The Dempster Highway. The Dempster is a 736 km one-way drive from east of Dawson to Inuvik, Northwest Territories. On November 15, 2017, an all-season highway from Inuvik to Tuktoyaktuk on the Arctic Ocean was officially opened, making this the first all-season road to the Arctic Ocean in Canada. The Dempster passes through Tombstone Territorial Park, the Arctic Circle, and tons of beautiful wilderness before reaching the Mackenzie River Delta. If you proceed all the way to Tuktoyaktuk (‘Tuk’ for short), Wikivoyage provides helpful advice on the long journey. Stop in the NWT Dempster Highway Visitor Centre in Dawson for advice on current road conditions.

The Golden Circle. For a jaunt into Alaska, the Golden Circle is a gorgeous drive and includes a ferry. From Whitehorse, you can drive to Haines or Skagway, take the ferry, and drive back from the other city. The ferry costs ~$128 for two adults and a vehicle (there is no direct driving route). The drive from Whitehorse to either city is spectacular, so if you don’t want to pay for the ferry, you can pick one or the other. Between the two, I prefer Haines, as it’s a more authentic Alaskan town, and the drive and city is the prettier of the two. Skagway is more historic, as the launch point to the Chilkoot Trail during the goldrush, but gets overrun by cruise ship passengers during the summer. From Skagway, there is an overpriced tourist train to Carcross. It is not much more scenic than the parallel drive on the highway.

Note: Watch carefully for wildlife on the road, especially in the twilight hours.

Other sites

Huge parts of the Yukon can only be accessed by chartering a flight or paddling a canoe. The Wind River is a particularly gorgeous remote river for canoeing, but there are plenty to choose from. In the far north, Ivvavik National Park contains bears, moose, caribou, muskox and tons of other wildlife. Even farther north, Herschel Island has polar bears! I have never been, but perhaps you have the money and ambition to check it out.

Eating

If you are camping and cooking, load up on groceries in Whitehorse. Walmart, Real Canadian Superstore, and Independent are big grocery options with prices comparable to the rest of Canada. Restaurant chains only exist in Whitehorse—including Tim Horton’s, McDonald’s, etc.

My favorites:

– In Whitehorse: Antoinette’s—Caribbean-influenced dishes with friendly service.
– In Dawson: Klondike Kate’s—A Yukon experience where I go for my birthday.
– On the highway: Braeburn Lodge for a mammoth cinnamon bun.

The cinnamon buns are almost as big as the picture

Drinking

Alcohol in the Yukon costs about double what it does in the United Sates. It can be purchased from 1) government-operated liquor stores; 2) “off-sales” locations with a mark-up, but with longer hours; and 3) bars and restaurants. The Yukon Brewing Company produces excellent beer (try the cranberry wheat). Okanagan Cider Company from British Columbia produces excellent cider—my favorite is ginger apple.

The Sourtoe Cocktail. A real human toe in a shot of alcohol. The Downtown Hotel in Dawson City hosts the famous Sourtoe Cocktail (a lot of toes get lost to frostbite up here). Buy your shot at the bar and tip $5 to the Toe Captain. Hint: Purse your lips to prevent the toe from tumbling into your mouth.

The sourtoe preserved in salt

What to bring with you.

Credit card and debit cards. Credit cards are accepted almost everywhere. Campgrounds are cash only. For visitors to Canada, using your debit card at an ATM is usually the cheapest way to obtain cash.

Bug repellent. Outside Whitehorse, mosquitos can be vicious, especially the farther north and into the wilderness you venture. I like to soak my clothes in Permethrin, so I’m always wearing bug repellent, but you will want to bring bug spray or buy some on arrival. A mosquito jacket is also handy.

Camping gear. As the Yukon is remote and highly seasonal, indoor accommodation can be expensive. Camping is cheap, though you will need to bring warm gear if you are planning to travel particularly far north or later in the season.

Footwear. Hiking is a highlight of the Yukon and Dawson City only has one paved road.

Bear repellant. Bear bangers, bear spray, and bells can all be useful. See here for more information about bear safety in the Yukon.

Enjoy your visit to the Yukon! Please ask questions in the comments below. 😊

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Sterling Laudon

I am Sterling, one of the Two Fish Traveling. I love to travel and live in Polson, Montana with my wife Sarah.

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