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WHITEHORSE: www.travelyukon.com/about-yukon/yukon-communities/whitehorse
Macbride Museum is located in downtown Whitehorse. This museum holds the history of Yukon as well as some available past activities including gold panning. The collection includes past machinery, jewelry, clothing, Yukon’s hockey history as well as other historical collections of Yukon. The museum itself was built in 1900 and was originally used as a Government Telegraph Office. It was not until after the Yukon Historical Society was founded that items first began to be put into collections noting historical value. The co-founder of the YHS was a railway worker named William Macbride.
MACBRIDE MUSEUM: www.macbridemuseum.com
Located in the old town, this is a cafe converted from an Ottoman medrese (religious school) where you can experience one of the oldest and deeply rooted traditions of Turkey: the Nargile (Hookah), with both men and women finding great pleasure in smoking the waterpipe.
CHILKOOT TRAIL: www.pc.gc.ca
The Chilkoot Trail is 33 miles long and trails through the Coast Mountains. The trail is a national historic site of Canada in British Columbia and is also a part of the Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park in the United States. The trail leads from Dyea, Alaska to the shores of the Southern Lakes headwaters of the Yukon River. To stop overuse of the trail, the National Park service and Parks Canada only allow up to 50 people to begin the trail each day. Originally the Chilkoot Trail was used by the Tlingit Indians as a major trade route.
BENNETT LAKE: www.yukoneh.com/southlakes
Bennett Lake is split with its northern part in the Yukon Territory and its southern portion in the province of British Columbia. Bennett Lake, as well as the other surrounding lakes, was first inhabited by the First Nation people. The lakes were used as a transportation route to the surrounding villages. In the winter when the lakes are frozen they become snowmobile routes and ice fishing spots. When it is warmer, in the summer, the lake is a spot for swimming, boating, canoeing and backpacking.
DAWSON CITY: www.dawsoncity.ca
The area of Dawson city was founded in 1897 by Joseph Landue and was named after Canadian Geologist George M. Dawson. Dawson City was the Yukon’s capital city from 1898 until 1952 when the title was moved to Whitehorse. Dawson City is the Yukon’s second largest community and is also the halfway mark for the Yukon Quest International Sled Dog Race. The Klondike Gold Rush changed this area from a First Nations camp to a thriving city.
YUKON GOLD PANNING CHAMPIONSHIPS:www.travelyukon.com
Yukon Gold Panning Championships take place annually on July 1st also known as Canada Day. This event forms part of the celebration days of Dawson City in which professionals and visitors are encouraged to participate. Visitors compete for the Cheechako award while the residents of Yukon compete to become the Territorial Champion Gold Panner.
DIAMOND TOOTH GERTIES:www.dawsoncity.ca
Diamond Tooth Gerties is Canada’s oldest gambling hall. It is named after the dance hall queen Gertie Lovejoy. During the gold rush of 1898, to distinguish herself from other kings and queens, Gertie wedged a diamond between her two front teeth. The gambling hall was created to promote tourism by the Klondike Visitor’s Association. Now, this non-profit gambling association has cancan dancers as well as a master of ceremonies named Gertie.
GOLD BOTTOM MINE TOURS: www.goldbottom.com
Gold Bottom Mine Tours begin June 1st and last until mid-September. During that time the tour is operational through all weather situations. The tour takes guests through to the traditional goldfields of Klondike. It uses the area where the town Gold Bottom used to stand. Gold Bottom was a very populated place in the time of the 1898 gold rush. The tour also includes stories about gold mining as well as explanations of the process of gold mining from searching for gold to selling it.
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TOMBSTONE TERRITORIAL PARK: www.travelyukon.com
Tombstone Territorial Park is north of Dawson City and lies in the south Ogilvie Mountains. The park covers an area of 2,200 square kilometres. There is access to hiking areas as well as tundra landscapes that can be seen from the Dempster highway that runs through the park. Tombstone Territorial Park was created to protect the plants, animals and heritage of the sub arctic wilderness. The boundaries of the area where established in December 1999.
HELI HIKING WITH UNCOMMON JOURNEYS: www.uncommonyukon.com
Heli hiking allows people to immediately travel to the tops of peaks and skip the journey up the mountain. This allows guests to spend a relaxing day on the top of a peak or even multiple days exploring the area and watching the Dall sheep run around the mountain.
Heli hiking tours are offered between May and October every year. There are a variety of tours from day trips up to Mount Ingram in the Ibex River Valley to other multiple day trips that takes explorers north of Dawson City into the Tombstone Mountains.
KLUANE NATIONAL PARK AND RESERVE: www.travelyukon.com
Kluane National Park lies in the extreme south-western corner of Yukon Territory. The park was established in 1972 and covers 22,016 kilometres. Kluane National Park was named a World Heritage Site in 1979. The park includes the highest mountain in Canada which is Mount Logan. Mount Logan, of the Saint Elias Mountains, stands at 5,959 m high. Inside the park there are huge valleys, mountain ranges and the largest non-polar ice fields. Kluane National Park and Canada Reserve is part of the largest internationally protected area of wilderness in the world.
KLUANE GLACIER TOURS WITH SIFTON AIR: www.yukonairtours.com
Sifton Air has been doing glacier tours in the Yukon since 1994. The main base for glacier tours is in Haines Junction, but there are also bases in Dawson City, Mayo and Inuvik NWT. Flights are available around the guest’s schedule with the ability to fly early in the morning or late into the night. From the planes it is easy to view Mount Logan as well as Kluane National Park.
KLUANE ECOTOURS: www.travelyukon.com/kluane-ecotours
The Kluane Ecotours welcome individuals and small groups who want to experience Kluane away from the larger crowds of people. The tours take guests into Kluane National park with a Naturalist and interpreter to explore a quieter Kluane. There are also possible overnight trips into the backcountry by foot, canoe or kayak.
KAYAK TRIP ALONG TAKHINI RIVER WITH UP NORTH ADVENTURES: upnorthadventures.com
The guided day trips to the confluence of the Takhini River can be done using a kayak or a canoe. The trip, beginning at Whitehorse and ending at Takhini River last approximately 4 hours and is 20 km (12 miles) in length. The two start times that are advised for the trip are 9:00 am or 1:00pm. Hotel pick-up and drop-off, transportation as well as refreshments are included in the $120.00 per person price. The $120.00 per person price is based on the minimum booking of two people.
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It was the Klondike Gold Rush that first put Yukon on the map but today it’s the landscape that brings in the visitors. There’s over one hundred and eighty six thousand square miles of pure wilderness to explore, crammed full of mountains, forests, tundra and river.