Covering nearly half a million square kilometres, this vast territory is primed for road-trips and backcountry adventures – from hiking and rafting to wildlife watching, stargazing and camping...
Whitehorse history stretches back to the Gold Rush, the infamous mining boom which brought prospectors and fortune-seekers from across the world in the search of precious metals. Explore the territory’s prospecting past at the MacBride Museum of Yukon History, stroll along the waterfront to see the SS Klondike, one of Canada’s oldest paddlesteamers, then head out to the Yukon Wildlife Preserve, a 350-acre reserve where bison, moose, caribou and mountain goats roam free. After a day of wildlife spotting, relax at the Eclipse Nordic Hot Springs, where onsen-style pools offer the ultimate chill-out spot, then travel back into town for some flame-grilled sockeye salmon and a craft beer at one of Whitehorse’s cosy brewpubs.
Flightseeing tour over Mount Logan (Ben Prescott)
Extending over much of southwest Yukon, this landscape of ice, lakes and snowy mountains forms one of the largest areas of protected wilderness on earth, along with Alaska’s Wrangell-St Elias National Park and British Columbia’s Tatshenshini-Alsek Provincial Park. It’s legendary amongst hikers: trails crisscross the park, from easy day-hikes to multi-day backcountry routes where you’ll have nothing but nature to keep you company. Superlatives abound here: the park contains Canada’s highest and second-highest mountains (Mt Logan at 5959m, and Mt St Elias at 5489m), the Yukon’s largest body of freshwater (Kluane Lake) and the planet’s largest ice fields outside the poles. For an unforgettable overview, take a flightseeing trip over the Kluane Ranges – the nearest you’ll ever get to an eagle’s eye view.
Tombstone Territorial Park offers 2,200 square kilometres of mountains, forests and wildlife (F Mueller)
Way up on the edge of the Arctic Circle, Dawson City is a friendly, laidback place these days, but 125 years or so ago, this frontier town was the raucous epicentre of the Gold Rush. Echoes of the great prospecting boom still resound around town, from the mining artefacts and memorabilia on display at Dawson City Museum to the landmark gold-digging grounds at Bonanza Creek, Dredge 4 and the Klondike National Historic Site (you can even try your hand at panning for some gold if you like). Dawson City is also the gateway to Tombstone Territorial Park, where you can hike amongst the lakes and tundra, and admire beautiful displays of wildflowers in spring and summer.
For more information and travel inspiration on the Yukon, head over to the official Canada As You Like It website.
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