Yukon Territory Travel Guide

Gigantic swathes of wilderness, thrilling gold rush tales and fascinating First Nations heritage turn road trips through the Yukon Territory into epic adventures. Stretching from the British Columbia border all the way to the Arctic Ocean, the Yukon encompasses huge slabs of unspoilt mountainous landscapes freckled with frontier towns, aboriginal communities and a heck of a lot of wild animals.

Fill your RV with supplies, chuck in a couple of spare tyres and drive Canada’s only all-weather road, the Dempster Highway, from Dawson City north across the Arctic Circle to Inuvik, in the Northwest Territories. Or follow the Silver Trail from Whitehorse through moose habitat to the historic mining towns of Mayo and Keno.

Whichever route you pick, seeing more wildlife than humans is pretty much guaranteed. There are twice as many moose as there are people, and caribou, grizzlies and elk all make regular roadside appearances. As for the few who do live here, the Yukon First Nations have been here the longest, and you can learn about their roots at aboriginal cultural centres, art studios, or the Adäka Cultural Festival, a cracking summer celebration on Whitehorse’s waterfront.

When gold was discovered in the Klondike in 1896, fortune seekers couldn’t get here fast enough. Relive the gold rush days with gold-panning, gambling halls and can-can girls in Dawson City or catch a ride on the White Pass & Yukon Railway, an iconic route connecting the Yukon with the port of Skagway, Alaska. Climbing nearly 900m (3,000ft), the train travels past mountains, glaciers and enough waterfalls to wear your camera out.