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Green northern lights above a snow-laden spruce forest in the Yukon

Sample journey · 8–10 days

The Yukon: northern lights, the Klondike and the empty roads

Whitehorse, a wilderness lodge, Dawson City, the Dempster Highway & Carcross

Photo: Leonard Laub / Unsplash

Illustrative journey ideas — not bookable packages. No prices, dates or accommodation are implied.

The Yukon is a territory almost the size of Spain, home to only a few tens of thousands of people, most of them in a single town. Beyond Whitehorse begins a kind of space Europe no longer has: spruce forest to the horizon, rivers once travelled by gold seekers, and roads where you might pass a single car in an hour. This journey runs from the capital to a remote lodge by a lake, then along the Klondike Highway to Dawson City, the gold-rush town of wooden boardwalks, and up the Dempster Highway itself into the Tombstone Mountains.

The journey has two versions. In winter (roughly December to March): dog teams, snowshoes, long nights and aurora awaited from a warm cabin, with cold that can reach thirty degrees below zero and beyond. At the end of summer and in September: canoes, hikes and tundra turning red and gold, with nights now dark enough for the aurora. Either way it suits couples and experienced travellers who value silence and simple comfort over luxury, because here what matters is not the hotel but what lies outside the window.

The route

The journey

  1. Whitehorse
  2. A wilderness lodge
  3. The Klondike Highway
  4. Dawson City
  5. The Dempster Highway & Tombstone
  6. Carcross & Emerald Lake
  7. Whitehorse
  1. A floatplane on the river among the spruce forest near Whitehorse, seen from the air

    01Days 1–2 · Whitehorse

    A capital on the Yukon River

    Whitehorse is usually reached via Vancouver, so the first evening is a quiet one, with a night by the river. In the morning, a walk along the Yukon waterfront: an old sternwheeler that once carried freight to Dawson, and the Kwanlin Dün Cultural Centre, where local First Nations people talk about their land and traditions. The Beringia centre shows what this place looked like in the Ice Age, when a land bridge joined Asia and America and mammoths grazed here. In summer, Miles Canyon is worth the walk, where the river forces its way between basalt walls; in winter, the hot springs near town. In the afternoon, about an hour's drive to a wilderness lodge. Full winter clothing – parkas, boots, mittens – can usually be hired locally, so there's no need to overload your luggage.

  2. Two people in a canoe on a calm lake between wooded shores in the Yukon

    02Days 2–5 · A wilderness lodge

    While waiting for the lights

    Three nights at a small lodge by a lake, with just a few cabins and hosts who know the land around like their own backyard. In winter the days are short but bright: dog teams, which you learn to drive yourself after a short lesson, snowshoes across the frozen lake, ice fishing and evenings by the wood stove. At the end of summer and in September: canoes on a calm lake or the Yukon River, hikes into the hills above the valley and berries on the tundra. At night, the aurora: it usually appears between late August and April on clear nights, and sometimes dances over the lake for hours, and sometimes not at all. Hence three nights here: the more clear nights, the better the chance. Hosts often wake guests when the sky lights up, so there's no need to stay up all night.

  3. Colourful timber buildings along a quiet, sunlit street in Dawson City

    03Days 5–7 · The Klondike & Dawson City

    The gold-rush town

    On day five, the road north. At summer's end, about six hours on the Klondike Highway past Five Finger Rapids, where sternwheelers once squeezed between the rocks; in winter, a short flight. Three nights in Dawson City, where tens of thousands of gold seekers poured in 1897–98. Today it's a small town of dirt streets, wooden boardwalks and painted false fronts that look much as they did a century ago. At the Dänojà Zho Cultural Centre, the Tr'ondëk Hwëch'in tell the story of the gold rush from their side: what it meant for the people who had lived here long before. On the second day, Bonanza Creek, where it all began, a huge gold dredge and, if you like, panning for gold. In the evening, the Midnight Dome, looking down on the meeting of the Yukon and Klondike rivers, and at the end of summer a sunset well after ten.

  4. A valley of yellow flowers below the mountains on the Grizzly Lake Trail, Tombstone Territorial Park

    04Days 7–8 · The Dempster Highway & Tombstone

    Up the gravel into the mountains

    Day seven is a full-day outing on the Dempster Highway, Canada's only road that crosses the Arctic Circle and runs all the way to the Arctic Ocean. We drive only the first 70 km or so, to Tombstone Territorial Park, where black granite peaks rise above the tundra. In late August and early September the tundra here turns vivid red and orange, and caribou often move through the valleys; grizzlies or moose are sometimes seen along the way. At the park centre, rangers advise which trail is worth taking, from a short stroll to a hike of several hours. In winter we go into the park only with a local guide and a suitable vehicle, and return in daylight. The Dempster is a gravel road whose condition depends on the weather, so we check it each morning, carry spare tyres and take it slowly.

  5. Mountains and forest above the green water of Emerald Lake in the Yukon

    05Days 8–9 · Carcross & Emerald Lake

    A last day in the south

    In the morning, the flight from Dawson City back to Whitehorse; in the afternoon, about an hour south on the South Klondike Highway. On the way, Emerald Lake, whose colour on a sunny day looks almost unreal, and the Carcross Desert, a small field of sand dunes among the mountains. Carcross is a small Carcross/Tagish First Nation village by a lake, where local carvers work in the centre and their poles and house fronts tell the stories of the clans; we visit as guests and on their terms. A final night in Whitehorse, and on day nine the flight home. If you still have the energy, there's one more chance in Whitehorse: the aurora is sometimes visible from the edge of town.

Experience highlights

  1. 01

    The northern lights

    Three nights at a remote lodge by a lake, where the hosts wake you when the sky lights up.

  2. 02

    Dog teams or canoes

    In winter you drive your own team; at the end of summer you paddle a calm lake or the Yukon River.

  3. 03

    Dawson City

    The gold-rush town, and its story told by the Tr'ondëk Hwëch'in.

  4. 04

    The Tombstone Mountains

    Granite peaks and autumn tundra on the Dempster Highway, where caribou often pass.

First, we listen. Then, we explore what's possible.

Make it your own

  • A shorter version

    In eight days, keep two nights at the lodge and fly to Dawson City both ways, saving the long day on the road.

  • Winter or autumn

    In winter, more time for the dogs and the aurora and less road; from late August into September, tundra colours, hikes and canoes, with the aurora as a bonus.

  • More active

    In summer, a guided canoe trip of several days down the Yukon River, camping on its banks as the gold seekers did a century ago.

  • With Alaska or Kluane

    From Whitehorse it's easy to reach Kluane National Park, with Canada's largest icefields, and in summer to continue into Alaska.

Practical considerations

  • The two best versions are winter (roughly December to March) and late summer into September. The aurora is usually visible from roughly late August to April on clear nights, but it is never guaranteed.
  • In winter temperatures often fall below –20 °C, and sometimes well below –30 °C. Warm clothing can usually be hired locally; we talk through cold conditions and the plan well in advance.
  • The Dempster Highway is a gravel road with no fuel for most of its length; we check its condition before travel and each morning, and in winter go only with a local guide.
  • We visit First Nations cultural centres and villages with local guides and on the communities' terms.

General guidance only. Seasons, weather and wildlife are never guaranteed, and travel requirements are always worth checking before you go.

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