Flag of Yukon Territory

Flag of Yukon Territory

Yukon Territory

Facts

  • Population » 44,412 (March 2023)
    • The second-least populated province or territory in Canada
  • The Yukon is wild, mountainous and sparsely populated.
  • The Yukon River is 3520 km (2200 miles) long, the 4th longest in the world.

Geography

  • Yukon is the smallest of the three territories, located in northwestern Canada.
  • Borders British Columbia to the south, Northwest Territories to the East, the US state of Alaska to the West, and the Arctic Ocean to the north.
Location of Yukon Territory in Canada

Location of Yukon Territory

Destinations

  • Whitehorse » Capital City » Over two-thirds of the Yukon’s residents live in Whitehorse. Year-round population of about 36,000 – Ph: 867-667-3084
  • Dawson City – It’s Klondike Gold Rush history makes it one of the most interesting towns to visit in all the north.
    • Visitor Information Centre is open May to September. Ph: 867-993-5566
    • Dawson may be a small town, but its arts scene thrives with the help of Klondike Institute of Art and Culture (KIAC), the Dawson City Arts Society (DCAS), the Dawson City Music Festival (DCMF), and the northernmost art school in North America, the Yukon School of Visual Arts (SOVA). (Yukon Info)
  • Beaver Creek – U.S. border is located 32 km (20 miles) north. Summer population of 200. Beaver Creek has a library, a bank, restaurants, three hotels, a service station and post office.
  • Burwash Landing – the traditional home of the Southern Tutchone people of the Kluane First Nation.
  • Carcross – Located on the South Klondike Highway about halfway between Whitehorse, Yukon and Skagway, Alaska.
  • Haines Junction – headquarters for Kluane National Park and Reserve
    • Offers glacier sightseeing, river rafting, mountain biking, horseback riding, hiking, snowmobiling, and cross-country skiing.
  • Teslin – on the shores of Nisutlin Bay on Teslin Lake
  • Watson Lake – second largest town in the Yukon
    • first Yukon community encountered by the northbound traveller
    • A comfortable day’s drive from Fort Nelson, BC or Whitehorse
    • Sign Post Forest (Google Maps) is one of the tourist attractions, featuring over 75,000 unique signs

Adventure Travel

  • The Top of the World Highway connects Dawson City, Yukon to Tok, Alaska.
    • This 301 km (187 mi) highway winds along the top of the mountain range for a truly breathtaking drive.
    • The Little Gold/Poker Creek border crossing from the Yukon to Alaska is the most northern international border crossing in all of North America. (ExploreNorth)
    • The Top of the World Highway is really two highways. In the Yukon the Top of the World Highway is Yukon Highway #9. The Top of the World Highway in Alaska is the Taylor Highway. The Taylor Highway runs from the Alaska Highway all the way to Eagle, Alaska.
    • The Highway is generally open from mid-May to mid-October, however, it has been known to close earlier due to snow.
  • It’s easily six to seven hour drive from Whitehorse along the North Klondike Highway to Dawson City through rolling hills and river valleys.

National and Territorial Parks

  • Currently, 19.1 per cent of the Yukon is protected under the Canadian Protected and Conserved Areas Database.
  • List of Yukon Territorial Parks and protected areas
  • Kluane National Park and Reserve  (pronounced Kloo-WA-nee) (Wikipedia) – 22,000 square kms (8,500-square miles)
    •  Mount Logan (Wikipedia), is located within Kluane National Park Reserve with an elevation of 5,959 meters (19,551 ft), is the highest point in Canada, and second highest in North America after Denali, Alaska.
    • One of the world’s largest non-polar ice fields, and some of North America’s finest wildlife population.
    • Some of the park’s geological features include glacier-created sand dunes and dust storms, and a large delta in Kluane Lake*, created by glacial silt deposits from the Kaskawulsh Glacier.
    • Camping permits are required » Fees may apply
  • Tombstone Territorial Park » Yukon Gov’t Guide / Downloadable PDF Guide / Wikipedia
    • Tombstone Mountain is the only road-accessible campground in the park. Campsites are available on a first come, first served basis and self-registration is onsite.
    • Backcountry/hiking campgrounds are available at Grizzly, Talus and Divide lakes
    • Otherwise, the nearest gas, food and lodging are in Dawson City, ~ 70 km south or Eagle Plains, 370 km north of the Tombstone Interpretive Centre
    • Territorial Parks info » 867-993-7714 (Dawson), 867-667-5648 (Whitehorse), or toll free in the Yukon: 1-800-661-0408, extension 5648.
    • Expect to drive 1.5 hours from Dawson City, 7 hours from Whitehorse and 12 hours from Inuvik, NWT.

References

This page was updated September 4, 2023