Travel Guides to Canada

2023-24 Travel Guide to Canada

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REFUEL YOUR WANDERLUST A summertime road trip through the Yukon is high on many bucket lists. The famed Alaska Highway passes through the western reaches of the Yukon, a vital link to the smaller areas of Watson Lake, Teslin, Whitehorse, Haines Junction and Beaver Creek. On two wheels or four, it's a road trip made in heaven! THE GREAT YUKON GETAWAY— YEAR-ROUND Yukoners know how to embrace the guaran- teed snow of the season and they savour it with a host of outdoor activities, eccentric festivals, world-class races and competi- tions. Bundle up and jump in for sled dog mushing experiences, snow sculpture competitions, snowshoeing, cross-country skiing and snowmobiling. After a long day, dip into thermal hot springs. In the warmer months, the "Land of the Midnight Sun" means light-filled days and nights of summer, perfect for enjoying the outdoors. The June solstice sun doesn't set at the Arctic Circle, so golfing at midnight or hiking into the wee hours are both possible. In Whitehorse, the June sun brings an average of 269 hours of sunshine. There are all sorts of ways to connect— across the territory you'll find both accessible experiences and off the beaten path escapes. HEAD OUTDOORS— THE GRAPHICS ARE AMAZING! The Yukon can lay claim to true wilderness like nowhere else south of the 60 th parallel. More than 80 percent of the territory is still pristine forests, tundra and even desert. The territory is home to the protected lands of several vast Parks Canada sites, including wild, uninhabited parks like Kluane, Ivvavik and Vuntut. The chance of encountering Yukon wildlife is excellent. Bears and mountain sheep create "wildlife jams" as passersby spot them beside the roadways; caribou, moose and grizzly bears are found across the territory. The wilderness knocks at the back doors of the Yukon's few urban areas—the City of Whitehorse and the historic town of Dawson City. Dense greenery edges ribbons of highway and, in summer, brilliant magenta fireweed—the Yukon's territorial flower— lines many roadsides. Mountains, lakes, rivers and some of the country's most majestic glaciers provide a photographer's dream. Outfitters offer Arctic Circle nature photo tours, designed for shutter enthusiasts. CULTURAL FOOTPRINTS The territory's dynamic 1890s Klondike Gold Rush history is still on display. Museums, roadside stops and the entire downtown of Dawson City are lessons of a time when desperate stampeders surmounted unimaginable hardships to reach stream beds they believed were thick with gold nuggets. Few found these riches and many lost their lives or their savings in the quest for instant wealth. Gold is still a vibrant part of the Yukon economy, but modern machinery has replaced the gold pan, although visitors can still pan for gold in the creeksides. For the Klondike gold seekers, the Yukon's many waterways were the highways into the north. Today's paddlers trace many of the same water-borne routes, this time in search of canoeing and kayaking adventures on the territory's many lakes and 70 wilderness rivers. In winter, the frozen rivers are the routes of world-class sled dog endurance races; some commemorate the wintertime "highway of the north" along the frozen Yukon River, the traditional route to the goldfields of the Klondike. The people long connected to the land are the members of the First Nations. Across the Yukon, visitors can observe or immerse themselves in authentic experiences like drum making, herbal nature hikes, circle healing and sweat lodge ceremonies. WHAT'S NEW? The upcoming years, 2023 through 2026, are peak for the solar cycle. With the uptick in solar activity, it is a particularly good time for aurora viewing holidays. The Yukon Beringia Interpretive Centre was fully renovated over the winter. The renewed displays will be more interactive and will exhibit more fossils and stories about the Yukon (www.beringia.com). Hike through rugged Yukon landscape with spectacular views of Fish Lake and the surrounding mountains, accompanied by an interpretive guide and playful, friendly husky companions. Spot local wildlife and taste the wild berries (www.skyhigh wilderness.com/day-hike-w-huskies). Take a weekend camping and exploring tour from Minto Landing to Fort Selkirk, Yukon's largest historic site. Immerse yourself in the Gold Rush, listen to the stories of local Indigenous Tutchone tour guides and sample First Nations cuisine while enjoying breathtaking scenery and wildlife (www.tutchonetours.com). Explore the Yukon! Rent a camper van or a 4x4 jeep with camping gear and rooftop tent—perfect for exploring the Dempster Highway (www.overlandyukon.com). The Midnight Sun Hotel in Dawson City is a new boutique hotel open during summer only (www.midnightsunhotel.ca). The Yukon Black Spruce Cabins are four modern cabins perched in the Boreal forest, just five minutes from downtown Whitehorse (www.yukonblackspruce.ca). YT 97 NORTHERN LIGHTS, TOMBSTONE TERRITORIAL PARK • SHUTTERSTOCK/XIU YU PHOTOGRAPHY MOOSE OUTNUMBER YUKONERS 2:1 AND CARIBOU OUTNUMBER YUKONERS 6:1. Quick Fact

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