majestic glaciers provide a photographer's
dream. Operators 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, many visitors can observe or immerse
themselves in authentic experiences like
drum making, herbal nature hikes, circle
healing and sweat lodge ceremonies.
WHAT'S NEW?
Now through 2026 are peak viewing
opportunities for the solar cycle. With the
uptick in solar activity, it is a particularly
good time for aurora viewing holidays.
The Tr'ondëk-Klondike was inscribed on the
UNESCO World Heritage List in September
2023 (https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1564/).
The Yukon Beringia Interpretive Centre was
fully renovated over the winter. The renewed
displays are more interactive and 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).
CARCROSS COMMONS, FIRST NATION ART • TRAVEL YUKON/ABBY COOPER
YT
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Special Events
www.travelyukon.com/en/
things-to-do
FEBRUARY
• AVAILABLE LIGHT FILM FESTIVAL,
WHITEHORSE
• YUKON ARCTIC ULTRA, WHITEHORSE
• YUKON QUEST SLED DOG RACE, WHITEHORSE
• YUKON RENDEZ-VOUS FESTIVAL,
WHITEHORSE
MARCH
• PERCY DEWOLFE MEMORIAL MAIL RACE,
DAWSON CITY
• THAW DI GRAS SPRING CARNIVAL,
DAWSON CITY
JUNE
• KLUANE MOUNTAIN BLUEGRASS FESTIVAL,
HAINES JUNCTION
• NATIONAL INDIGENOUS PEOPLES DAY,
TERRITORY-WIDE
• YUKON RIVER QUEST CANOE AND KAYAK
RACE, WHITEHORSE TO DAWSON CITY
JUNE – JULY
• ADÄKA CULTURAL FESTIVAL, WHITEHORSE
JULY
• DAWSON CITY MUSIC FESTIVAL
• MAYO ARTS FESTIVAL AND CANADA DAY
CELEBRATION
• YUKON GOLD PANNING CHAMPIONSHIPS,
DAWSON CITY
AUGUST
• AUTHORS ON EIGHTH WALKING TOUR
AND WRITING CONTEST, DAWSON CITY
• DISCOVERY DAYS FESTIVAL, DAWSON CITY
• GREAT KLONDIKE INTERNATIONAL
OUTHOUSE RACE, DAWSON CITY
• YUKON RIVER TRAIL MARATHON,
WHITEHORSE
SEPTEMBER
• KLONDIKE ROAD RELAY, SKAGWAY,
ALASKA TO WHITEHORSE
• NORTHERN NIGHTS: KLUANE'S DARK SKY
FESTIVAL, HAINES JUNCTION
