WhitehorseYukon’s capital (since 1953) lies on the west bank of the Yukon River, the water route taken by thousands of eager prospectors during the Klondike Gold Rush of 1898. The majority of the territory’s population is concentrated here. The McBride Museum houses many of the artifacts of the gold rush era, including Sam McGee’s Cabin. On the river itself, the SS Klondike, a restored sternwheeler vessel, is open for viewing. The MV Schwatka offers a two-hour cruise of the Miles Canyon.
ElsewhereCarcross, an hour’s drive south of Whitehorse,
lies between the Nares and Bennett Lakes at the foot of Nares Mountain; the Caribou, Yukon’s oldest hotel, can be found here. Carcross connects to Skagway in Alaska via the Klondike Highway. Kluane National Park and Reserve, in the southwest corner of the territory, has the highest mountains in Canada (the highest at 5959m (19,545ft) is Mount Logan) and the largest non-polar icefields in the world. Special flightseeing tours of this park can be arranged from Whitehorse and a variety of other Yukon Territory communities.
Near Skagway (Alaska) is Dyea, the starting point of the famous Chilkoot Trail, where hikers can retrace the footsteps of the gold rush stampeders. Dawson City, at the heart of the Klondike, can be reached by road or by the Yukon River. In its brief heyday at the turn of the century, Dawson was hailed as the ‘Paris of the North’, having then some 30,000 inhabitants; in 1996, the population was approximately 2100. Many areas of the city have now been designated national historic sites, with buildings such as the Commissioner’s Residence and the Palace Grand Theater bearing witness to its former glories. Each summer the latter produces an authentic 1898 vaudeville show – the ‘Gaslight Follies’. Tours on the Yukon River on the miniature stern-wheeler Yukon Lou visit the Sternwheelers Graveyard and Pleasure Island. Visitors can pan gold at Guggieville or Claim 33 on Bonanza Creek, the site of the original claim which sparked off the 1898 Gold Rush. In the north of the territory are two further national parks, Ivvavik and Vuntut. Ivvavik has a non-glaciated landscape with abundant wildlife, significant archaeological sites and the Firth River. The recently established Vuntut National Park currently has no facilities or visitor information center. Camping and hiking are possible, but there are no developed trails; visitors should be self-sufficient and arrange transportation and accommodation well in advance. The village of Old Crow has very limited bed & breakfast and cabin facilities. Owing to the lack of a tourist infrastructure, most visitors might prefer to undertake expeditions to the wild backcountry of the Yukon Territory in the company of a licensed outfitter or guide.
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