Yukon & the Dempster Highway Road Trip

Day 1 Whitehorse | Arrival Welcome to the “Land of the Midnight Sun”. Whitehorse is the capital of the Yukon Territory and at 22,000 people is the largest city in Canada’s North.

Day 2 Whitehorse | Yukon Wildlife Preserve Time to explore the region and take advantage of all that Whitehorse has to offer. Visit the Yukon Wildlife Preserve (included), a unique wildlife viewing property featuring 10 species of northern Canadian mammals in their natural environment. Encompassing over 700 acres with various natural habitats, the Yukon Wildlife Preserve offers unparalleled wildlife viewing and photo opportunities.

Day 3 Whitehorse to Hains Junction | 154 km/96 mi Depart Whitehorse today for an an easy two hour drive along the historic Alaska Highway to Haines Junction. This town is the only thing not huge in Kluane country with a population of 800 residents, which is fewer than the number of grizzly bears in Kluane National Park. The park is home to Canada’s highest peak and the world’s largest non-polar Icefields that lie behind the façade of mountains that provide the town’s spectacular backdrop. For a truly unforgettable experience, take an air tour over the park. From above some of the planet’s largest glaciers, you’ll get a true sense of the scale and magnificence created by nature.

Day 4 Kluane National Park | 250 km/155 mi Leaving along the Haines Highway, the road climbs from the Chilkat River Valley to the windswept Chikat Pass. You skirt the boundaries of the Tatshenini-Alesk Provincial Park of British Columbia and Kluane National Park in the Yukon, part of the largest contiguous area of protected wilderness on earth, and a United Nations World Heritage Site.

Day 5 Haines Junction to Tok | 467 km/290 mi This morning go on a short hiking trip before driving north along the shores of beautiful Kluane Lake. Stopover at Sheep Mountain and look out for Dall sheep gracing alongside the mountain slopes. Your journey continues on the famous Alaska Highway through endless wilderness areas. Arrive in Tok, often referred to as the “Dog Mushing Capital of Alaska”. Welcome back to Alaska.

Day 6 Tok to Dawson City | 297 km/185 mi The Top of the World Highway (please note this is a partly gravel road) brings you through spectacular backcountry and gold mining areas. When the highway reaches its highest elevation incredible views into far-reaching countryside open up. Before you reach Dawson City, you’ll cross the Yukon River by the government-run ferry. With your arrival in Dawson City you might feel you just landed in a different century. Experience the old Klondike in its well-kept color and fame.

Days 7 Dawson City | Exploring A full day to visit the various historical sights of Dawson City: SS Keno – the last steamer to run the Yukon River from Whitehorse, the Jack London Interpretive Center with the poets original cabin, the city museum with audiovisual presentations, Dredge #4 – build in 1912 on famous Bonanza Creek, the Grand Palace Theatre – home of the “ Gaslight Follies Show “ and Diamond Tooth Gertie’s Casino with legal gambling tables and “ Can-Can” floor shows. Do not miss the short drive on the Ridge Road to the top of the Midnight Dome with excellent views over Dawson, the Ogilvie Mountains, and the Yukon and Klondike Rivers.

Day 8 Dawson City to Eagle Plains | 408 km/254 mi Today you will join the Dempster Highway and travel through the spectacular subarctic wilderness of Tombstone Provincial Park. Continue out onto the Eagle Plains, fringed by the Ogilvie and Richardson mountain ranges. Your accommodation tonight is the remote Eagle Plains Hotel, located just 35kms south of the Arctic Circle. (Please note: The Dempster Highway is unpaved)

Day 9 Eagle Plains to Inuvik | 366 km/227 mi Continue north today, crossing the Arctic Circle and passing through the Richardson Mountains as you leave the Yukon and enter the Northwest Territories. You may wish to take a short detour to Fort McPherson. You will reach the end of the Dempster Highway upon arrival in Inuvik.

Day 10 Inuvik | Exploring At leisure to explore this remote Arctic settlement and its surroundings. The Western Arctic Regional Visitors Centre in Inuvik is a great place to start. Day tours are available to Tuktoyaktuk or Herschel Island, or you could take a sightseeing flight to view the Arctic Ocean from above (optional, additional cost).

Day 11 Inuvik to Eagle Plains | 366 km/227 mi Today you drive the Dempster Highway south to Eagle Plains. Again you cross the Mackenzie and Peel Rivers by state ferries (free of charge).

Day 12 Eagle Plains to Dawson City | 408 km/254 mi Continue south on the Dempster Highway to Dawson City.

Day 13 Dawson City to Mayo | 230 km/143 mi Drive the Klondike Highway east towards Whitehorse accompanied by scenic mountain landscape. At the intersection with the Silver Trail Highway continue towards Mayo. The area around the Silver Trail Highway was once the richest silver mining area of Canada.

Day 14 Mayo to Whitehorse | 406 km/252 mi Going south, enjoy the raw beauty of the surrounding landscape. Stopover at the Five Finger Rapids and hike down to the shore of the Yukon River. In late afternoon you will reach Yukon’s capital city, Whitehorse - a city with a unique combination of pioneer values and urban sophistication.

Day 15 Whitehorse | Departure After check-out of your hotel your Yukon Self Drive adventure comes to an end.