The Best Things to Do in The Yukon, Canada in Summer: An Unforgettable Trip to the Land of the Midnight Sun
From its extensive First Nations’ history and culture, being home to the continent’s tallest mountains in Kluane National Park and the epicentre of the Klondike Gold Rush in Dawson City, there are too many unique stories and experiences to consider when it comes to planning a summer trip to The Yukon. Let this guide be your taste of inspiration!
Emerald Lake on the famous Klondike Highway
I’ve been lucky enough to travel to many different parts of Canada over the years. I was born and raised in Ontario and have spent countless hours on road trips and getaways here. I’ve also had the privilege of visiting each of its ten provinces. But until my recent trip to The Yukon Territory, I never had the chance to visit any of its three territories.
The territories in Canada are large, vast and sparsely populated. From east to west, we have Nunavut (a relatively young territory of 26 years; before that it was part of), The Northwest Territories, and The Yukon. Each of the territories has a population of under fifty thousand people—Yukon being the most densely populated at approximately 47,111 residents. Even though the Yukon is the smallest territory geographically, if you were to equally divide the population by its size, each person living here would have approximately 10 square kilometres to themselves.
I don’t often focus on statistics like these in my articles, so why am I spending so much time talking about population density in The Yukon? Simply because as soon as you arrive here, you quickly get a sense for just how greatly its natural spaces outweigh its inhabitants.
I took a summer girls’ trip here with my friends Alix and Andree, and on one of our many days spent driving on scenic open roads Alix exclaimed, “I can’t believe we’re the only people here!” And it’s so true—unlike more popular and touristed parts of Canada, The Yukon is a very quiet and vast place. It’s an ideal place to visit for nature lovers, and for those seeking solace to marvel at its wonderously wide open spaces.
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Why Travel Yukon Territory in Summer & How to Get Here
It’s easy to think of The Yukon as Canada’s “final frontier,” but this language negates the First Nations communities who have inhabited what is now known as the Yukon Territory for thousands of years.
Several different Indigenous groups including the Dene Nation, Tlingit Nation and Métis have lived here for time in memorium, and continue to inhabit these lands today. Learning about Indigenous histories during your visit is a must, and places like Long Ago Peoples Place and various cultural centres throughout the territory are great places to sink your teeth into its diverse Indigenous history.
On top of learning about Yukon First Nations’ traditional and modern lands, the territory is an excellent place to come in the summer for a remote road trip under the “midnight sun.” In June and July especially, the sun hardly sets at all, and when it does it’s still bright at midnight. It’s a fun time of year to be a tourist, since you feel like you have nothing but time on your side every day.
The territory’s northern reaches extend into the Arctic Circle and the Arctic Ocean at the Beaufort Sea. It borders Alaska to the west, British Columbia to the south and the Northwest Territories to the east. While I’m hoping to visit again in the fall or winter in the future, I know that weather, snow and ice can impact the trip, so late spring to early fall (May to September) is the best if you’re planning on driving.
Flying to the Yukon & Air North
Especially in the summer months, a lot of people fly to The Yukon via the capital city, Whitehorse (YXY). It’s a small but mighty, relatively well-connected airport with direct daily flights to Vancouver via Air Canada.
But what I found especially impressive during our trip was learning about Air North. It’s The Yukon’s airline, 100% owned and operated by Yukoners, and 49% owned by the Vuntut Gwitchin First Nation.
Air North offers daily flights to Vancouver, Kelowna, Victoria, Calgary and Edmonton year-round, along with seasonal summer flights connecting it to Toronto and Ottawa. If you’re travelling during the summer from Ontario like we were, these direct routes during the summer are an ideal way to get directly to Whitehorse.
Driving in The Yukon
As a territory known for its open roads, driving in The Yukon is perhaps the most popular option. We saw several camper vans on our trip, and you can even rent them with CanaDream from Whitehorse, if you’re so inclined. There are several car rental options in Whitehorse, too, but I’d recommend making a reservation well in advance for a summer trip, since they can book up quickly with limited supply.
We opted for a bit of both on our week-long trip to The Yukon—we flew into Whitehorse and rented a car for several days for day trips from the capital. Then we took an interior flight from Whitehorse to Dawson City, and opted to go without a vehicle for this portion of our trip, which worked out well.
Where to Stay in the Yukon & How to Get Around
Unless you’re taking a van or camping trip, you’ll want to base yourself in a few different places. For our week-long trip, we opted to stay in and around Whitehorse and Dawson City.
Whitehorse
In Whitehorse, if you’re travelling without a car, you’ll want to stay somewhere downtown. Everything is relatively close in Whitehorse, but any accommodation outside of the centre will be challenging without a vehicle. Some popular stays in central locations are the Best Western Gold Rush Inn, the Skky Hotel, and the Hyatt Place Whitehorse. We stayed at the Raven Inn, and appreciated its central location, friendly staff and main floor restaurant.
Outside of Whitehorse, there are also several great options including small resorts and cabins, and privately owned homes and properties. We spent a few nights at a cabin in the Ibex Valley, which offered beautiful night-time views of the surrounding mountains, starry skies and even the northern lights on one night!
Views from our accommodation in the Ibex Valley
Dawson City
Dawson City is much smaller than Whitehorse, and if you’re coming with your own vehicle on a remote road trip, there are plenty of places to park. But since Dawson is so compact, it also makes for a great destination in the Yukon to visit without a vehicle, which is exactly what we did. We flew into the Dawson Airport with Air North, but the airport is quite far from town, so you’ll want to book an accommodation with a shuttle if you don’t have your own vehicle.
There are a few hotels and independent properties in Dawson, but depending on the time of summer you’re visiting, options can be limited. We happened to be visiting Dawson during the Discovery Day long weekend, so we were grateful we booked a hotel well in advance of our stay, since options were already pretty sparse when we booked in April for our August trip.
The Holland-America Inn is a large hotel in town—if you’re like me and you’re concerned it’s a “cruise ship” hotel, fear not. It’s really quite a nice hotel with friendly staff and a large quantity of rooms, making it a great place to stay if options are limited during your trip. Some noteworthy and locally-owned hotels in Dawson (a real plus!) are the Aurora Inn, Triple J Hotel and Bombay Peggy’s.
Top Places to Visit in Canada’s Most Western Territory
Depending on how long you’re visiting for, you’ll likely be able to get a taste for each of these places, or focus on a few major points of interest. Bear in mind that we took a week long trip focused in and around Whitehorse (with a rental car) and Dawson City (with no car), so these activities reflect that! I’d love to take the Dempster Highway up to the Arctic Circle some day, but there wasn’t time for that on this trip.
Spend Time in wHITEHORSE
S.S. Klondike National Historic Site in Whitehorse
The territory’s capital, Whitehorse is in a valley surrounded by mountains on the shores of the Yukon River. A significant portion of the Yukon’s population lives here (30,000 or so people), so this is where you’ll want to fuel and stock up for a road trip, or base yourself for a trip sans vehicle.
It’s a beautiful city to walk around—I’d recommend taking some time to walk along the Waterfront Trail or Millennium Trail during your visit. It’s also home to some impressive museums, like the MacBride Museum, the Yukon Transportation Museum and the Yukon Beringia Interpretive Centre (more information is in the “Museums and Cultural Centres” part of the article).
There are also some great places to grab a bite or a drink in town. We loved Bullet Hole Bagels—great sandwiches and even better bagels—Burnt Toast Cafe and Baked Cafe & Bakery. If you love local craft beer, stopping at Yukon Brewing or Winterlong Brewing to pick up a few beers for your accommodation is a must. During the summer, the Fireweed Market also takes place on Thursday evenings in Shipyards Park, with plenty of local vendors and food stalls.
KlonDike Highway Drive: Emerald Lake, Carcross & Beyond
Carcross Commons
The Klondike Highway (Highway 2) runs south from Whitehorse all the way to Skagway, Alaska. It’s one of the most popular road trip routes from Whitehorse, with incredible views of southern Yukon, northern British Columbia and the Skagway area.
As you make your way from Whitehorse and head south, your first stop will be Emerald Lake. It’s a beautiful, bright turquoise lake that you can easily see from the turnoff on the highway. Head further south to the unincorporated community of Carcross, and the Carcross Desert, which is the world’s smallest desert! Some people stop here to do a loop from via Tagish Road and Marsh Lake back to Whitehorse.
I actually put together a full breakdown about the Carcross Desert in my weekly travel newsletter. If you’re an avid traveller, feel free to subscribe!
I’d definitely recommend taking this loop, in addition to driving all the way to the American border in Fraser, BC, and heading south to Skagway. Andree, Alix and I loved this drive. It is incredibly beautiful, with many scenic places to stop or take a hike (always bring bear spray, or consider a guided hike). Stay tuned for a more detailed article about this road trip to come!
Kluane National Park
The UNESCO designated ice fields of Kluane National Park
Named for the self-governing Kluane First Nation whose traditional lands lie within and surrounding the modern borders of the national park, this park is home to 18 out of the 20 highest mountain peaks in Canada. Mount Logan is Canada’s highest mountain, and has the largest non-volcanic mountain base in the world. The park is also known for having the world’s largest non-polar icefields and an incredible quantity of glaciers and glacial lakes.
Both Mount Logan and the icefields are located deep within the park. While and some people do take on multi-day treks within the park to see them up close, we were only visiting for a day and made the impulsive decision to take a flight seeing tour—more on this in the next section, but I cannot recommend this experience enough.
Day visitors to the park also often visit Kathleen Lake, a stunning glacial lake surrounded by dramatic mountains. There are several hikes around the lake—a guided hike is recommended for wildlife safety and those unfamiliar with bears—or you can even pop into the lake for a swim if you dare, just make sure you wash off any sunscreen or bug spray ahead of time.
Haines Junction is the town just outside the park, offering views of the park and a few places for a bite to eat or to fuel up.
Dawson City
Historic storefronts in the UNESCO designated town of Dawson City
Located on the traditional and modern lands of the Tr'ondëk Hwëch'in First Nation, Dawson City was the original capital city of modern day Yukon.
More than 100,000 hopeful prospectors made the arduous journey from Skagway all the way up to Dawson in the late 1800s as part of the Klondike Gold Rush. As a result, over 17 buildings are protected as part of the Dawson Historical Complex National Historic Site, which is why we took a Parks Canada guided walking tour of the city. Tours depart several times daily in the summer from the Visitor Information Centre.
Since it’s so remote, we weren’t expecting Dawson to have such an incredible food and beverage scene! I’d highly recommend making a reservation in advance of your trip at Bonton & Company—we didn’t make one in time, and it was possibly the only regret of our whole trip. They serve up locally farmed meats, homemade preserves and delicacies, and are the talk of the town.
Other staples in town are Bombay Peggy’s, the Aurora Inn, The Drunken Goat Taverna, Triple J Hotel, and we loved our last-minute dinner at Gold Village Chinese Restaurant, which is owned by the kindest multi-generational Chinese family.
Memorable Experiences & Things to Do in The Yukon
Of course this article is really a snapshot of all you can get up to in The Yukon in the summer, but these are a few of my favourite experiences from our trip:
Visit a Museum or cuLTURAL cENTRE
Kwanlin Dün Cultural Centre
There are several cultural centres and museums in The Yukon, many of which are in Whitehorse. We ended up visiting several of them towards the end of our trip, but visiting any of them throughout your trip would make a great addition:
Dänojà Zho Cultural Centre, Dawson City
Kwanlin Dün Cultural Centre, Whitehorse
McBride Museum, Whitehorse
Transportation Museum, Whitehorse
Dawson City Museum, Dawson City
First Peoples Place, Whitehorse
Visit the Yukon Wildlife Preserve
Wood bison at Yukon Wildlife Preserve
Located just outside of Whitehorse, this 700 acre property started out as a private game farm in the late 1960s and has now turned into a Yukon government-owned wildlife preserve and animal sanctuary. The sanctuary is non-profit, and cares for the wildlife that has grown up in the preserve while also rehabilitating and homing injured or orphaned animals.
It’s worth visiting the preserve earlier in your trip to learn about the different types of Yukon wildlife you might not see in the wild. The reserve is expansive, with large enclosures for the animals. You can either walk, rent fat bikes, or take a guided tour by bus through the park to see and learn more about the animals. You can book your visit in advance on their website.
Catch The Midnight Sun & Northern Lights Views
Northern Lights outside of Whitehorse
If you didn’t know you could see the Aurora Borealis (Northern Lights) in the summer in the Yukon, you aren’t alone. While the earlier months of summer (predominantly June and July) are known for their “midnight sun”, when the sun sets past midnight, I was surprised to learn that by mid-August you can start to see the Auroras as early as 12:30am under a dark, clear, starry sky.
One great way to see the Northern Lights is to take an Aurora Tour with Arctic Range. They offer nightly guided tours from 11pm to 4am, that pick you up and bring you back to downtown Whitehorse. The tours take you to their off-grid viewing facility about an hour away from the city, and on a clear night you can expect to see an array of colours before your eyes. Unfortunately it was severely overcast on the night of our tour, but we still had fun playing cards, flipping through books about the Yukon and roasting marshmallows over a fire in a teepee as we waited for the skies to clear.
If you’re lucky, you might be able to see them on your own away from city lights. We stayed at a private property in the Ibex Valley outside of Whitehorse and were shocked to see them on a night we’d planned on catching the Perseid meteor shower.
Unwind at Natural Hot Springs
Eclipse Nordic Hot Springs
There are several natural hot springs throughout the Yukon, and Eclipse Nordic Hot Springs makes for a great place to enjoy a good soak. The spa is located just outside of Whitehorse, down the road from the Yukon Wildlife Preserve. They have several natural pools, tubs, saunas, steam rooms and relaxation areas to enjoy during your visit, and thanks to their cafe it makes a great full- or half-day trip.
Bear in mind that robes, towels and sandals/slippers are not included as part of the visit, so it’s recommended to either bring your own or plan to rent or buy them when you come. You can book online for a discounted entry price, and visits on Tuesdays and Wednesdays are offered at a reduced rate.
Take a Flight seeing Tour
I’m not one to pick favourites, but if you had to twist my arm this might have been my favourite experience of the whole trip! As we were driving to Kluane National Park, we knew we were short on time as we were only visiting for the day. Road-side marketing is not dead, since Alix saw a sign for flight seeing tours as we pulled in to Haines Junction.
We called the number, confirmed they had space for a flight within the next hour, booked the experience and before we knew it we were taking off in a 1984 Cessna to see the Lowell and Dusty Glaciers, the expansive mountain range and the icefields from above. Although this last-minute plan worked out in our favour, I’d definitely recommend researching and booking your own flight seeing tour in advance.
Take A Moment to Appreciate Summer and That Midnight Sun
The midnight sun (and summer, for that matter) doesn’t last long in The Yukon, but experiencing it and shortly thereafter the Northern Lights is truly such a special experience here. I have to admit that with every new destination I visit in Canada, I fall even more in love with this country I am lucky to call home.
My first trip to The Yukon left me feeling even more grateful than when I’d arrived, and I have no doubt that I’ll be back. I have my sights set on a drive up the Dempster Highway, hiking through Tombstone Territorial Park and visiting the Arctic Circle on my next visit. And I’m not disappointed in the slightest that I didn’t have the time to do these on my first trip, since it’s always a delight to revisit incredible destinations.
If you love appreciating the outdoors, wide open spaces and the quiet of your own thoughts, then visiting The Yukon is a must.
I’d like to thank Travel Yukon, Air North, Eclipse Nordic Hot Springs and Yukon Wildlife Preserve for hosting me as media for some portions of this trip. All opinions expressed are completely my own.
Bri Mitchell
Bri Mitchell is a travel writer and content creator from Toronto, Ontario. She loves to highlight all things nature, food, wellness, sustainability and adventure in her work. Bri writes and shares her travel experiences from across Canada, the United States and around the world on Instagram and TikTok (@brimitchelltravels), and in her articles for travelingmitch, Ultimate Ontario, and We Explore Canada.