Whitehorse-Dawson City. Klondike Ho!
We’ll leave the Yukon’s capital city behind for the wilds of the Yukon interior today. As we travel the North Klondike Highway northbound, you’ll begin to get a sense of the sheer size and grandeur of the Yukon. At half the size of Ontario, or roughly the same size as California, the Yukon’s total population is only 42,000 people. Breathtaking doesn’t describe the vastness or the beauty of the Yukon’s wilderness! Our route roughly follows the Yukon River valley and takes us through a few small settlements and villages including Braeburn, Carmacks, Pelly Crossing and Stewart During this northbound trip, we’ll stop by the Five Finger Rapids overlook for views of the 4 impressive chunks of rock in the middle of the river that gave river travelers and paddle-wheelers some difficulty during the gold rush. Crossing before the Ogilvie Mountains come into view. The road then drops down to the famous Klondike River Valley that spawned the Klondike Gold Rush of 1898. Still considered the greatest gold rush the world has ever seen, the gold discovery near Dawson City in 1896 drew more than 50,000 people to the Yukon in 1898, making Dawson City the largest city west of Winnipeg (Canada) and north of Seattle (USA)! As a national historic site, Dawson City today still retains its turn-of-the-century pioneer feel. Saloons with batwing doors and buildings with wooden facades, wrapped with wooden boar walks, line un-paved streets. Straight out of the Old West, this is the Yukon you imagined!
We’ll also stop by the official Yukon Quest check point to check on the expected arrival times of the first teams arriving this evening. The town’s fire siren will announce the first team in, and everyone rushes down to the checkpoint to see who has arrived. To add to the excitement, the first team to arrive is given several ounces of gold by Dawson City as a reward. Accommodation: Dawson City.
