Immersive Yukon II

The allure of the Yukon has been captured in many art forms, from poetry to landscape paintings to stories told around a fire or while floating down a river. Many first-time travellers remark with pleasant surprise at how expansive the forests are in this remote territory “North of 60” where most of the sweeping landscapes are sheltered from the cooling influence of Hudson Bay and the Arctic Ocean. Seemingly endless tracts of boreal forest are interspersed with alpine meadows, sub-Arctic tundra, and riverside willow thickets, allowing some of Canada’s most iconic mammals and birds to endure and even thrive. As we explore these wilderness areas in search of bears, Moose, Caribou, and eagles, we meet various local guides, storytellers, and artisans to hear their first-hand accounts of what life is like here today and how some of their ancestors have lived for thousands of years. With eight First Nations language groups in the Yukon, there are many stories to tell.

We begin in territorial capital Whitehorse to walk a stretch of the Millennium Trail and hike along Miles Canyon. During two days in Kluane National Park, choose from a variety of activities by day, while saving enough energy to watch for Northern Lights at night. Farther south at Carcross and the Southern Lakes, traverse sand dunes and meet members of the Carcross/Tagish First Nation. A short flight takes us to Dawson, an incomparable community where Tr'ondëk Hwëch'in traditions and reminders of the Klondike Gold Rush are deeply embedded in the local fabric. A day trip northward takes us along a stretch of the fabled Dempster Highway into the Tombstone Mountains.

We cap off our immersive exploration back in Whitehorse on the banks of the Yukon River — a place where many a northern adventure has written its opening chapter.