After the summer travellers and seasonal workers leave, Dawson City becomes a very different experience. In winter, the town takes on a cozy feel and locals make the most of the daylight hours with pastimes like snowshoeing, cross-country skiing and snowmobiling. Since Dawson City is farther north than Whitehorse, the days are shorter and more darkness means more opportunity to view the northern lights. A visit here in the winter offers a unique window into life in a northern community.
A warm welcome awaits you just a short flight from Whitehorse. When you make your hotel reservation, request an airport shuttle.
Strolling along the snowy wooden boardwalks, it’s easy to lose a century and feel the ghosts of another era. The sun’s low angle makes for softly lit snow-covered scenes straight out of history. Check out architectural gems like the Palace Grand Theatre and the Commissioner’s Residence.
At the former homes of Yukon writing legends Robert Service and Jack London you can imagine what winter life must have been like in a log cabin. And be sure to view the ice bridge across the Yukon River.
Take a guided tour to see where the gold rush started at Discovery Claim, and then learn about more modern methods at Dredge #4—the largest wooden hull, bucket-line dredge in North America.
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Do you know your “gee” from your “haw”? If not, you soon will after a visit to a local sled dog kennel. On a half day dogsledding tour you’ll learn all about the lifestyle of a dog musher. And then it’s your turn to try this most northern of transport modes. Generally, it involves lots of excited barking and a good dose of laughter. And if you happen to be here in early February, you can experience the excitement of the toughest dogsled race in the world—the Yukon Quest. Racers are required to spend a mandatory 36 hours in Dawson on their way between Whitehorse and Fairbanks, Alaska.
Another option for today is a guided day tour north on the famous Dempster Highway to Tombstone Territorial Park. Often referred to as the “Patagonia of the North”, this sub-arctic landscape with its craggy, wind-carved mountains is especially beautiful in winter. Turquoise blue frozen lakes dot the vast white landscape like jewels, and the only sound is your snowshoes crunching on snow. There’s something hauntingly powerful in the silent majesty of this winter landscape.
Back in town, enjoy your last night of magical star-filled skies and northern lights viewing. Tomorrow, transfer back to the airport for your flight back to Whitehorse.
