Page 92 - Vacation Country Travel Guide

Klondike Highway 2 South
SKAGWAY TO WHITEHORSE Whitehorse
photo by:
The Klondike Highway starts at Skagway, Government of Yukon
Alaska and rises over the next 14 miles inland to
an elevation of 3,290 feet.. Built in the 1950s, the
highway climbs through the lush vegetation and
cascading waterfalls, following the trail of the gold
stampeders of 1898. Open year round, it connects
Skagway with Dawson City and the Klondike
gold fields. The southern portion of the Klondike
Highway passes through Carcross and joins up with
the Alaska Highway 1 just south of Whitehorse.
JCT. ALASKA HWY 1 & KLONDIKE HWY 2

ALASKA HWY 1 NORTH TO WHITEHORSE
Whitehorse
Location: Milepost 916 on the Alaska
Highway; located on the upper reaches of the
Yukon River, 284 miles from Beaver Creek,
near the Alaska-Yukon border. Population:
20,000. Visitor Information: Whitehorse WHITEHORSE
Visitor Information Centre: 100 Hanson
Street, Whitehorse YT Y1A 2C6; Phone:
(867) 667-3084; Email: vic.whitehorse@gov.
yk.ca; Website: www.whitehorsetourism.ca Y U K O N T E R R I T O R I E S
Whitehorse is the “recreational and cultural
oasis of the North” where a warm welcome awaits fishing, boating and a host of other similar pursuits
vacationers and business travelers. within minutes of their front doors. For biking
Situated on the banks of the magnificent Yukon enthusiasts, Whitehorse boasts 35 trails through
River, with a colorful history dating back to the some of the most beautiful, rustic areas surrounding
gold rush days of the late 1890s, Whitehorse the city.
today provides visitors with all the amenities Whitehorse today enjoys much the same frontier
of a southern city twice its size just as it offered flavor which existed during the turmoil and frenzy 700 Acre Wildlife Preserve
refuge for the many travelers who sought fame and of the Klondike Gold Rush, while offering all the Open Year Round
fortune in the Klondike gold rush days. For those facilities necessary for making a stay comfortable Guided tours and walking tours
who survived the rigors of Chilkoot Pass and Lake and memorable. There are more than 800 hotel and Kilometer 8 (mile 5)
Bennett, the roar of the Whitehorse Rapids was a motel rooms from which to choose. Takhini Hot Springs Rd.
mighty welcome sound that meant access to some The city has a wide variety of shops offering Just 25 minutes from Whitehorse
250 sternwheelers plying the river north. native crafts and artwork reflecting the beauty and
The first rails of the White Pass and Yukon special resources of the Yukon. Parkas, mukluks, yukonwildlife.ca
info@yukonwildlife.ca
Railway were laid at Skagway, Alaska in May slippers and mittens are carefully fashioned and (867) 456-7300
1898 and the line to Whitehorse opened in July decorated with fur, beadwork or quills. Jewelers
1900. Marked with profit seekers’ canvas tents and
ramshackle log cabins, Whitehorse quickly became
the hub of transportation and communication for
the entire Yukon mining industry.
Whitehorse is serviced on a daily basis by major
Canadian airlines. Scheduled flights to other Yukon
communities and key centers in the Northwest
Territories and Alaska are also available on a
regular basis. For travelers coming to Whitehorse
from southern BC, the Stewart-Cassiar Highway
provides quick access to the Alaska Highway just
266 miles (400 kilometers) south of Whitehorse.
Services on both these routes are readily available
and most are open year-round. In addition,
scheduled motor coach and freight services are
available to all communities along the Alaska
Highway.
While many people associate northern Canada
with long, cold and dark winters, residents in
Whitehorse enjoy an average mean temperature
higher than Edmonton and northern Alberta. While
Yukon winters bring crisp, clean snow to the
north, its semi-arid climate receives less than 25
centimeters of rain and snow per year and as much
as 19 hours of sunshine per day.
Whitehorse and the surrounding Yukon River
Valley provide an ideal setting for the varied
lifestyles enjoyed by Yukoners. Those inclined
toward outdoor recreation can find hiking, skiing,
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