Yukon Territory Travel Guide

The territory of the Yukon, Canada's 'True North', is wintry,
wild and wonderful: a spectacular wilderness consisting of
comprehensive national and territorial parks filled with stunning
landscapes and rare wildlife, like the 120,000-strong Porcupine
Caribou herd that is protected in the Vuntut and Ivvavik National
Parks. Black and grizzly bears, Dall sheep, moose, wolves and musk
oxen are some of the other creatures spotted regularly all over the
territory.The Yukon Territory is in the extreme northwest of Canada,
bordering Alaska. The sparsely-populated province carries the motto
"Larger Than Life", and its tourism is focused around outdoor
activities like fishing, canoeing, kayaking and hiking in the
summer, and skiing, snowboarding, ice climbing, snowmobiling and
dog sledding in the winter.The Yukon also has its own natural magical light show in winter:
undulating ribbons of pale-green, pink and blue lights dance in the
night sky as the Aurora Borealis phenomenon delights watchers. The
province boasts Canada's highest mountain, the majestic Mount Logan
peak in Kluane Park, set in a sea of ice.Although 80 percent of the Yukon is wild, there are people
living there too. Native Yukoners are spirited, uniquely connected
with their land, and have plenty of tales to tell travellers. Many
legends survive from the days of the Klondike Gold Rush in 1897,
when 30,000 aspirants arrived in Dawson City in hope of making
their fortunes. The First Nations culture is also well preserved
and fascinating to investigate in museums, historic sites and
interpretive centres throughout the province.
Yukon Territory Travel Guide
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GMT �8 (GMT �7 from the second Sunday in March to the first
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Yukon Territory Travel Guide
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Description:
The area around Dawson City, which lured thousands of young men
and a few brave women to join in the world's last great Gold Rush
in 1897, is today bursting with attractions and sights centred on
this romantic piece of Canadian history. Dawson City itself is a
colourful town with boardwalk-lined streets and plenty of restored
historic buildings, including Diamond Tooth Gertie's Dancehall and
Casino. Then there is Carmacks, originally a riverboat fuelling
station that is now a community preserving the First Nations
culture, with an interpretive centre sketching aboriginal history
over 10,000 years. Fort Selkirk is the oldest settlement in the
area and now survives as a living museum. The other venue to visit
on the Klondike trail is Pelly Crossing, where the life and times
of the Northern Tutchone people is preserved at 'Big Jonathan's
House'.
Address:
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Telephone:
Dawson City Visitor Reception Centre: (867) 993
5566
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Description:
This vast park is dominated by mountains and ice in Canada's
extreme alpine zone, and is a magnet to mountaineers and rugged
adventure-seekers. The landscape includes mountain lakes, alpine
meadows, tundra and swift cold rivers. At the heart of the park is
Mount Logan, rising up in the midst of an ice field to 19,545 feet
(5,959m), the highest mountain in Canada. Local tour operators in
Yukon towns offer a variety of memorable day trips and excursions
into the Park, featuring a wide range of activities such as
canoeing, nature walks, rafting, fishing, hiking and
mountain-biking. Air flips over the area are also a very popular
way to sightsee. The Kluane National Park Visitor Reception Centre
is at Haines Junction near the Alaska Highway.
Address:
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Telephone:
(867) 634 7250
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Website:
www.pc.gc.ca/pn-np/yt/kluane/index_e.asp
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Description:
In a remote area of Yukon Territory, on the banks of the Takhini
River, a man named Frank Turner - who has completed the gruelling
Yukon Quest, a 1,000-mile sled-dog race, more times than anyone
else - has established a truly wonderful community, centred around
caring for his beloved sled-dogs. In recent years, the Muktuk
Kennels have, in fact, grown into a massively popular excursion for
visitors to Whitehorse - and it is not hard to see exactly why. The
staff at Muktuk Kennels - who look after over 140 sled-dogs (mainly
huskies, samoyeds and malumuts) - are deeply committed to the
animals, and always try to include visitors in their daily care
routines, while the eco-friendly guest houses (all operated on
solar power) are comfortable, and homely, and offer panoramic views
of the spectacular, unspoilt Ibex Valley. As popular in winter,
when you can have a go at 'mushing' yourself, as in summer - when,
for health reasons, the dogs aren't run, and canoeing and kayaking
on the lake are the most popular activities - Muktuk Adventures is
a heart-warming place to visit, that is sure to appeal to
dog-lovers and nature-lovers the world over.
Address:
Kilometre marker 1443, Alaska Highway,
Whitehorse
Postcode:
Telephone:
(867) 668 3647
Email:
info@muktuk.com
Website:
www.muktuk.com
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