A Trip Through The Klondike – The Yukon.
Welcome to Canada!
Canada is best seen by taking your own RV and exploring it with ease. The RVs in Canada are brilliant, fully equipped and super spacious. Apollo RVs have every size and configuration you could think of so we chose the biggest we could! Travelling with 4 adults and 1 child we were never cramped in, which makes an RV trip around Canada all the more enjoyable.
Today we are driving The Klondike region of The Yukon. An amazingly beautiful part of the world especially in Autumn. Along our drive today, like nearly every day in Canada, we saw plenty of wildlife. From the Caribou and Bison to a couple of lonesome bears. Please remember that the wildlife have the right of way! No where I have ever seen wildlife so up close and personal but in their natural habitat right here in Canada.
This is the mighty Yukon – larger than life and their motto certainly rings true. Our first stop is in Dawson City and coming from the north it is only accessible by ferry which adds yet another exciting experience into our jam packed itinerary. No matter how big your rig, they all fit on. Its free and only takes a few minutes – but a very interesting fact to note, this fast flowing deep river actually freezes over in winter and the big trucks drive across it!
The seasons here are harsh. Winter is extremely cold and it is not advised for anyone, other than hardened locals visit here in winter. The river completely freezes and temperatures drop to minus 50, with a wind chill factor even lower. But throughout Spring, Summer & Autumn, being May thru to early October, this is a fantastic holiday region.
The next few days we will call Gold Rush campground our home located right in town within easy walking distance to absolutely everything. One point to remember, Canada is superb with their RV Park locations so never fear that you will have to walk too far from your park to get to everything you need to. In Dawson City the Gold Rush Campground is right in town with just a 5 minute walk to the main street.
The first port of call is the Dawson City information centre where you will find has a whole host of information and even an interactive light display which showcases the entire region. You can even try on an original Inupiat jacket! Its very heavy but I guess it has to be when temperatures in this area fall to a whopping minus 50. You can feel the warmth in the jacket almost immediately after putting it on. The Dawson City locals are very friendly and welcome you with open arms, with the tourist trade during May to October a main source of income for many.
The First Nation People are the most interesting and intriguing Indigenous People you will discover, the world around. Next stop was to stop at the Tr’ondek Hwech’in Cultural Interpretive Centre, which showcases early life and history for these remarkable people. Fran is the tour guide here and she will ensure you have all your questions answered. I was hungry for more information about the First Nation People so we asked a local man by the name of Tommy who is a very famous First Nation local born and raised right here in Dawson City if he would take us on a tour of this area.
Tommy shows us their summer fishing village and his remarkable salmon catching contraption that his great grandfather invented for catching Salmon on this river.
Tommy takes us to his home and shows us how they survive in the winter months – which is simply astonishing.
And lastly to visit his sled dog team, which are kept on a separate island during the summer months and during winter they are the regions resident sled dog team, taking children to school up the river and working as a taxi service to those in need. His home is full of history about the area, artifacts and of course those bear hides!
Afternoon trips with Tommy are available throughout the summer months you just need to contact the reception area at the Gold Rush CampGround or the local information centre to book.
We bid farewell to Dawson City and head south through The Yukon to Whitehorse. Another days drive and yet another day of superb scenery and bright autumn colours.
Whitehorse is the capital and largest city in the Yukon and is built on the banks of the Yukon River. The city was named after the White Horse Rapids, for their resemblance to the mane of a white horse. Framed by three nearby mountains: Grey Mountain Haeckel Hill and Golden Horn Mountain. It is also home to the SS Klondike a famous old sternwheeler. It was built in 1921 and had the distinction of having 50% more capacity than a regular sternwheeler, while still having the shallow draft in order to travel down the mighty Yukon River. Klondike I ran aground in 1936 and The British-Yukon Navigation Company salvaged much of the ship and used it to build the Klondike II the following year. Klondike II carried freight until 1950. Due to the construction of a highway connecting Dawson City and Whitehorse, many sternwheelers were decommissioned. In an attempt to save Klondike II, it was converted into a tourist ship. This tourist venture shut down in 1955 and the Klondike IIwas parked up in the Whitehorse shipyards. It is now here that you can see her in all her glory.
The Yukon is history rich, scenery abundant and wildlife a plenty! It is a holiday region that will amaze you every single day. Around every bend in the road there is something new and more than likely very exciting. With Apollo RVs you can travel in luxury and comfort with every possible amenity right at your finger tips in your RV. Travel at your leisure, follow others or travel in a convoy! The options are endless.
- The highest mountain in Canada is Mt Logan in The Yukon.
- The word Yukon comes from the native work Yu-Kun-Ah meaning great river.
- For 3 months during Summer, the sunshine is almost continuous
