2013 VACATION PLANNER - Travel Yukon

Dempster
Highway Dempster Highway Route
Travel from Dawson City to Canada’s
Arctic across breathtaking mountain
Regions on this Route
North Yukon, p.92
Crossing the Arctic Circle
The Dempster Highway #5 is Canada’s
only all-season public road to cross the
Arctic Circle and is among the world’s
most unique driving routes. A drive up
this unpaved, two-lane highway begins
with a visit to Tombstone Territorial Park,
a haunting landscape memorable for its
jagged peaks and colour-stained hills.
You’ll find plenty of pullouts, day hikes
and natural diversions along the Dempster
including abundant wildlife. You’ll cross
the Arctic Circle, where the sun doesn’t
set on summer solstice. With limited
services, two river crossings by ferry, and
long stretches across open tundra,
travellers are urged to be prepared.
Silver Trail
Regions on this Route
Silver Trail, p.76
Silver and the Stewart
Highway #11, the winding Silver Trail,
passes through moose habitat and offers
scenic views of the Stewart River. A
major tributary of the Yukon River, the
Stewart lured prospectors to the area in
the 1880s, which led to major mineral
discoveries. Today, Mayo is a thriving
regional centre that serves tourism,
outfitting and mining. Hiking and biking
trails abound on the Silver Trail, often
passing by old cabins and great fishing
holes. Take the time to explore Keno,
where the northern mining experience
is still fresh, creating an authenticity
that you won’t soon forget.
ranges and expansive subarctic tundra.
Distance: 736 km (one-way)
Time recommended: 5 nights (return trip)
Features: Tombstone Territorial Park,
Arctic Circle, Gwich’in culture,
Porcupine caribou herd
Activities: Hiking in Tombstone Park,
wildlife viewing in Blackstone Uplands,
crossing the Arctic Circle, camping at
Tombstone, Engineer Creek and Rock
River territorial campgrounds
Old
Crow
Eagle
Plains
Dawson
City
Stewart Keno
Crossing Mayo
Yukon
Arctic Arctic Circle Circle
WHITEHORSE
Inuvik, NWT
Silver Trail Route
Journey from Whitehorse to Stewart
Crossing, then east on the Silver Trail
to the historic frontier mining towns
of Mayo and Keno.
Distance: 470 km
Time recommended: Minimum 2 nights
Features: Stewart River, a century
of mining history, the Peel wilderness
Activities: Hiking in the Wernecke
Mountains, Keno and Mayo walking tours,
gold panning, fishing, wildlife viewing,
wilderness river trips in the backcountry
Trip Planning
Places to visit: Dawson City, Tombstone
Interpretive Centre, Eagle Plains,
Fort McPherson, Inuvik
Distances and approximate driving times:
• Klondike Corner to Eagle Plains:
369 km (6 hrs) (seasonal)
• Eagle Plains to Inuvik, Northwest
Territories: 367 km (7 hrs), with Peel and
Mackenzie River ferry crossings (free)
(seasonal)
Highways travelled:
North Klondike Highway #2,
Dempster Highway #5
Local Attractions
• Tombstone Interpretive Centre
• Tombstone Viewpoint
• Two Moose Lake
• Blackstone Uplands
• Arctic Circle
• Yukon/Northwest Territories border
• Peel and Mackenzie River ferry crossings
(seasonal)
Dempster Highway – G. Fischer
Trip Planning
Places to visit: Stewart Crossing, Mayo, Keno
Distances and approximate driving times:
• Whitehorse to Stewart Crossing: 354 km (4 hrs)
• Stewart Crossing to Keno (via Mayo):
110 km (2 hrs)
Highways travelled:
North Klondike Highway #2, Silver Trail #11
Local Attractions
• Binet House Interpretive Centre
• Five Mile Lakes
• Keno City Mining Museum
• Keno City Alpine Interpretive Centre
• Signpost on Keno Hill
> On the Road travelyukon.com 25