The Call of the Yukon

Thursday, 16th January 2020

Lauren Shorney

canada yukon autumn in territorial national park istk

Canada Travel Specialist, Lauren, describes how she fell in love with the Yukon on her visit there last autumn.

As I looked out over Tombstone Territorial Park I knew the Yukon had stolen my heart. The fall colours were burnt orange and red, the clouds were rolling in and the air was crisp. I didn’t want to be anywhere else.

From Dawson City it took 90 minutes to reach the park and most of that journey was along the unsealed route of the Dempster Highway. The Highway is an experience in itself with it stretching to Inuvik across the Arctic Circle and very few stops along the way. A must do journey for the intrepid traveller! For me however, a day trip to Tombstone was all that was on the cards today, I wasn’t disappointed.

dempster highway autumn yukon canada istk

Boasting unique landscape, permafrost landforms, many hiking trails and never ending views it was the perfect place to really be at one with nature and experience near solitude. Unlike many national parks and territorial parks I have been lucky to visit, there were no queues on the trails, no fighting to get that one incredible selfie. The Goldensides trail was ours alone today.

The Goldensides trail was well worth the slight uphill struggle as the views were 360 degrees and as far as the eye could see. Our guide Jesse, with Klondike Experience, explained that we had come at the perfect time. The fall colours were just ending here, even though it was the beginning of September, within a week it is hard to believe that snow could arrive.

kathleen lake tombstone territorial park yukon ls

view over tombstone territorial park yukon canada ls

There were so many hiking trails to explore but instead we drove further north to Two Moose Lake, a great place to view harlequin ducks, songbirds and even the elusive moose. They are over 70,000 moose in the Yukon, unfortunately they didn’t want to make an appearance today!

Travelling back to Dawson City I was just in awe of Tombstone and the Yukon itself. There is no mass tourism, no 5 star hotels, no huge tour buses just deserted highways, nature, fresh air, incredible walks, towering snow-capped mountains, glaciers. What more can you need?