Dawson City Travel Guide
Dawson City, Yukon, in the heart of the Klondike Gold Rush, is situated on the banks of the Yukon River.
Get to know Dawson City
I fell in love with the vibrant, colourful community the moment I first arrived. Restaurants and businesses are named after Dawson’s short fame. There is a Jack London grill, a Diamond Tooth Gertie’s dance hall, and a Klondike Kate’s restaurant.
Many old buildings are boarded up and look very original from times past by.
The good news is, that Dawson has failed to turn itself into a Klondike version of miniature Disneyland yet and instead is a beautiful, remote, and laid-back jewel with a real Wild West border town vibe. The secret of Dawson’s success seems to lie with the people living there today.
Less than 2,000 permanent residents live in Dawson City. You find a bunch of creative, resourceful individuals who have chosen to be there, living 240 km south of the Arctic Circle. You can tell, that people who settled here have loved what they found and have stayed.
In summer, you can follow guides dressed up in period costumes around the buildings of the gold-rush days and listen to the history and stories of the Klondike.
Glimpse Into The Past
Dawson City is the heart of the Klondike gold rush. After the historic discovery of gold on Bonanza Creek in August of 1896, Dawson City grew out of a swampy area at the confluence of the Yukon and Klondike Rivers into a large frontier town.
Dawson City was the centre of the Klondike Gold Rush. Within two years Dawson had a population between 30,000 and 40,000 people.
Only a few hundred gold seekers found substantial riches in the creeks of the Klondike and only a handful managed to hold on to their wealth. More fortunes were won and lost in the gambling halls of Dawson than in the goldfields. Dance-hall girls and prostitutes were working long and hard and earned good money.
Dawson’s fortunes were all tied to the goldmines. By 1899, when the gold rush had ended, there were only 8,000 people left. By 1970 the population was under 900, but then before it vanished into a ghost town it was rediscovered.
Improvements to the Klondike Highway and links to Alaska opened the old gold rush town up to summertime tourists.
Parks Canada designated much of Dawson City as historic and began with restorations; and what an awesome job they’ve done. Dawson City was the territorial capital until it was moved to Whitehorse in 1952.
First Nations
The Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in is a Yukon First Nation Band based in Dawson City. The citizenship of roughly 1,100 includes descendants of the Hän-speaking people, who have lived along the Yukon River for millennia, and a diverse mix of families descended from Gwich’in, Northern Tutchone, and other languages groups.
How to get to Dawson City
Back during the Klondike Gold Rush, the only way to get to Dawson City was via the steep Chilkoot Trail and the rough rapids of the Yukon River. Today you can access Dawson in a variety of different ways.
By road
You can either drive the scenic and fairly well-maintained North Klondike Highway (#2), or seasonally the adventurous Top of the World Highway (#9) connecting with Alaska.
- From Whitehorse: Dawson City is 533 km from Whitehorse on the North Klondike Highway. Travel time is approximately six hours, depending on the season, road conditions, and weather. The road is paved all the way and is in good condition with odd potholes.
- From Alaska: The Top of the World Highway is only open in summer. The chip-sealed gravel road connects Dawson to the Taylor Highway and Tok, Alaska. The sensationally scenic route takes you to incredible heights with a top of the world panoramas. If you have a vehicle I suggest that you drive at least part of it, it’s totally worth it; even if you don’t have the intention to enter Alaska. Should you plan to cross the border, remember that it’s only open from 8 am to 8 pm (Yukon time) from mid-May to early October.
By bus
Husky Bus offers transportation between Dawson City and Whitehorse, and everywhere along the Klondike Highway. They also specialize in the transportation of canoes and kayaks.
By air
Dawson Airport is located on Klondike Highway, about 19 km east of Dawson. Air North is Yukon’s Airline and serves Whitehorse, Old Crow, and Inuvik in the Northwest Territories, and Fairbanks in Alaska.
By canoe
It takes 10 days to 3 weeks to paddle the Yukon River from Whitehorse to Dawson. You can start your rafting trip up to the Klondike at any other upriver community like Carmacks, Pelly, or Stewart Crossing.
By dogsled
A dog team takes a week or two to haul you between Dawson City and Whitehorse, or Dawson and Fairbanks, on the Yukon Quest Trail. Dawson is at the halfway point of the race.
How to get around Dawson City
Dawson City is a small town and ideal to navigate on foot. Still, if you want to go and pan for gold in the creeks of the Klondike or visit Dredge Number 4 you will need transport or book a tour.
Crossing the River
The George Black Ferry across the Yukon River connects downtown Dawson to West Dawson and the Top of the World Highway. The ferry is free and runs 24 hours a day during the summer months.
The crossing takes about five minutes. In winter there is an ice road across the river. During the weeks of freeze-up and break-up you have to decide which side of the river you want to be on, and stay there.
Top things to see and do
Take a Guided Walking Tour
Guided walking tours are offered by Park Canada all summer. Pick up a program flyer at the Visitor’s Centre on Front Street to check on the different tours available and the times.
Taking part in a walking tour gives you information about all the historic buildings in Dawson and you will hear some great stories. You will visit the old post office and marvel at the detailed work of the building.
CIBC Building
Like many of the buildings in Dawson, the CIBC Building located dates back to the gold rush. The city of Dawson has started a long-term restoration of this riverfront bank building on Main Street. It’s remarkable to see how tin was molded to look like stone. Poet Robert Service was once a teller here.
Dawson City Museum
Here at Yukon’s largest Museum, you can make your own discoveries. Enjoy the displays about the First Nations history, the Klondike gold rush, and the Northwest Mounted Police.
Upstairs you find archives with lots of photographs, newspaper clippings, and interesting documents. In the winter the museum screens great classic movies.
SS Keno
The SS Keno was one of the fleets of paddle wheelers that travelled the Yukon River for more than half a century before roads were built. The boat is grounded along the waterfront and is a similar attraction as the SS Klondike in Whitehorse.
World-Famous Writers
Dãnojà Zho Cultural Centre
Dãnojà Zho Cultural Centre (a long time ago house) is located opposite the Visitor Centre on Front Street. The centre is dedicated to the Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in First Nation. Rotating exhibitions, videos and photographs tell the story and history of the people.
When I was in Dawson, we were invited to the Dãnojà Zho Cultural Centre for freshly baked sourdough bread and bannock.
Commissioner’s Residence
The Klondike gold rush was a challenging time for the Tr’ondek Hwech’in First Nation, and for the hand miners who dug up these creeks. Take a tour with Parks Canada to take a peek behind the curtain of history.
Klondike Institute of Art and Culture
I can’t imagine a better place than Dawson to study art. The town may be small, but it has a creative community and a rich program of art events throughout the year. Many of the events take place at the KIAC building. KIAC hosts Dawson’s annual short film festival each April as well as the Yukon Riverside Arts Festival in August.
Also check out KIAC’s ODD Gallery, Dawson’s contemporary art centre.
Paddlewheel Graveyard
Trek to the wrecks and see the remains of the old Yukon sternwheeler. To get there, take the free ferry across the river and walk through the Yukon River Government Campground.
Walk to the end of the campground and walk through the small yellow gate. Follow the trail to the river’s shore approximately 200 m further to the first site.
The wooden vestiges of several paddle wheelers were dry-docked here on the shore of the Yukon River. Once considered the primary mode of transportation in the region, boats were abandoned when ground travel became more popular.
Please note that the site is not managed and should be explored at your own risk. Drop in at the Visitor Information Centre for an information flyer. Also, check on the weather and water levels before heading over.
Cruise the Yukon River
Cruise the Yukon River on a paddle-wheeler and get right into the Klondike Spirit. The paddle-wheeler runs the Yukon river daily from May-September offering river tours and dinner options. Get aboard and find out what makes Dawson City and the Yukon River so special.
Midnight Dome
No trip to Dawson is complete without hiking or driving to the top of Midnight Dome for a spectacular, panoramic view of Dawson City, the surrounding landscape, and gold mining areas.
To drive there, turn onto Dome Road just outside of town. Follow the winding road for approximately 10-15 minutes, which will bring you right to the top.
If you prefer to hike, pick up a trail map and talk to someone at the Visitor Information Centre.
More To See and Do
- Cemeteries – (Mary McLeod Rd) A 15-minute walk up King Street and Mary McCloud Road near town leads to 10 cemeteries that are filled with great Dawson characters including Father Judge and Percy DeWolfe.
- Crocus Bluff – (off Mary McLeod Rd) near Dawson’s cemeteries, a short trail with interpretive panels takes you out to Crocus Bluff where you get great views of Dawson City and Klondike and Yukon Rivers.
- Goldbottom Mine Tours – Take a tour of an actual working mine and try your luck at some gold panning.
- Dredge Number 4 – (Bonanza Road) Tour the Klondike’s legendary gold Dredge No. 4, some 13 km off the Klondike Hwy
- Bonanza Creek Discovery Site – (Bonanza Road) About 1.5 from Dredge No 4, this national historic site is where gold was first found in 1879.
Entertainment and Nightlife
Diamond Tooth Gerties
Diamond Tooth Gerties is a historic gambling hall with a honky-tonk piano and dancing girls; Canada’s first legalized gambling hall. The casino helps promote the town and fund culture. Each night there are three different floor shows with singing and dancing at 8:30 pm, 10 pm, and midnight. Visitors must be 19 or older.
Westminster Hotel
The Westminster is a must-see if you are visiting Dawson and want to get a real taste of the Klondike. Known as the bar in Dawson City, the Westminster is also referred to as “The Pit” by locals. The original 1898 building has sloping ceilings, crooked floors, and always interesting clientele. Apparently, there are more tales in this building than anywhere else in the Klondike. Stop in for a weekday drink special or for the live music Friday and Saturday nights.
Sourdough Saloon
Dare yourself to sip a Sour-toe Cocktail garnished with a real, pickled human toe and officially become a “Sourdough”, a true Northerner. I missed out on this occasion during my first visit to Dawson.
Special Events
Yukon Quest – Dawson City Layover
The Yukon Trail follows historical Gold Rush and mail delivery dog sled routes from the turn of the 20th Century. The trail comes alive each February with hundreds of sled dogs and their Mushers who attempt the 1000-mile race.
Dawson City is the halfway point and it is a mandatory stopover for each mushing team. I sure would enjoy getting some of the action!
Percy DeWolfe Memorial Mail Race
The Percy DeWolfe Memorial Mail Race is a 210-mile (338 km) international dog sled race, running from Dawson City, Yukon to Eagle, Alaska, and back! The race follows the Yukon River along the same historic mail route once travelled by Percy DeWolfe.
Trek over the Top
Trek over the Top is an international snowmobile run from Tok, Alaska to Dawson City, Yukon. This event happens in March. Riders travel over 200 miles of groomed trail through an amazing lonely landscape to arrive in Dawson City. The event is organized by the Klondike Tourism Association.
Dawson’s Accommodation
Accommodations have come a long way in Dawson City since the early days of the gold rush. Wall tents and old cabins have been replaced by comfortable hotel suites and off-the-grid campsites in great locations.
Dawson City has really got it all. Fortunately, they’ve managed to keep their accommodation in the rustic, frontiers-like style that makes this town so great.
Check out Booking.com for the cheapest accommodation.
Yukon River Campground
This is a Government Campground km 0.3 on the Top of the World Highway. From Dawson, you take the ferry across the Yukon River and the campground is located on the right-hand side when you head up the hill.
This campground has 98 shady sides and is perfect if you like privacy and less noise. It’s suitable for RVs as well as for pitching a tent. Some sights are right on the river.
Bonanza Gold RV Park and Campground
They are located right at Bonanza Creek Road south of town at km 712 Klondike Highway and they offer powered RV sites. Check out their website for more information.
Even if you don’t stay at the campground, they offer hot showers, car wash and laundry facilities. Bring loonies or get coins at the office.
Dawson River Hostel
Located on the west bank of the Yukon River, this delightful and eccentric hostel offers the best views of Dawson City. Take the ferry from town and the hostel is five minutes up the hill from the ferry landing. It has cabins, platforms for tents, and a communal bathhouse. Meet people from all over the world as you share in this rustic experience at this beautiful spot.
Hotels, B & B, Cabins
Reservations are a good idea during the busy times in July and August. Many places will pick you up from Dawson Airport. Many are open all year round.
Weather
- Dawson City has a sub-Arctic climate with pleasantly warm summer temperatures averaging 16°C during the long days of July.
- In winter, January temperatures average about – 27°C and there is usually snow from October through to April.
- Learn more about local weather information and weather patterns.
Road Trips from Dawson City
Tombstone Territorial Park
A day or overnight trip to Tombstone Territorial Park should definitely be on your list unless you do it en route to Inuvik.
From downtown Dawson, take the North Klondike Highway for approximately 40 minutes. Turn left onto the unpaved Dempster Highway and continue your drive for another hour, until you reach the Tombstone Interpretive Centre.
- Take a road trip to Tombstone Territorial Park for a day or hiking or a backpacking trip
- Continue from Tombstone and cross the Arctic Circle towards the Arctic Ocean on the famous Dempster Highway.
- Drive the amazing Top of the World Highway into Alaska.
- Take the day-long drive on the Klondike Highway to Whitehorse, Yukon’s capital city.
- Don’t miss a detour to the historic Keno City along the Silver Trail.
Visitor Information
- The Dawson City Visitor Centre – is a friendly place with great and helpful people. Ask them whatever you want to know and they will make you feel welcome. You can use their Wi-Fi for free, unlimited, and like me, leave the camera overnight for charging the battery. Here you find out about the activity schedule and available walking tours. The visitor centre is located on Main Street near the waterfront. Phone: (867) 993 6768; Website: www.dawsoncity.ca
- Northwest Territory Visitors Centre – Make sure to stop here if you plan to drive the Dempster Highway. The friendly and helpful staff will provide you with information to safely plan your trip. You get here the current road and weather conditions for your trip further north. Phone: (867) 993 6167.