Shared itinerary · Yukon

Yukon road trip in 7 days

Seven days by road through the Yukon: Whitehorse, Miles Canyon and the hot springs, Emerald Lake and Carcross, two days in Kluane, home of Canada’s highest peaks, then the Klondike Highway north to Dawson City for the gold fields, a can-can show and the Tombstone range on the Dempster Highway. 25 stops with times and notes. Towns and fuel are far apart: fill the tank at every one, and carry a spare tire.

Updated October 2026

Distance

1,370 km

MacBride Museum of Yukon History → Goldensides Trail

Days

Stops

Each day of Yukon road trip in 7 days: route, stops and distance
Day	Route	Stops	Distance
Day 1	MacBride Museum of Yukon History to Eclipse Nordic Hot Springs	5	48.8 km
Day 2	Emerald Lake to Kwanlin Dün Cultural Centre	4	198 km
Day 3	Da Kų Cultural Centre to King’s Throne	3	211 km
Day 4	Tachäl Dhäl Visitor Centre to Soldiers Summit	2	114 km
Day 5	Braeburn Lodge to Klondike Kate’s	3	650 km
Day 6	Dredge No. 4 National Historic Site to Downtown Hotel	6	46.2 km
Day 7	Tombstone Interpretive Centre to Goldensides Trail	2	102 km

Day 1: MacBride Museum of Yukon History to Eclipse Nordic Hot Springs

48.8 km

Whitehorse and around it.

09:30
MacBride Museum of Yukon History

Sight

Yukon’s story from its First Nations to the gold rush, with Sam McGee’s cabin in the yard.

8.7 km · 10m drive to next
11:00
Miles Canyon

Park & nature

Basalt walls over the Yukon River and a suspension bridge, ten minutes south of downtown.

8.6 km · 10m drive to next
13:00
Klondike Rib and Salmon

Food & drink

Salmon and bannock in one of the town’s oldest buildings, open in summer.

29.7 km · 30m drive to next
15:00
Yukon Wildlife Preserve

Sight

Moose, caribou, muskox, lynx and mountain goats in big fenced ranges. Take the bus tour or walk the 5 km loop.

1.7 km · 5m drive to next
17:30
Eclipse Nordic Hot Springs

Activity

The old Takhini hot pools, rebuilt as a Nordic spa with hot pools, saunas and cold plunges, next door to the preserve.

Day 2: Emerald Lake to Kwanlin Dün Cultural Centre

198 km

A loop south on the South Klondike Highway to Carcross, and back to Whitehorse.

09:30
Emerald Lake

Park & nature

Green and blue from the marl on its bed, right beside the highway.

12.3 km · 15m drive to next
10:30
Carcross Desert

Park & nature

Sand dunes often called the world’s smallest desert.

3.2 km · 5m drive to next
11:30
Carcross

Sight

The old railway town on Bennett Lake: the carvers’ studios at the Commons, the station and lunch.

84.3 km · 1h drive to next
14:30
Kwanlin Dün Cultural Centre

Sight

Back in Whitehorse, the First Nation’s centre on the riverfront, with its art and exhibits.

Day 3: Da Kų Cultural Centre to King’s Throne

211 km

West on the Alaska Highway to Haines Junction, 90 minutes, and into Kluane National Park.

10:00
Da Kų Cultural Centre

Sight

The Champagne and Aishihik First Nations’ centre in Haines Junction, shared with the park’s visitor desk.

34.4 km · 25m drive to next
11:30
Kathleen Lake

Park & nature

The park’s one campground, on a lake under the King’s Throne.

2.6 km · 5m walk to next
12:30
King’s Throne

Activity

A steep climb from the lake to the cirque, about 10 km return. The view is the whole lake and the ranges behind it.

Day 4: Tachäl Dhäl Visitor Centre to Soldiers Summit

114 km

North along Kluane Lake, then back east to Whitehorse, about three and a half hours.

09:30
Tachäl Dhäl Visitor Centre

Sight

Dall sheep on the mountain above Kluane Lake, through the centre’s telescopes.

1.5 km · 5m drive to next
11:15
Soldiers Summit

Park & nature

A short trail to the spot where the Alaska Highway was opened in November 1942, over Kluane Lake, Yukon’s biggest.

Day 5: Braeburn Lodge to Klondike Kate’s

650 km

Whitehorse to Dawson City on the North Klondike Highway, 530 km. Fuel at Carmacks and Pelly Crossing.

09:00
Braeburn Lodge

Food & drink

Cinnamon buns the size of a dinner plate, an hour north of Whitehorse.

121 km · 1h 30m drive to next
11:30
Five Finger Rapids

Park & nature

A viewpoint and stairs down toward the rapids that the sternwheelers had to be winched through.

328 km · 5h drive to next
18:30
Klondike Kate’s

Food & drink

Dinner on the boardwalk in Dawson City, open in summer.

Day 6: Dredge No. 4 National Historic Site to Downtown Hotel

46.2 km

Dawson City: the gold fields in the morning, the town in the afternoon, the show at night.

09:30
Dredge No. 4 National Historic Site

Sight

The largest wooden-hulled gold dredge in North America, on Bonanza Creek.

2.5 km · 10m drive to next
11:15
Discovery Claim

Sight

Where gold was found on Bonanza Creek in August 1896, setting off the stampede.

20.0 km · 30m drive to next
13:30
Dawson City Museum

Sight

The gold rush told in the old Territorial Administration Building of 1901.

2.9 km · 15m drive to next
15:30
Midnight Dome

Park & nature

The lookout over the town and the Yukon and Klondike rivers. In June the sun barely sets behind it.

2.3 km · 15m drive to next
20:00
Diamond Tooth Gerties

Activity

Canada’s oldest casino, with can-can shows every night in summer.

235 m · 5m walk to next
22:30
Downtown Hotel

Food & drink

The Sourtoe Cocktail: a shot with a mummified toe in it. Your lips must touch the toe.

Day 7: Tombstone Interpretive Centre to Goldensides Trail

102 km

Up the Dempster Highway to Tombstone Territorial Park and back, about 110 km each way on gravel. Fill up in Dawson: the Dempster has no fuel until Eagle Plains, 369 km up it.

10:30
Tombstone Interpretive Centre

Sight

Exhibits and the rangers’ advice on the trails, beside the campground at km 71.5, with black granite peaks over the tundra all round.

3.1 km · 10m drive to next
11:30
Goldensides Trail

Activity

A short, steep climb to a ridge over the valley and the Tombstone range. Allow two to three hours up and back.