Rural Yukon
Around Rural Yukon
Photo: Diego Delso · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Countryside and towns · Yukon · 8319 people
Rural Yukon
Locals say the Yukon · “The Land of the Midnight Sun”, “The Klondike”
Where the rivers run gold and the skies dance
GoldForest GreenRiver Blue
Welcome to the Yukon, where the rivers run free and the mountains touch the sky. Whether you're here for the gold rush history or the quiet wilderness, you'll find a community that knows how to make you feel at home. Pull up a chair, grab a coffee, and share your story.
Clubs for Rural Yukon
No clubs for Rural Yukon yet.
The room
One room for everyone around Rural Yukon. It never closes; when it's busy it splits into tables. Once you're in, you stay until you leave.
Ask the neighbours
AllA good plumber, the best tacos, a lost cat: nobody has asked yet. Be the first.
Coming up
No events in the next month. Events made in the room show up here.
Marketplace
Things for sale, free and wanted, and rooms for rent, from people around Rural Yukon. Sign in to sell something.
Things to do
- Klondike National Historic Sites Preserved gold rush-era buildings and dredges in Dawson City.
- Dawson City Museum Local history and First Nations artifacts.
- Kluane National Park and Reserve Home to Mount Logan, Canada's highest peak.
- Tombstone Territorial Park Dramatic peaks and tundra, known for fall colours.
- Dredge No. 4 Largest wooden-hulled bucket dredge in North America, near Dawson City.
- Palace Grand Theatre Restored 1899 vaudeville theatre in Dawson City.
- Outdoors Hike the King's Throne trail in Kluane
- Outdoors Paddle the Yukon River between Whitehorse and Dawson
- With kids Pan for gold at Claim 33
- With kids Tour the historic Palace Grand Theatre
- Evenings Diamond Tooth Gerties Gambling Hall
- Evenings Live music at the Palace Grand Theatre
- Locals love Roadside cafes
- Locals love Riverboat tours
Through the year
- Dawson City Music Festival July A summer staple with local and touring acts.
- Yukon Quest dog sled race February A 1,000-mile race from Whitehorse to Fairbanks, passing through rural communities.
- Discovery Day celebrations August Commemorates the 1896 gold discovery with parades and parties in Dawson City.
- Yukon River Quest canoe race June A 444-mile paddle from Whitehorse to Dawson City.
- Kluane Mountain Bluegrass Festival July Bluegrass and roots music in Haines Junction.
The Yukon has a subarctic climate with long, bitterly cold winters and short, warm summers. Expect extreme temperature variations, but the dry air makes it feel less harsh than coastal areas. Best: Late June to August for warm days and midnight sun, and February to March for aurora and winter sports.
Talk like a local
- “Sourdough”
- A veteran Yukoner, especially one who's been through many winters.
- “Indian summer”
- The brief period of warm weather in late summer before the cold sets in.
- “The dark”
- A term for the long winter darkness, often used affectionately.
- “Midnight sun”
- The midnight sun period in summer when it never gets dark.
Getaways
- Whitehorse Visit the capital for shopping and the Yukon Beringia Centre.
- Northeast BC Drive the Alaska Highway to Fort Nelson and the Northern Rockies.
- Juneau Fly to Juneau for glacier views and whale watching.
Local flavour
Rooting for Vancouver Canucks, Calgary Flames, Edmonton Oilers
Eat and drink
- Bannock First Nations fried bread, a staple at community gatherings
- Smoked salmon Often fire-cured over alder, a Yukon river tradition
- Wild game Moose and caribou stews, often slow-cooked with root vegetables
- Sourdough bread A nod to the sourdough prospectors of the gold rush
- Fireweed honey Made from the iconic pink fireweed that blankets the land
- Yukon Gold potatoes A variety named for the territory, roasted or boiled
Where people go
- Historic gold rush towns Dawson City's preserved frontier architecture and dredge relics
- Roadhouses Old way stations along the Alaska Highway, now often lodges or museums
- Wilderness cabins Rustic log cabins for trapping, fishing, or weekend escapes
- Northern lights viewpoints Open hillsides or frozen lakes away from any light pollution
- General stores The social hub of small communities, stocking everything from nails to groceries
Make this page better
Know a place, a festival, a word locals use, or something here that's wrong? Suggest it; someone at Popchat checks every one.
Sign in and join a club here to suggest.
Nearby
Every areaRural Yukon, YT. Areas from the US Census Bureau and Statistics Canada; places from GeoNames. Local flavour was written with a model and may have mistakes. Team names identify teams; no endorsement.