Wandering the Yukon - Dempster Highway, Northern Lights, Hot Springs, Great Food, Wildlife and More

Whitehorse, Yukon  (45 degrees, lots of rain)

Driving over the Top of the World Highway in the rain took its toil. Cleaning up the jeep and motorhome took a lot of time and effort. We had planned to stay at Tombstone Territorial Campground on the Dempster Highway but again rain was predicted and its a very rugged pot filled road. We were feeling a little beat up and decided to pass and take a road trip in the jeep instead. 

The Dempster Highway extends 457 miles towards a small Inuvik community and basically follows an old dog sled route. We drove about 62 miles of it. We have seen a lot of Alaska and wondered how different this road would be and whether it was really worth the effort.  It is!  Even though we were out there on a very rainy day it was so beautiful. What was especially interesting was the vast stretches of tundra. 

The campground, Tombstone, is about 45 miles in with primitive sites and very popular. There are some sites which would be great for big rigs. The sites are first come, first served and from what we have heard you would want to arrive early to snag one. There are a few pull out places further north which could be used if not available. The Visitor Center was very helpful and the warm fire and hot tea were so appreciated.

From Dawson City we headed further southeast to a small town called Pelly Crossing. This was just a stopover and it turned out we were in the right place at the right time to see the Aurora Borealis late at night.  I had downloaded an app on my phone which alerted me conditions were favorable for seeing it. John set the alarm clock for 1 a.m.  He got up to look out and rushed back to wake me up. What a cool phenomenon. It was like a thin lacy green ribbon streaking across the skyline. One minute it was visible and the next it was gone.  A few minutes later it would streak across again. We woke up our friends Bob and Becky and together we watched it in awe for quite awhile.  What an experience. Our pictures are terrible but we will remember this night forever.

From here we went to another hot spring outside of Whitehorse. The drive here was so pretty as we drove by many lakes and forests. The Yukon has a raw beauty all its own. We like it.

TIP:Be sure to stop at the Five Finger Rand Overlook. Take the stairs down to the overlook for a beautiful view.

Five Fingers Rapids (over 230 stairs each way to see it but well worth the effort)

The campground at the hot spring was very peaceful and nice. Although the hot spring is dated (a renovation is planned) it was very clean and felt great. It's also very reasonable and the staff are helpful and courteous.



Next to our campground was the Yukon Wildlife Preserve. We spent the afternoon on a pretty day walking around and getting some up close looks at the wildlife.  There is a van trip you can take but we would have had to wait quite awhile to take it and opted to walk instead.

Male Elk

Thin horned sheep

Mountain goat

Lynx

Red fox

Arctic Fox

Caribou

Male moose

Our friends Randy and Fran passed through the area and we all met at the Klondike Rib and Salmon for a delicious dinner together in Whitehorse. It was a long wait but the food was so well prepared and so yummy.  Randy and Fran told us all about a NOMADS project they had led for three weeks. They sure accomplished a lot with  a very limited amount of volunteers.  

TIP:  Go early to the restaurant 

Campground Reviews: 

Pelly River Crossing, Pelly Crossing, Yukon, 2 stars, free ($0-wow), maintained by a First Nations in area, no hookups, no water or dump, free firewood, dirt sites with trees and privacy, somewhat run down, a few can accommodate a big rig, near river, campers nearby "celebrating" late into the night, good Verizon signal

Hot Springs Campground and Hostel, Whitehorse, Yukon, 3 stars, 30 amp pull thru, no water or sewer, dump and water available at campground, level, gravel sites, close together, in pretty birch tree forest, poor Verizon signal, poor WiFi, walking distance to hot springs

Caribou RV Park, Whitehorse, Yukon, 3 stars, 30 amp/water pull thru, no sewer, dump on site, great RV/Car wash on premises, slightly run down, owner  is very friendly and helpful, very limited WiFi (check email only), no Verizon signal, 

TIP: Be sure to make reservations for dinner at the Wolf Den, a Swiss/German restaurant next door. We enjoyed an excellent dinner together. 

Travel to the Heart of the Klondike Gold Rush - Dawson City

Dawson City, Yukon (50ish, rain most of the time, one sunny day)

Traveling to Dawson City from Chicken Alaska involves going over the Top of the World Highway. This is a challenging stretch of road with sections of pavement, gravel, and pot holes. Lots of pot holes. From what we have gathered you either arrive in Dawson City covered in dust or covered in mud. We got mud!

The road climbs to over 4000 feet and the views are spectacular. On a clear day it must be really beautiful. John had to be very careful and stay on the road even when large trucks passed by. The shoulders of the road are very soft and steep. We had heard rumors of a few motorhomes toppling over this season. We crossed into Canada at the top of the highway and entered the Yukon Territory. It rained most of our trip and although it was only 108 miles it took us 5 hours to accomplish. It was our toughest drive.

The road ends at the Yukon River and we waited for a free ferry to take us over to Dawson City. The river was rushing and the ferry looked so small as it approached. However, we quickly got on with the expert help of the crew.

Here is a brief video of our Dawson River Crossing

Within minutes it bumped into the shore and we were off. Our campground was only a few minutes from the port. It was a welcome site.











Speaking of sights....when we arrived our motorhome and Jeep were covered in mud. People stopped to take pictures. I couldn't stop laughing at how it looked. That evening a heavy rainstorm came through and John went out and was able to brush off a lot of the mud on the motorhome during the storm. Sweet!

We really like Dawson City. It's had had an extensive renovation by Parks Canada and local residents. This historic gold rush town has been lovingly restored. It's a gem. You may remember our earlier visit to Skagway where the gold prospectors originally landed. They eventually floated down the Yukon River with all their goods to try and strick it rich.  This is where all that took place.

Here is a link to our earlier post in Skagway.

S.S. Keno

Excellent place for dinner

Yukon poet Robert Service cabin

Pretty hanging baskets adorn ths lovely home

Commissioners Rescidence

Good example of the false fronts of many of the buildings

A must see show is Diamond Tooth Gerties. It's a non-profit gambling casino which offers three completely different shows each night. It's a Klondike style, can can show and lots of fun. We went with our friends Bob and Becky for the 10 pm and midnight show. Next thing we knew Bob was commandeered to be part of the show.  He was a great sport.  Check  out his special hidden talents we were unaware of in the video below. He is the fourth person from the right. 

Lots of people have told us to be sure and stop at the Downtown Hotel and join the Sourtoe Club. Currently, believe it or not, there are over 100,000 members who have drank a cocktail which includes a shot of alcohol where your lips touch a "dehydrated" toe. "You can drink it fast, or drink it slow, but your lips gotta touch the toe".  Well, of coarse we had to check this out one evening. Barry, Becky, John, and I are now certificate carrying members. I thought there would only be a few of us who would show up. I was mistaken. There was a long line of people down the stairs and out the door most of the night waiting for their turn.  

We also enjoyed a tour of the Gold Dredge #4. This was a more effectve way to get gold and was utilized  in Dawson City and other areas from 1914 to 1959. The mechanics of this "digger" was made in Ohio and was carried by ship to the mouth of the Yukon and then by a river boat upstream where it was assembled. In today's money it cost $16.5 million dollars.  Our friend Becky called it "the largest pac man like dirt eating gold sifting monstrosity".

There were 64 two ton buckets which basically scooped up the dirt from just above the bedrock. It then entered into this structure where it was sifted.  Huge amounts of water washed the dirt and mud away and they were able to clear 200 ounces of gold per day. Amazing!

Slues where the water separated out the rock and gold

You can probably tell we had a great time n Dawson Coy. It really exceeded our expectations and ts a fun place to visit. It's not the easiest place to get to but well worth the effort. 

Campground Review:  Gold Rush Campground, 3 stars, 30 amp gravel full hook up, parking lot style, sites very close together, terrible WiFi. good Verizon signal. What is great about this campground is it's location. You can walk downtown and visit all the attractions and restaurants.