Yukon
Tombstone tundra, Kluane icefields, and KP4+ aurora photography
When to Go
Drag across months to filter by season, conditions, and light
Dempster Highway fuel available only at Eagle Plains (~500km from Dawson). Carry 2 spare tires. Tombstone Interpretive Centre open mid-May to mid-Sep.
Photography Route
Route
Whitehorse → Miles Canyon → Emerald Lake → Kathleen Lake → Kluane icefield → Tombstone (Dempster Hwy)
Getting There & Around
Fly Whitehorse (YXY). Car essential — Dempster Highway requires 4WD + spare tires.
Best Windows
Trip Overview
Daily Budget
$100–$300 / day
Permits & Visa
No permits required
No permits; Kluane park free entry
Duration
10-14 days for full Yukon circuit, 7 days for Tombstone + Kluane
The Yukon is Canada's last true wilderness — the Alaska Highway threads through boreal forest and subarctic tundra where the Northern Lights perform from August to April. Autumn turns the taiga gold overnight; the mountains receive their first snow in September.
Gear Essentials
Itinerary at a Glance
A 12-Day Yukon Photography Arc
Day 1 — Arrive Whitehorse (YXY). Pick up 4WD with spare tires. Yukon Wildlife Preserve in afternoon (drive-through, bison + lynx + moose). Sunset at Miles Canyon basalt cliffs (10 min from downtown). Stay Coast High Country Inn or Edgewater Hotel.
Day 2 — Whitehorse + Miles Canyon dawn. Pre-dawn at Miles Canyon — basalt walls + Yukon River rapids. Walk the suspension bridge + canyon trail (6 km loop). Mid-day at Emerald Lake (1.5 hr south, near Carcross) for the iconic turquoise glacier lake against red mountains.
Day 3 — Drive to Carcross + Tutshi Lake. Carcross Desert (smallest in the world, technically a glacial lake bed). Continue south on the South Klondike Highway through Tagish Lake views. Optional: cross briefly into British Columbia / Skagway, AK.
Day 4 — Drive to Kluane National Park (2 hr west). Haines Junction base. Tatshenshini-Alsek viewpoints. Sunset at Kathleen Lake for the King’s Throne reflection. Stay Kluane Park Inn or Cottonwood RV Park cabins.
Day 5 — Kluane Icefield Viewpoint flight. Glacier sightseeing flight from Haines Junction (Sifton Air or Rocking Star) — over the world’s largest non-polar icefield + Mt. Logan (Canada’s highest peak, 5,959 m). On clear days the St. Elias front range also reads from the highway pullouts. Evening back at Kathleen Lake for aurora reflections in season.
Day 6 — Kluane hikes. Sheep Mountain (15 km / 700 m) for Dall sheep + mountain views, OR King’s Throne (10 km / 1,000 m strenuous) for the high vantage over Kathleen Lake.
Day 7 — Drive north to Tombstone country. Return to Whitehorse on the Old Alaska Highway via Champagne (2 hr), then north on the Klondike Highway toward Dawson (6 hr Whitehorse → Dawson). Stops at Five Finger Rapids, Pelly Crossing. Arrive Dempster turnoff (Klondike Lodge area). Stay at Eagle Plains Hotel (small, book ahead) or tent at Tombstone Park campground.
Day 8 — Tombstone Range Viewpoint. Pre-dawn at the Tombstone Range Viewpoint (km 74 of the Dempster) — the jagged spires of the Ogilvie Mountains catching first light over the tundra, which peaks in autumn color late Aug-early Sep. Visitor centre for trail info.
Day 9 — Grizzly Lake hike (Tombstone Park premier hike). 22 km / 1,000 m round trip — moderate-strenuous full day. Approach to one of the most photogenic alpine lakes in the Yukon, with the Tombstone spires above. Permit required for camping; day-hike OK.
Day 10 — Dempster Highway day. Drive further on the Dempster Highway (gravel, slow) into Tombstone Park interior. Optional Eagle Plains north for the rest of the Dempster (660 km to Inuvik — adds 2+ days, Arctic Circle marker).
Day 11 — Drive back to Whitehorse (6 hr) + departure prep. Long transit south on the Klondike Highway. Aurora viewing at night (mid-Aug to mid-Apr season) from Lake Laberge or Wolf Creek.
Day 12 — Departure from YXY.
Best photographer window: mid-August to mid-September — tundra color (red bearberry, golden willow + birch) at Tombstone, plus first aurora attempts. March for late-winter aurora + snow-covered peaks (when roads are accessible). June for midnight sun (above Arctic Circle on Dempster — sun doesn’t set). Avoid May (mud + blackflies hatching) and Nov (transitional, dark).
Useful Info & Physical Difficulty
Physical Difficulty
Moderate to advanced for hiking-focused trips:
- Miles Canyon walk: 6 km flat loop with suspension bridge.
- Emerald + Kathleen Lake: drive-up viewpoints.
- Tombstone Viewpoint (km 71 Dempster): drive-up.
- Grizzly Lake (Tombstone): 22 km / 1,000 m, alpine, exposed weather. Permit required for overnight; day-hike feasible if fit.
- Kluane Icefield flight: passive — but altitude + small aircraft motion may affect some.
- King’s Throne (Kluane): 10 km / 1,000 m, steep scree.
Weather + Light
- Summer (Jun–Aug): 10–25°C, 20+ hr daylight in Jun (no sunset above Arctic Circle), mosquitoes Jun–early Jul.
- Fall (Sep): 0–12°C, tundra color peak first 2 weeks. Early frost. First aurora.
- Winter (Nov–Apr): −35 to −15°C. Aurora season, but extreme cold logistics. Bring photography gear cold-rated; lithium batteries die fast.
- Spring (May): variable, ice breakup, mud, skip unless you have specific subjects.
Wildlife
- Grizzly bears (Tombstone, Kluane): Jun–Sep. Carry bear spray.
- Caribou (Porcupine herd, Dempster): peak Sep–Oct migration.
- Dall sheep (Sheep Mountain, Kluane): year-round, telephoto on cliffs.
- Moose (everywhere): dawn/dusk in wet meadows.
- Wood bison (Aishihik herd, near Haines Junction): year-round.
Permits + Safety
- Tombstone Territorial Park: free day-use, permits required for backcountry overnight camping. Reservations open 1 Jan for summer.
- Kluane NP (Parks Canada): standard Discovery Pass.
- Dempster Highway: 740 km mostly gravel. Bring 2 spare tires, extra fuel, satellite communicator. Eagle Plains is the only services stop in 370 km.
- Aurora forecast: aurora.gi.alaska.edu Kp index for the Yukon (similar to Fairbanks latitude).
- Drones: banned in NPs (Kluane) and Territorial Parks (Tombstone). Generally allowed on crown land + roadways.
Airports, Lodging & Logistics
Airports
- Whitehorse (YXY) — primary Yukon hub. Air Canada + Air North + WestJet. Direct from Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton, Frankfurt (seasonal Condor).
- Inuvik (YEV) — Arctic, useful if completing the Dempster.
- Dawson City (YDA) — small, central north Yukon.
Lodging
Whitehorse: Coast High Country Inn, Edgewater Hotel (river view), SKKY Hotel.
Tombstone area: tent camping in Tombstone Park (no fees, free wilderness camping further north). Eagle Plains Hotel (cabin-style, north end of Dempster). No proper lodging at Tombstone itself.
Dawson City (gold-rush historic town): Westmark Inn, Bombay Peggy’s, Eldorado Hotel.
Kluane / Haines Junction: Kluane Park Inn, Raven Hotel, Mount Logan Lodge.
Food
Limited beyond Whitehorse + Dawson. Stock up at Real Canadian Superstore (Whitehorse) for the Dempster + Kluane trips. Klondike Rib & Salmon (Whitehorse) for classic Yukon. Dawson has Klondike Kate’s + the Sourtoe Cocktail (yes, a real toe).
Transport
- 4WD with spare tires + extra fuel required for Dempster Highway.
- Distances: Whitehorse → Tombstone 7 hr (560 km, mix paved + gravel last 70 km); Whitehorse → Kluane (Haines Junction) 1.5 hr; Whitehorse → Dawson City 6 hr; Dawson City → Inuvik on full Dempster 12+ hr / 740 km gravel.
- Gas stations: every 100–200 km on paved. Plan for 370 km gap between Eagle Plains and Fort McPherson on Dempster.
- Cell service: spotty outside Whitehorse + Dawson. Satellite communicator (Garmin inReach) essential.