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Yukon · Canada
The Klondike Gold Rush town, with dirt streets and late-19th-century wooden façades, on the banks of the Yukon River and at the start of the Dempster Highway.
In the photo: The Yukon River and Dawson City viewed from nearby hills.
Illustrative images. The pictures in this guide are illustrations based on the real place, not photographs, and may differ from it.
Get to know the place
Dawson City sits at the confluence of the Klondike and Yukon rivers, about 530 km north of Whitehorse. In 1896, the discovery of gold on Bonanza Creek sparked the Klondike Gold Rush: within a few years tens of thousands of people arrived by river, and the settlement became the largest town west of Winnipeg.
The rush ended after a few years, but Dawson preserved dirt streets, wooden sidewalks and false-front buildings from the era, many restored by Parks Canada as part of the Klondike National Historic Site. Among them are an 1899 theatre, the steamship SS Keno and the cabin of poet Robert Service. In the surrounding creeks, Dredge No. 4 shows the large-scale mining that followed.
The region is part of the Tr’ondëk-Klondike site, a UNESCO World Heritage listing that recognizes the history of the Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in people in the face of the gold rush. The town still has gold mining in the surrounding area.
Dawson is the starting point of the Dempster Highway, which runs north to the Arctic Ocean, and of the Top of the World Highway toward Alaska.
This destination brings together 1 city: Dawson City.
One destination, many paths
Start with one city or combine several in your itinerary.
Boundaries: Statistics Canada (Statistics Canada Open Licence) / geoBoundaries. Adapted by Cidade Turismo.
✈ Dawson City Airport (YDA) · 15 km to Dawson City
Dawson City Airport (YDA) receives flights from Whitehorse and is about 15 km from town. By car it’s roughly 530 km from Whitehorse via the Klondike Highway.
The local experience
Dirt streets and wooden sidewalks with gold-rush-era buildings restored by Parks Canada, including the Palace Grand theatre, the SS Keno and Robert Service’s cabin.
A huge wooden dredge used for gold mining on Bonanza Creek, about 13 km from Dawson City—one of the largest of its kind in North America.
A hill about 880 metres above Dawson City, with a viewpoint over the town, the confluence of the Klondike and Yukon rivers, and the Ogilvie Mountains.
Before you go
A little planning leaves more time to enjoy the journey.
June to August, with museums, theatres and tours operating, very long days and clear nights in June. September offers fall colors and fewer people. From October to April many services close and the cold is extreme; it’s aurora season.
The seasons shown are the most usual ones; nature doesn't always follow the calendar.
Two or three days: one for the historic centre, one for Dredge No. 4 and the Midnight Dome and, if time allows, a day for part of the Dempster Highway.
Accommodations are in the historic centre, within walking distance of the museums and the river, many in period-style buildings. In summer book ahead; from October to April few places are open.
Take your trash with you, follow the signs and support local businesses. In natural areas, follow the visiting guidelines.
Get your questions answered
It began with the discovery of gold on Bonanza Creek in 1896 and drew tens of thousands of people until about 1899.
Two or three days for the historic centre, Dredge No. 4 and the Midnight Dome.
By car, about 530 km via the Klondike Highway, or by plane on regional flights.
Yes, it is part of the Tr’ondëk-Klondike site inscribed by UNESCO.
Yukon Time, fixed year-round: UTC−7.
