Dawson City Holidays

Soak up the atmosphere of a small town that celebrates its rich past with heritage attractions and museums, but also has a vibrant, modern arts and cultural scene. Catch events year-round, including the Dawson City International Short Film Festival and Thaw di Gras Spring Carnival, both in March. The Dawson City Music Festival at the restored Palace Grand Theatre, and the Yukon Gold Panning Championship both take place in July. The whacky Great Klondike International Outhouse Race is in August, featuring teams pulling toilets on wheels through the streets with one member sat on the loo. Each February, Dawson City provides a welcoming halfway stop for competitors in the legendary Yukon Quest sled dog race, in which mushers and their dog teams race 1,000 miles from Yukon capital Whitehorse to Fairbanks, Alaska. In late June and early July, it is the finish for the gruelling Yukon River Quest, the world’s longest endurance marathon canoe and kayak race. Most attractions open from May to September.

Klondike goldfields
Visitors can follow a self-guided trail at the Discovery Claim National Historic Site. A cairn marks the spot on Klondike River tributary Bonanza Creek (originally known as Rabbit Creek) where George Carmack, Skookum Jim and Tagish Charlie first found gold on August 16, 1896, staking claims the next day and sparking the Klondike Gold Rush. A Yukon-wide public holiday is held on the Monday closest to August 17. Large companies bought out individual claims over time, bringing in giant dredges. At eight storeys high, Dredge No 4 was the largest wooden hull, bucket-line dredge in North America and began working Bonanza Creek in 1912, operating until 1960. It was excavated and relocated to its present position on higher ground in 1992 and is now open for guided tours. Try panning for gold at the Klondike Visitors Association-owned Free Claim #6 on Bonanza Creek or at Hunger Creek following a tour of the active, family-owned Millar gold mine at former town site Gold Bottom. Keep your eyes peeled – if you find gold at either, you get to keep it!

Robert Service and Jack London cabins
Wordsmiths Robert Service and Jack London put Dawson City on the map, vividly depicting life in this isolated northern outpost. Their preserved cabins offer a flavour of those tough times. Known as the Bard of the Yukon, Service is one of Canada’s best-known poets. His cabin, a National Historic Site, is run by Parks Canada and each summer a resident actor portrays him and reads works including The Cremation of Sam McGee, perhaps his most famous. The Jack London Museum cabin is a replica, built from half the logs of the Call of the Wild and White Fang author’s original shack while a Klondike prospector – the other half is in his hometown of Oakland, California.

Diamond Tooth Gerties Gambling Hall
Dance hall queen Diamond Tooth Gertie earned her nickname for the sparkly diamond set between her two front teeth. Owned by the Klondike Visitors Association, Gerties was Canada’s first casino when it opened in 1971 and proceeds are reinvested in the community. It offers three different Klondike-themed can-can shows nightly from May to September, each progressively more risqué, and opens on selected weekends in October and from late January to mid-April.

SS Keno and the Paddlewheel Graveyard
Steam-powered sternwheelers were the lifeblood of Dawson City, plying the Yukon River from Whitehorse, a 500-mile journey, and as far as St Michael on Alaska’s west coast. By 1899, 60 were in service on the river, bringing in a constant stream of supplies and prospectors. None of the gold rush steamers survive, although the remains of seven of these graceful Klondike queens lie slowly rotting on the west bank of the Yukon River at a site known as the Paddlewheel Graveyard, accessible by taking the George Black Ferry. The Keno was built in 1922 to transport silver, lead and zinc ore and was moved to its present berth on Dawson City’s waterfront in 1960 after retirement. A National Historic Site, it commemorates the long-lost age of the sternwheel steamers. Tours operate in summer with costumed interpreters, although access is limited.

Dawson City may have been born in the unforgiving hurly-burly of the last great gold rush, where fortunes were made and lost and grizzled prospectors fought over women as much as gold, but today it welcomes visitors with open arms and friendly smiles. On a Dawson City holiday you can relive its boomtown days, browse its shop, dine out and explore its magnificent surroundings while staying in comfortable hotels the gold hunters could only dream about. But hurry, with limited accommodation, early booking is essential.

Browse our amazing range of holidays in Dawson City

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  Aurora Inn Dawson City

  from £50

  The Aurora Inn is a lovely hotel in a great location just a few minutes walk from shops and entertainment in Dawson City and perfectly placed to watch ...see more

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  Westmark Inn Dawson City

  from £48

  The Westmark Inn is a large colourful hotel full of character with an excellent location in the heart of the city.

  Rooms are comfortable and ...see more

Although a small town, Dawson City is big on activities with a surprising amount on offer and endless places to visit. If you thought it was just about gold, think again. Discover the cultural heritage of the aboriginal people who first settled the frozen north. Take easy hikes to view the scenic surroundings of Dawson City or climb to the summit of Midnight Dome to survey the Yukon and Klondike river valleys from on high. Venture along desolate highways by car or RV to experience Yukon’s wilderness and spectacular landscapes. To help plan your visit, we have put together a list of top tips.

Top tips for visiting Dawson City

1. Learn about the First Nations

• The Dawson City area was the traditional territory of the Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in First Nation and you can learn about their history and culture at the Dänojà Zho Cultural Centre, which features guided tours of its Hammerstone Gallery and Gathering Room, hands-on activities and cultural events.
• The gift shop sells a variety of hand-made items such as beaded footwear. The centre is open Monday to Saturday in the summer.

2. Join The Sourtoe Cocktail Club

• The Sourtoe Cocktail Club is one of Dawson City’s strangest traditions. To join, head to the Downtown Hotel’s Sourdough Saloon (a Sourdough is someone who has lived through all four seasons in Yukon) and order a Sourtoe Cocktail – a shot of liquor, typically Yukon Jack, into which is dropped a real, mummified human toe.
• You then have to recite the Sourtoe Oath: “You can drink it fast, you can drink it slow, but your lips have gotta touch the toe.” Having knocked it back while remembering not to swallow the toe, you are enrolled into the club with a certificate.
• Since its inception in 1973, the club has gained over 100,000 members worldwide…and more than 10 donated toes.

3. Drive the Top of the World Highway

• The Top of the World Highway runs from Dawson City for 187 miles across the Alaska border to Tok, where it leads eventually to Fairbanks after another 200 miles.
• Reached by crossing the Yukon River via the free George Black Ferry, where queues can be long in the morning, it traverses mountain ridges high above the tree line to afford stunning views.
• The unpaved highway reaches over 4,500 feet at one point and is usually open from mid-May until mid-September.
• Watch out for wildlife such as caribou, black bears and occasional grizzly bears, and fauna such as Arctic cotton.

4. Take the Dempster Highway

• Take the Dempster Highway to visit Tombstone Territorial Park, a sprawling, pristine wilderness of craggy peaks, permafrost formations, meadows of tundra vegetation and wildlife.
• Located in Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in territory 40 minutes from Dawson City, you can go for a day hike or camp out, with permit, for longer treks. But check in first at the interpretive centre before wandering off.

5. Get active outdoors

• Rent a canoe for a day trip on the Klondike River or multi-day exploration of the Yukon River.
• Hike easy routes such as Dawson’s Ninth Avenue Trail or the challenging Midnight Dome.
• Hire a rental mountain bike from the Dawson City River Hostel and ride scenic routes such as the Waterfront Trail.
• Winter snows bring the chance to go snowshoeing, renting snowshoes from the city’s Recreation Department, and skiing on cross-country ski trails or Dawson’s ski hill, Moose Mountain.

6. Experience the midnight sun

• The sun barely dips below the horizon around the summer solstice, with Dawson enjoying up to 21.5 hours of sunlight.
• Enjoy daytime activities late into the night including a round on the Dawson City Golf Course, which is open from 10am-10pm from late May until early September. The course stages an annual midnight sun golf tournament over the June solstice.

7. Witness the Northern Lights

• Dawson City is one of the best places to view the Aurora Borealis, or Northern Lights. The often-brilliant, dancing displays can be seen from late August until April when the skies are clear.
• For forecasts of aurora intensity, visit www.gi.alaska.edu/AuroraForecast

8. Dress for the weather

• Make sure you dress appropriately for your visit. Summer daytime highs can top 30°C (86°F) but the average July temperature is 15.6°C (60.1°F), while the January average is -26.7°C (-16.1°F) and the thermometer often drops below -40°C (-40°F) in winter. The weather can change quickly at any time.

9. Take a paddlewheeler cruise

• Recreate the glory days of the river steamers with a nostalgic evening dinner cruise along the Yukon River aboard the Klondike Spirit, Yukon’s only operating paddlewheeler.
• The narrated tours unveil the stories of the Klondike Gold Rush, Dawson City and historic native site Moosehide.

10. Take photos!

• Avid photographers will be in their element in and around Dawson City, thanks to the amazing quality of light in these northerly latitudes, the astonishing beauty of the boreal forest, soaring mountains and snaking river valleys, and the glorious colours of the Yukon flora.

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