Yukon Photos

This selection of pictures and photos of Canada’s Yukon capture sweeping images of wild arctic landscapes, and bring to life the territory’s lively gold rush history.

Yukon, dubbed “larger than life” is a wild place with rivers, mountains, glacier-fed lakes, alpine flowers and abundant wildlife. Yukon is the most western of Canada’s three territories, bordering the US state of Alaska to the west and the Northwest Territories to the east.

There are many stunning parks in Yukon, including Kluane National Park in the southwest, which is a Unesco World Heritage Site. In Kluane National Park, one can visit the Kashawulsh glacier, take in a winter sunset, or view Mt Logan, the highest mountain in Canada.

The Tombstone Mountains are one of the territory’s treasures. Here, jagged granite peaks mark the skyline. The Tombstone Mountains can be accessed from the Dempster Highway. The Dempster Highway, completed in 1979, provides 671 km of roadway from Dawson City, Yukon to Inuvik in the Northwest Territories.

Whitehorse is Yukon’s capital, and Dawson City is the second largest city. During the Klondike gold rush in the late 19th century, people came to Yukon in droves. Diamond Tooth Gertie’s in Dawson City is a great place to see cancan-style dancing from the gold rush era.

Other attractions in Yukon include the Carcross Desert, which is the smallest desert in the world. Only 2.6 square kilometers, the Carcross Desert has a dry microclimate where many rare plants grow.

Historically, riverboats were an important means of transportation on Yukon’s waterways. One can explore the boats by visiting the S.S. Keno, a National Historic Site.

The unique “sign post forest” in the community of Watson Lake was started in 1942 by a homesick US army G.I. who posted a sign with the mileage to his hometown. Since then, thousands more signs have been posted.

Photographs of scenic arctic wilderness and historic sites provide exciting images of Canada’s Yukon Territory.