CANADA


Midnight Dome lookout above Dawson City, Yukon Right: A woodland caribou in the Yukon Wildlife Preserve


HIGHLIGHTS WHITEHORSE


The 1890s encampment on the Yukon River’s White Horse Rapids has grown into the Yukon’s lively capital. Midnight Sun Coffee Roasters has artisan brews and bike hire, perfect for freewheeling the Waterfront Trail spanning the city. Next, explore the SS Klondike, a 19th-century boat-cum-museum revealing the scale of the region’s gold rush, and enjoy the wild game menu at Klondike Rib & Salmon, which is housed in the city’s oldest operating building. Nearby, Yukon Wildlife Preserve, Emerald Lake, Miles Canyon and Takhini Hot Springs offer further action and adventure. midnightsuncoffeeroasters.com klondikerib.com yukonwildlife.ca


DAWSON CITY


Make sure you have a full tank of petrol: it’s around a six-hour drive to the next stop. You can top up on food an hour in at Braeburn Lodge, famed for its delicious, dinner-plate- sized cinnamon buns. Your destination, the atmospheric frontier town of Dawson City, has welcomed both dignitaries and the desperate over the centuries, including pioneer-era author Jack London, whose wood cabin is now a museum. Take in this national historic site’s


old theatres, clapboard houses and saloon bars on a walking tour. A must-see is the Sourdough Saloon, located in The Downtown hotel, which serves the infamous Sourtoe Cocktail (a strong alcohol of your choice, with a preserved human toe in it). Just beyond town, the Klondike fields are where Canada’s gold rush began in 1896. Try gold-panning at Discovery Claim National Historic Site and get a view of it all from Midnight Dome lookout; during the colder months, the panorama is often lit by the Aurora Borealis. facebook. com/gianormousfood jacklondonmuseum.ca coasthotels.com


DEMPSTER HIGHWAY


Wind your way along the Dempster Highway through remote tundra towards the dramatic wilderness of Tombstone Territorial Park, about an hour north of the Dempster Corner turnoff. Named for its craggy granite peak, the park is populated by wind-carved mountains and scenic viewpoints like North Fork Pass and Two Moose Lake. Numerous trails crisscross this ‘Patagonia of the North’.


EAGLE PLAINS


The road winds along the Ogilvie River Valley then climbs to the Eagle Plains plateau for spectacular views of the region. This is more


or less halfway along the Dempster Highway, before it heads into the Northwest Territories. Eagle Plains Hotel, the only one for many miles, is a hub for travellers to exchange tales from the road and refuel (try the double- decker Arctic burger). The town also has an RV park and campground. eagleplainshotel.ca


LATITUDE 66° 33’ ARCTIC CIRCLE


You’ve reached the end of your journey — and what an end it is. Just an hour’s drive north of Eagle Plains is latitude 66˚ 33’N, better known as the Arctic Circle, marked by a roadside sign. Despite its icy connotations, it can surprise visitors: in midsummer, the sun circles the sky but never sets; in autumn (August to September), the Richardson Mountains are ablaze with fiery colours. For those keen to complete the route, it’s six hours or more to the town of Inuvik, with the Arctic Ocean a further three hours’ drive away. SB


HOW TO DO IT: My Canada Trips offers the 10-night Klondike Gold Rush Self Drive from £2,859 per person, including flights from London to Vancouver and Vancouver to Whitehorse, car hire, accommodation and a three-hour canoe trip in the Klondike Gold Rush region. Before setting off, ensure you have a spare tyre, a full tank of petrol and, ideally, an additional canister. mycanadatrips.co.uk


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