Planning a Trip

Getting There -- From Whitehorse you can catch an Air North plane for the 1-hour hop (tel. 800/764-0407 in the U.S., or 800/661-0407 in Canada). You can also fly round-trip from Fairbanks, Alaska. Call the Visitor Information Centre to inquire about bus service between Whitehorse and Dawson City -- the service formerly operated by the Dawson City Courier is not running at press time, but a replacement has been promised.

The scenic 537km (334-mile) drive on the North Klondike Highway from Whitehorse to Dawson City takes 6 to 8 hours. If you're driving from the upper part of Alaska, from Chicken take the chip-sealed Taylor Highway across the border, where it becomes the paved Top of the World Highway, completing the trip to Dawson.

Visitor Information -- The Visitor Information Centre, Front and King streets (tel. 867/993-5566), provides details on all historic sights and attractions; the national park service also maintains an information desk here. It's open mid-May to mid-September daily 8am to 8pm. Walking tours of Dawson City, led by highly knowledgeable guides, depart from the center daily in summer, costing C$6 (US$6/£3). Visit www.dawsoncity.ca for current information.

Special Events -- Discovery Days in mid-August commemorates the finding of the Klondike gold a century ago with dancing, music, parades, and canoe races. In mid-July the city hosts the Dawson City Music Festival (www.dcmf.com), featuring rock, folk, jazz, blues, world-beat, and traditional music from across Canada and beyond. Dawson also hosts a variety of winter events. In late February and early March, the Trek over the Top (www.trekoverthetop.com) features snowmobile races from Tok, Alaska, to Dawson City, and vice versa, via the Top of the World Highway. In mid-March, the Percy De Wolfe Memorial Race and Mail Run, a 336km (209-mile) dog-sled race from Dawson City to Eagle, Alaska, commemorates the route of historic Dawson mail carrier Percy De Wolfe.