Planning a Trip

Getting There

Whitehorse Airport (tel. 867/667-8440), just off the Alaska Highway on a rise above the city, is served by Air Canada Jazz (tel. 888/247-2262) from Vancouver. Air North (tel. 800/661-0407 in Canada, or 800/764-0407 from the U.S.) flies into Whitehorse from Juneau and Fairbanks, Alaska, plus Edmonton, Calgary, and Vancouver. First Air (tel. 800/267-1247 or 613/688-2635; www.firstair.ca) links Whitehorse to Yellowknife, while Condor Air (tel. 800/524-6975; www7.condor.com) in summer offers twice-weekly non-stop flights between Whitehorse and Frankfurt, Germany (the Yukon is a very popular destination for German outdoor adventurers). Cab fare to downtown Whitehorse from the airport is around C$12 (US$9.60). Whitehorse is 458km (284 miles) southeast of Beaver Creek (the Alaskan border).

Visitor Information

Your first stop should be the Yukon Visitor Information Centre, Second and Hanson streets (tel. 867/667-3084). The third week in May to the third week in September, the center is open daily 8am to 8pm; winter hours are Monday to Friday 9am to 4:30pm. A bounty of information can be found at www.tourwhitehorse.com, www.yukoninfo.com, and www.touryukon.com.

Getting Around

Public transit is handled by Whitehorse Transit (tel. 867/668-7433); fare is C$2 (US$1.60). Car rental is available from Budget (tel. 800/858-5377 or 867/667-6200), Hertz (tel. 800/654-3131) and National (tel. 867/456-2277 in Canada, or 800/764-2277 in the U.S.). If you need a taxi, try Yukon Taxi (tel. 867/633-7657).

Special Events

February is a happening month in Whitehorse. One of the top dogsled races in North America, the Yukon Quest (www.yukonquest.org) runs 1,610km (1,000 miles) between Whitehorse and Fairbanks, Alaska.. The town is filled with hundreds of yapping dogs and avid mushers, eager to vie for the C$125,000 (US$100,000) top prize. Making even more noise is the Frostbite Music Festival (www.frostbitefest.com), which attracts musicians and entertainers from across Canada. Immediately afterward is the Yukon Sourdough Rendezvous (www.yukonrendezvous.com), a midwinter festival commemorating the days of the gold rush with various old-fashioned competitions, like dog pulls, fiddling and costume contests, and a "mad trapper" competition.

In early summer, Whitehorse hosts the Yukon International Storytelling Festival (www.storytelling.yk.net), the third-largest event of its kind in the world. The festival highlights ancient stories of First Nations and Native circumpolar peoples, but features traditional stories from all over the world. Many stories are performed theatrically, with song, music, and dance.