Cornelius Amann
October 06, 2026
5/5
Yukon in Summer: Whitehorse, Dawson City and Kluane
8 days from Whitehorse under the midnight sun: up the Klondike Highway to three nights in Dawson City, a flight back south, and two nights at Haines Junction under the peaks of Kluane.
8 days · Round trip from Whitehorse · up to 12 guests
Whitehorse from the hills above the Yukon River in summer Photo: U.S. Embassy and Consulates in Canada, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Whitehorse,_YK_(48055305573).jpg)
The facts
At a glance
- Length
- 8 days, 7 nights
- Start and end
- Round trip from Whitehorse
- Group size
- 7 to 12 guests
- Longest drive
- 6.5 h on day 3
- Activity level
Easy
Easy to moderate: walks of 2 to 5 km on trails and boardwalks, with some stairs at Five Finger Rapids and uneven ground at Miles Canyon and Kathleen Lake. Most days have 2 to 4 hours on foot in total. One long road day (about 6.5 hours of driving with stops) on the Klondike Highway, which you can swap for a flight. Every walk can be shortened or sat out.
- Meals included
- 7 breakfasts, 5 lunches, 2 dinners
- Room of your own
- + CAD 995 (estimated price)
- Season
- Mid-June to late August
Highlights
Why this trip
- Miles Canyon in the morning, crossing the suspension bridge over the green Yukon River before the tour buses arrive
- The Klondike Highway to Dawson City, with a stop on the stairs above Five Finger Rapids
- Three nights in Dawson City: Dredge No. 4, an hour panning for gold on Bonanza Creek and a show at Diamond Tooth Gerties
- The Midnight Dome late in the evening, with the Yukon and Klondike rivers below and the sun still up
- A soak in the hot springs at Takhini and moose, caribou and muskox at the Yukon Wildlife Preserve
- Kathleen Lake in the morning calm, and watching for Dall sheep on Sheep Mountain above Kluane Lake
- An optional flight over the St. Elias icefields from Kluane
What makes this trip different
Short drives, all published
Every drive is listed day by day. The longest is 6.5 h, on day 3.
Free time is part of the plan
Free time and choices are marked on the days they fall.
Solo without the penalty
A room of your own is + CAD 995 (estimated price).
Day by day
Itinerary
The longest drive is 6.5 h, on day 3.
Tap any stop on the map to open that dayClick any stop on the map to open that day
Arrive in Whitehorse
Whitehorse airport (YXY) to your hotel downtown, then the riverfront
- Dinner
- Stay in Whitehorse
- Drive about 12 min
Fly into Whitehorse, the Yukon's capital, landing by about 3 pm.
Afternoon
A driver meets you in the small arrivals hall for the five-minute drive down the escarpment into town, and the rest of the afternoon is yours.
Evening
In the early evening your See Sight Tours guide meets the group for a short briefing on the week: the long drive north, what to pack for Dawson City, and how the midnight sun changes your sleep. Then we walk the riverfront path along the Yukon River to the SS Klondike, a restored sternwheeler that carried freight and passengers between Whitehorse and Dawson City until the road replaced the river in the 1950s, and past the Kwanlin Dün Cultural Centre on the water. Dinner together follows at a local restaurant downtown. At this time of year it will still be bright when you walk back to the hotel at ten, so close the curtains.
Included
- Pick-up at Whitehorse airport (YXY)
- Welcome briefing with your guide
- Riverfront walk to the SS Klondike (exterior) and the Kwanlin Dün Cultural Centre
- Welcome dinner
Free time: Free until the early-evening briefing
Activity: About 2 km of flat walking on the riverfront path.
Miles Canyon, wildlife and the hot springs
Whitehorse to Miles Canyon, then north to the Yukon Wildlife Preserve and the hot springs at Takhini
- Breakfast and lunch
- Stay in Whitehorse
- Drive about 1.5 h
We start at Miles Canyon, ten minutes south of town, before 10 am while the trail is quiet. The Yukon River squeezes here between walls of dark basalt, and gold seekers in 1898 lost boats in its rapids, before the 1958 dam on the Yukon River below the canyon tamed the river. Cross the Robert Lowe Suspension Bridge and walk the canyon rim for an hour or so, with the water an unreal green below.
Afternoon
Back in town there is a sit-down lunch, then we drive about half an hour north on the Klondike Highway to the Yukon Wildlife Preserve, where moose, wood bison, caribou, muskox, mountain goats and lynx live in large natural enclosures; a guided tour takes you round. A few minutes further up the road are the hot springs at Takhini, mineral pools in the forest, for a late-afternoon soak.
Evening
The evening is free in Whitehorse: an early night is wise before tomorrow's drive.
Included
- Miles Canyon walk with your guide and the Robert Lowe Suspension Bridge
- Sit-down lunch in Whitehorse
- Guided tour of the Yukon Wildlife Preserve
- Entry to the hot springs at Takhini
Easier option: Walk only to the bridge and back at Miles Canyon (under 1 km), and ride the preserve's shuttle tour rather than walking its loop.
More active option: Walk the longer canyon rim trail towards Canyon City, about 5 km return, while the group takes the short loop.
Free time: Evening free in Whitehorse
Activity: Up to about 5 km on foot at Miles Canyon and the preserve, on gravel trails with some uneven ground.
The Klondike Highway to Dawson City
Whitehorse past Lake Laberge, Carmacks and Five Finger Rapids to Dawson City
- Breakfast and lunch
- Stay in Dawson City
- Drive about 6.5 h
The longest day of the trip, and the only one over our four-hour driving cap: Whitehorse to Dawson City is about 535 km, roughly six and a half hours at the wheel. The Klondike Highway follows the old stampeders' route north.
Evening
We do not break the drive with a one-night stop; we drive it once and fly back on day 6. We leave at 8 am and stop every hour or so: a view over Lake Laberge, coffee on the road, then Five Finger Rapids, where a boardwalk and stairs drop towards the river where sternwheelers had to be winched through the rock islands. Lunch is a sit-down stop in Carmacks or Pelly Crossing. In the afternoon the road runs through burned and regrown forest, past the Stewart River and the Tintina Trench viewpoint, and we reach Dawson City around 5 pm, with the evening sun still high over its wooden false-front streets.
Included
- The Klondike Highway with your guide, with stops at Lake Laberge, Five Finger Rapids and the Tintina Trench viewpoint
- Sit-down lunch on the way
Easier option: Skip the long drive: fly from Whitehorse to Dawson City on a scheduled flight (extra cost, quoted at booking). You fly without the guide that day; we arrange a transfer from Dawson City airport to the hotel, and the group arrives in the early evening.
More active option: Walk the full stairs and trail down to the Five Finger Rapids viewing platform and back, about 2 km with roughly 200 steps.
Free time: Evening free in Dawson City
Activity: About 6.5 hours of driving with four or five stops; leave around 8 am and arrive around 5 pm. June and July bring mosquitoes at the roadside stops, so keep repellent in your day bag; in a wildfire summer, smoke or a road closure can change the stops or the timing, and your guide adjusts on the day.
Dredge No. 4, gold panning and Gerties
Dawson City up Bonanza Creek Road and back
- Breakfast and lunch
- Stay in Dawson City
- Drive about 1 h
Gold was found on Bonanza Creek in August 1896, and the stampede that followed built Dawson City within two years.
Morning
This morning we drive up Bonanza Creek Road, through valleys still lined with gravel tailings, to Dredge No. 4, a wooden bucket-line dredge the height of an eight-storey building that worked these creeks until 1959. We take the first guided tour of the day, inside its decks of gears and buckets. A few kilometres further on, we spend an hour panning for gold in the creek gravel with a pan and a few lessons; most people find a few flakes, and you keep them.
Afternoon
Lunch is back in town, followed by a free afternoon to walk the boardwalks of Front Street and the historic grid, part of the Tr'ondëk-Klondike World Heritage Site listed by UNESCO in 2023.
Evening
After dinner, which is your choice, we go to Diamond Tooth Gerties for the first can-can show of the night.
Included
- Guided tour of Dredge No. 4 National Historic Site
- Gold panning on Bonanza Creek
- Sit-down lunch in Dawson City
- Admission to Diamond Tooth Gerties and the evening show (19 and over)
Free time: Afternoon free in Dawson City; dinner your choice
Activity: Short walks; the dredge has steep ship-style stairs inside, and you can see the main deck without climbing.
A slow Dawson day and the Midnight Dome
Dawson City and the Midnight Dome
- Breakfast
- Stay in Dawson City
- Drive about 30 min
No early start today.
Morning
Mid-morning your guide walks the group through town: the Dänojà Zho Cultural Centre on Front Street, where the Tr'ondëk Hwëch'in tell their own story of the gold rush that arrived on their land, then the cabin of Robert Service, the poet of the Klondike, and the restored buildings Parks Canada keeps around the grid. From the riverbank you can watch the free George Black ferry cross the Yukon River to West Dawson every few minutes.
Evening
The afternoon and evening are free: a museum, a coffee on the boardwalk or a ride across on the ferry and back. Late in the evening we drive the switchback road up the Midnight Dome, about 880 m above sea level, where the town, the Yukon and Klondike rivers and the goldfields lie below and, in June and early July, the sun skims the northern hills close to midnight.
Included
- Guided walk of historic Dawson City with your guide
- The Dänojà Zho Cultural Centre
- Late-evening drive up the Midnight Dome
Optional experiences
- Tombstone Territorial Park: a guided day up the Dempster Highway to the tundra and peaks of Tombstone, about 110 km each way, in place of the town walk (no extra cost when the group chooses it; road conditions decide)
Easier option: Stay in town all day; the Midnight Dome viewpoint is a few steps from the van.
More active option: Walk up to the Midnight Dome on the steep trail from the top of town with your guide, a climb of several hundred metres, and meet the van at the top.
Free time: Afternoon and evening free in Dawson City
Activity: Easy town walking of 2 to 3 km on boardwalks and gravel streets.
Fly south, drive to Haines Junction
Dawson City by air to Whitehorse, then the Alaska Highway west to Haines Junction
- Breakfast and lunch
- Stay in Haines Junction
- Drive about 2 h
Instead of driving 535 km back, we fly. The van takes us to Dawson City airport, about 20 minutes out of town, for the scheduled flight to Whitehorse, a little over an hour over the river valleys you drove three days ago; the flight time is confirmed with your final itinerary, and any time before it is free in Dawson City.
Afternoon
Our van and driver meet the group in Whitehorse, and after lunch in Whitehorse or on the road we drive west on the Alaska Highway, about two hours, to Haines Junction, a small village under the front ranges of the St. Elias Mountains at the edge of Kluane National Park and Reserve. We stop at the Da Kų Cultural Centre, shared by the Champagne and Aishihik First Nations and Parks Canada, for the story of the land and an introduction to the park, which is part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site that crosses into Alaska and British Columbia.
Evening
The evening is free, with the mountains lit late behind the village.
Included
- Scheduled flight from Dawson City to Whitehorse
- Sit-down lunch in Whitehorse or on the road
- Drive to Haines Junction on the Alaska Highway
- The Da Kų Cultural Centre and Kluane National Park visitor centre
Free time: Evening free in Haines Junction
Activity: Flight times are confirmed with your final itinerary; if the flight is delayed, the Da Kų visit moves to tomorrow.
Kluane: Kathleen Lake and Kluane Lake
Haines Junction to Kathleen Lake, then north to Soldier's Summit on Kluane Lake and back
- Breakfast, lunch and dinner
- Stay in Haines Junction
- Drive about 2.5 h
Morning
Kathleen Lake, about half an hour south of Haines Junction, is usually calmest in the morning, so we go first. The water is cold and clear, with the King's Throne cirque standing over the far shore, and an easy trail and boardwalk follow the shoreline.
Afternoon
In the afternoon we head the other way along the Alaska Highway to Kluane Lake, the Yukon's largest, and walk the short trail to Soldier's Summit, where the highway was opened in 1942. Just along the shore, the Tachäl Dhäl visitor centre looks onto Sheep Mountain, where Dall sheep are easiest to spot on the lower slopes in early summer and graze higher, harder to see, by July and August; we stop there with binoculars. If the weather is clear, this is the day for the optional glacier flight over the St. Elias icefields towards Mount Logan, Canada's highest peak at 5,959 m.
Evening
Lunch is a sit-down meal on the way to Kluane Lake, and tonight is our farewell dinner.
Included
- Kathleen Lake shoreline walk with your guide
- Soldier's Summit trail on Kluane Lake
- The Tachäl Dhäl visitor centre and Dall sheep viewing at Sheep Mountain
- Sit-down lunch
- Farewell dinner
Optional experiences
- Glacier flightseeing over the St. Elias icefields from Kluane (weather dependent, price shown at booking)
Easier option: Stay at the lakeshore viewpoints at Kathleen Lake, and watch for sheep from the visitor centre instead of walking to Soldier's Summit.
More active option: Climb the first, steep switchbacks of the King's Throne trail above Kathleen Lake with your guide for about two hours, turning back in time for the afternoon, while the group walks the shore.
Free time: Late afternoon free before dinner
Activity: Up to about 5 km on foot on easy trails; the King's Throne option is steep, on loose rock and roughly 2 hours. Bring repellent for the lakeshore in June and July; in a wildfire summer, smoke can hide the peaks and ground the glacier flights.
Back to Whitehorse and home
Haines Junction to the Yukon Beringia Interpretive Centre and Whitehorse airport (YXY)
- Breakfast
- Drive about 2 h
Morning
A last morning with the mountains outside the window, then we drive east on the Alaska Highway, about two hours, back to Whitehorse, watching the roadside for moose and bears and stopping at a viewpoint or two over the Takhini River valley. The Yukon Beringia Interpretive Centre sits beside the airport, so we visit it on the way in: it tells the story of the Ice Age land bridge between Asia and North America, with the skeleton casts of a woolly mammoth and a giant short-faced bear, and of the people who lived here when much of Canada was under ice.
Afternoon
From there it is a few minutes to the terminal, arriving in the early afternoon. Your guide sees you to the check-in desk before saying goodbye. Book a flight leaving after about 2:30 pm; if yours is earlier, we go straight to the airport.
Included
- Drive back to Whitehorse on the Alaska Highway
- The Yukon Beringia Interpretive Centre
- Drop-off at Whitehorse airport (YXY)
Activity: Book a flight leaving after about 2:30 pm.
- Whitehorse2 nights
- Dawson City3 nights
- Haines Junction2 nights
- Whitehorseend
- Overnight stop
- Day trip
- By boat or train
Wildlife and weather: Summer days in the Yukon are usually 15 C to 25 C with cool evenings, and weather changes fast in Kluane, where flightseeing is often delayed by cloud. June has the longest light and the most mosquitoes; July is the warmest; late August brings yellow aspen, fewer bugs and the first dark nights, when an early aurora is possible but not something to count on. Moose, bears and bald eagles are often seen from the road, never guaranteed; Dall sheep at Sheep Mountain are easiest to see in early summer, higher and harder to spot in July and August.
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Before you book
Right for you?
Good for you if you want
- Travellers who want the Klondike properly, with three nights in Dawson City
- The long northern light: evenings outside at 11 pm in daylight
- Wildlife watching from the road and easy walks rather than hard hikes
- Solo travellers and couples who want the logistics of a remote territory handled
Not for you if you want
- Anyone set on the Northern Lights: summer nights are too bright until late August (see our winter Yukon trip)
- Travellers who cannot face one 6.5-hour road day, unless they take the flight option
- Those who need large full-service hotels every night: Haines Junction is a small village
- Hard multi-day hiking or backcountry trips
Book flights after we confirm your seat.
7 nights
Where you'll stay
Your hotels are named in your trip confirmation.
- Whitehorse2 nights
- Dawson City3 nights
- Haines Junction2 nights
One price
What's in the price
Included
Accommodation
- 7 nights: 2 in Whitehorse, 3 in Dawson City and 2 in Haines Junction, in central hotels (in Haines Junction, the best available in the village)
- Rooms shared, or your own for a supplement
Transport
- Pick-up and drop-off at Whitehorse airport (YXY)
- Our own van and driver for the group for the whole trip
- The Klondike Highway from Whitehorse to Dawson City by road
- The scheduled flight from Dawson City to Whitehorse
Your guide
- A See Sight Tours guide with the group from the day 1 briefing to the airport on day 8
- Local guides at the Yukon Wildlife Preserve, Dredge No. 4 and the gold-panning site
Activities
- Whitehorse: the riverfront, the SS Klondike (exterior) and Miles Canyon
- The Yukon Wildlife Preserve guided tour
- The hot springs at Takhini
- Klondike Highway stops: Lake Laberge, Five Finger Rapids, the Tintina Trench
- Dawson City: Dredge No. 4 guided tour
- Gold panning on Bonanza Creek
- Diamond Tooth Gerties admission and show
- Guided walk of historic Dawson City and the Dänojà Zho Cultural Centre
- The Midnight Dome
- Haines Junction: the Da Kų Cultural Centre
- Kluane: Kathleen Lake, Soldier's Summit and the Tachäl Dhäl visitor centre
- The Yukon Beringia Interpretive Centre
Meals
- 7 breakfasts
- 5 lunches (days 2, 3, 4, 6 and 7)
- Welcome dinner in Whitehorse and farewell dinner in Haines Junction
Not included
- Flights to and from Whitehorse
- Travel insurance
- An eTA or visa, where you need one
- Meals not listed
- Drinks
- Glacier flightseeing in Kluane
- The optional flight to Dawson City on day 3
- Gambling at Gerties
- Tips
- Personal expenses
Extras
- Room of your own
- CAD 995 (estimated price)
When you can go
Dates and prices
Pick your start date when you request to book. We check that date and confirm it in your quote.
Prefer to travel without a group or guide? Ask us about arranging hotels, transport and city tours for you to travel independently.
Before you book
Booking terms
Nothing is charged now. Full terms and the cancellation schedule come with your quote, before you accept.
Business addresses
See Sight Tours Trips (USA): 3172 N Rainbow Blvd, Las Vegas, NV 89108, United StatesSee Sight Tours Trips (Canada): 5305 50 Avenue, #1091, Red Deer, AB T4N 4B6, Canada+1-888-961-6584Guest reviews
What guests say
Reviews from guests on our day tours.
Jane
October 06, 2026
5/5
Susan
October 06, 2026
5/5
Tom L
October 05, 2026
5/5
MandL83
October 05, 2026
5/5
Darren O
October 05, 2026
5/5
Good to know
Questions
What does the price include?
Seven nights in central hotels, 7 breakfasts, 5 lunches and two dinners, airport transfers, our own van and driver, the Dawson City to Whitehorse flight, your See Sight Tours guide throughout, and every visit in the day plan: the Wildlife Preserve, the hot springs, Dredge No. 4, gold panning, Gerties, the cultural centres and the Beringia Centre.
How big is the group, and who leads it?
The small-group trip runs with 7 to 12 guests. A See Sight Tours guide stays with the group for all eight days, with local guides at the Wildlife Preserve, Dredge No. 4 and the gold-panning site. Our own driver handles the van, so the guide can talk, spot wildlife and change plans with the weather.
How long is the drive to Dawson City?
About 535 km and six and a half hours of driving, the one day over our four-hour cap. We leave at 8 am, stop roughly every hour, including Five Finger Rapids and a sit-down lunch, and arrive about 5 pm. We fly back instead of repeating it. You can also fly up, at extra cost.
How fit do I need to be?
Not very. Most days have 2 to 4 hours on foot on trails and boardwalks, up to about 5 km. Five Finger Rapids has stairs and Dredge No. 4 has steep inside steps, both optional. Each demanding day has an easier choice and a harder one, such as the King's Throne climb above Kathleen Lake.
I am travelling solo. What does a room of my own cost?
A room of your own is from CAD 995 more, shown before you book, with no surprise at checkout. If you would like to share, tell us and we will try to pair you with another solo traveller of the same gender. What happens if we cannot find a match is confirmed when you book.
When is the best time to go?
Mid-June to late August, when Dredge No. 4, Gerties and the Parks Canada sites are open. June and early July have near-endless light and the most mosquitoes; July is warmest; late August brings autumn colour, fewer bugs and dark nights again.
Will we see the midnight sun or the Northern Lights?
In late June the sun sets only briefly in Dawson City and it never gets truly dark, so the midnight sun is reliable then. The Northern Lights need dark skies, so they are only possible on late-August departures, and never promised. For aurora, our winter Yukon and Yellowknife trip is the one to book.
What should I pack for the Yukon in summer, and are the mosquitoes bad?
Pack layers: days are often 15 C to 25 C but evenings and Kluane mornings are cool, and rain can come any day. Mosquitoes are common in June and July, so bring repellent, a light long-sleeved shirt and perhaps a head net. An eye mask helps with the midnight sun, and good walking shoes are enough for every trail.
Is glacier flightseeing included?
No, it is the one priced option. Flights over the St. Elias icefields from Kluane depend on clear weather and are often delayed by cloud, so we offer it on day 7 with the price and the operator's weather and refund terms shown at booking. Everything else in the plan is included.
Do I need a visa or an eTA?
Canadians need only government photo ID for the domestic flights. US citizens need a passport. Most other visa-exempt visitors flying to Canada need an eTA, applied for online before travel, and some nationalities need a visitor visa. The trip stays in Canada, so no Alaska entry is needed.
How does booking work?
Choose a date and send a request to book. We confirm your place within 24 hours, and no payment is taken until we do. Prices are per person sharing a room, with taxes included: the small group starts from CAD 5,795 and the private trip from CAD 10,430.
Can we travel privately or on our own dates?
Yes. The private style is your party only, with your own guide and vehicle, on a date you choose. If you would rather travel independently on your own dates without a guide, ask us from the dates section and we will quote the hotels, flight and activities for you.
See Sight Tours has been providing travel services across North America since 2006. Operating in 20 cities across Canada and the USA, the company specializes in small group tours that offer personalized, high-quality experiences for travelers.
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