Whitehorse

Whitehorse has been the capital of the Yukon since 1953, and has a population of around 30,000 (2019), which is about 75 percent of the population of Yukon territory. The city is along the banks of the Yukon River. It is in a rain shadow area, so Whitehorse is Canada's driest city.
Whitehorse's downtown and Riverdale areas occupy both shores of the Yukon River, which originates in British Columbia and meets the Bering Sea in Alaska. The city was named after the White Horse Rapids for their resemblance to the mane of a white horse, near Miles Canyon, before the river was dammed.

History

Archeological research south of the downtown area at Canyon City, has revealed evidence of use by First Nations (Aboriginal people) for several thousand years. The surrounding area had seasonal fish camps, and, in 1883, there was a portage trail used to bypass Miles Canyon. Before the Gold Rush, several different First Nations passed through the area seasonally and their territories overlapped.
The discovery of gold in the Klondike in August 1896 set off a major change in the historical patterns of the region. Early prospectors used the Chilkoot Pass, but by July 1897, crowds of neophyte stampeders had arrived via steamship and were camping at "White Horse". By June 1898, there was a bottleneck of stampeders.
On their way to find gold, stampeders also found copper in the "copper belt" in the hills west of Whitehorse. The first copper claims were staked in 1898 and 1899. Two tram lines were built, one 8 km (5 mi) stretch on the east bank of the Yukon River from Canyon City to the rapids, just across from the present day downtown, the other was built on the west bank of the river. A small settlement was developing at Canyon City but the completion of the White Pass railway to Whitehorse in 1900 put a halt to it.
The White Pass and Yukon Route narrow-gauge railway linking Skagway to Whitehorse was completed in 1900. By 1901, the Whitehorse Star newspaper was already reporting on daily freight volumes. That summer there were four trains per day. Whitehorse was booming.
Until 1942, rail, river, and air were the only way to get to Whitehorse, but in 1942 the US military decided an interior road would be safer to transfer troops and provisions between Alaska and the US mainland and began construction of the Alaska Highway. The entire 2,500-km (1,553-mi) project was accomplished between March and November 1942. The Canadian portion of the highway was only returned to Canadian sovereignty after the war.
In 1953, the city was designated the capital of the Yukon Territory when the seat was moved from Dawson City after the construction of the Klondike Highway.

Climate

Whitehorse has a dry-summer subarctic climate. However, because of the city's location in the Whitehorse valley, the climate is milder than other comparable northern communities such as Yellowknife. With an average annual temperature of −0.1 °C (31.8 °F), Whitehorse is the warmest place in the Yukon.
At this latitude winter days are short and summer days have just over 19 hours of daylight. Whitehorse has an average daily high of 20.6 °C (69.1 °F) in July and average daily low of −19.2 °C (−2.6 °F) in January.

By plane

• Whitehorse International Airport

  phone: +1 867 667-8440
  address: 75 Barkley Grow Crescent #316
  Air North, "Yukon's Airline", provides scheduled service to Whitehorse from Vancouver, Edmonton, Calgary, Dawson City, Inuvik, Old Crow and Fairbanks (seasonal).

By car

Alaska Highway from Dawson Creek, British Columbia or Delta Junction, Alaska.

By ferry

to Skagway, Alaska, then via the South Klondike Highway.

• Whitehorse TransitBus service on 6 routes weekdays from morning until early evening and Saturdays during business hours.

• Whitehorse Waterfront TrolleyIt provides transport along a short rail section along the Yukon River; it is chiefly tourist-oriented and is not integrated into the municipal transit system. It runs from the Rotary Peace Park on the south end of the city centre, up to the north end of the city centre at Spook Creek Station. The trolley is closed indefinitely.

The Trans-Canada Trail runs through the city, and there are some bike trails.
Taxis are metered and cost $4.50 plus $2.25/km; a trip from downtown to the airport is $18 (as of 2018).

• Cadence Cycles

  phone: +1 867 633-5600
  address: 508 Wood St
  A small rental fleet of mountain bikes for rental.

• Premier Cabs

  phone: +1 867 393-2228
  address: 128 Goldeneye St
  Whitehorse's largest taxi fleet (30 cars).

• Victory Taxi

  phone: +1 867 335-9156

• S.S. Klondike National Historic Site

  phone: +1 867-667-4511
  A sternwheeler paddleboat, turned into a museum.

• Miles CanyonThe Miles Canyon Basalts are volcanic rocks exposed and easily accessible at Miles Canyon on the Yukon River south of Whitehorse. The former White Horse Rapids (now a hydroelectric generating site) represented the head of navigation for paddle-wheel river boats which could proceed no further. The townsite of Closeleigh (now the City of Whitehorse) was chosen because of this obstacle to navigation.

• MacBride Museum

  phone: +1 867 667-2709
  address: 1124 Front St
  Local historic museum, opened in the 1960s in former Government Telegraph Office building. The Yukon Historical Society operates the MacBride Museum (1124 Front St.), the MacBride Copperbelt Mining Museum (Mile 919.28 Alaska Highway, +1 867 667-6198) and the MacBride Waterfront Trolley (1127 Front St, +1 867 667-6355). Programs include museum tours, recreational gold panning and the occasional live music event.

• Beringia Interpretive Centre

  phone: +1 867 667-8855
  address: Kilometre 1423 (Mile 886) Alaska Hwy
  A research and exhibition facility tells the story of Beringia, a 3200-km landmass which stretched from the Kolyma River in Siberia to the MacKenzie River in Canada during the Pleistocene era. Archeologists and paleontologists believe this non-glaciated crossing played a crucial role in the migrations of many animals and humans between Asia and the Americas.

• Takhini Hot Springs

  phone: +1 867-456-8000
  address: KM 10/Mile 6 Takhini Hotsprings Road
  Open-air hot springs.

• Yukon Transportation Museum

  phone: +1 867-668-4792
  address: 30 Electra Crescent
  Automotive and air transportation museum. Home of the world's biggest wind vane - a DC-3 mounted on a pivot pedestal, with the nose always pointing into the wind.

• Old Log Church

  phone: +1 867 668-2555
  address: 3rd Avenue and Elliott Street
  Local history museum, pioneer stories and artefacts.

• Whitehorse Fishway

  phone: +1 867 633-5965
  address: Whitehorse dam
  The longest wooden fish ladder in the world allows migratory salmon to bypass a Yukon Energy hydroelectric station. View fish through the underwater window and learn about salmon and other species from displays inside the interpretive centre. A fish hatchery, located just downstream from the fish ladder, operates year-round; the fish are tagged and stock various waterways.

• Canada Games Centre

  phone: +1 867-667-4386
  address: 200 Hamilton Blvd
  The main centre for indoor recreation activity in Whitehorse. Includes, among other things, a large aquatic centre and three skating rinks.

• Frostbite Music Festival

  address: Quanlin Dün Cultural Centre
  A winter festival showcasing Canadian and Yukon musical acts since 1979. At its peak, this was a multi-stage event featuring well-known Canadian performers. The festival then fell on economic hard times, but returned in 2018 after not being held at all in 2014, 2015 or 2017.

• Yukon International Storytelling FestivalA summer festival with storytellers from around the world. Workshops are also held during the festival.

• Whitehorse Cross Country Ski ClubA popular cross country skiing facility with 85 km of groomed trails. There is also a large indoor wax room, washrooms and changeroom facilities and saunas for getting toasty warm apres ski. Plus 20km of single track trails for mountain biking in summer.

• Yukon Escape Games

  phone: +1-867-456-8004
  Two escape rooms for 2 to 7 people.

• Midnight Sun Emporium

  address: 205 Main St
  Gift shop. Souvenirs, art.

• Aroma Borealis Herb Shop

  phone: +1 867 667-HERB
  address: 504-B Main St
  Natural products from local sources include skin care and aromatherapy products. Herbal teas.

• Alpine Bakery

  phone: +1 867-668-6871
  address: 411 Alexander St
  This bakery and café offers excellent organic breads and other baked goods, hand-made chocolates, and fair trade coffee. A hot daily special and hearty soups are also offered during lunch time hours.

• The Chocolate Claim

  address: 305 Strickland St
  This café is more expensive, and well known for their chocolates and desserts.

• Bent Spoon Café

  address: 305 Main St
  Serves coffee from beans locally roasted by Midnight Sun Coffee Roasters. Sandwiches, wraps, and pastries are also available.

• Tokyo Sushi

  address: 204B Main Street
  This restaurant provides a reliable source of satisfactory Japanese food. It features a large menu, average prices, friendly staff, and ample Japanese pop music.

• Giorgio's Cuccina

  phone: +1 867-668-4050
  address: 206 Jarvis Street
  Italian food.

• Burnt Toast Cafe

  address: 2112 Second Avenue
  Good breakfasts. No WiFi.

• Big Bear DonairGood kebabs, amazing range of hot sauces.

• The Poor Creature

  address: 2180 Second Avenue
  Vegan cafe (lunch-only).

• Woodcutter's Blanket

  address: 2151 Second Avenue
  Bar which has decent food and brews their own beer. Tacos on Wednesday.

• Yukon Brewing

  address: 102 Copper Road
  Micro-brewery with a large gift shop and a tiny tasting room.

• Winterlong Brewing

  address: 83 Mount Sima Road
  Micro-brewery with a tasting room.

• Deep Dark Wood Brewing

  address: 2A Collins Lane
  Very small micro-brewery specializing in wild yeast and sour beers. No tasting room, only bottle sales.

Accommodation in Whitehorse ranges from hostels to B&Bs, to motels and quality hotels. They tend to get full quick so advance bookings are recommended during summer.

Budget

• The Beez Kneez Bakpakers Hostel

  phone: +1 867-456-2333
  address: 408 Hoge St
  A hostel in a house in a residential area near downtown. Has free internet and free coffee but no TV. Kitchen, BBQ, and laundry available.

Mid-range

• Chilkoot Trail Inn

  phone: +1 867 668-4190
  address: 4190 4th Ave
  Not the best place in town and Wi-Fi is poached from somewhere else (but it's there), but rooms are spacious and have kitchenette and TV.

• Midnight Sun Inn Bed and Breakfast

  phone: +1 867 667-2255
  address: 6188 6th Ave
  Each of the four theme rooms has a private bathroom, hairdryers, telephone, TV, Internet access and work desk. One of the highlights of the facility is the large lounge area with a full kitchen, laundry and a 32" TV. It is near the scenic clay cliffs, which have hiking and walking trails. No pets, no smoking.

• Best Western Gold Rush Inn

  phone: +1 867-668-4500
  address: 411 Main St.
  No pets.

Splurge

• Inn On The Lake

  phone: +1 867 660-5253
  address: Lot 76 McClintock Place, Marsh Lake
  As featured on Martha Stewart Living and listed by National Geographic Traveller as Top 150 places to stay for 2009, this lodge located 35 minutes by car from Whitehorse, Yukon is the top rated accommodation and conference centre in the Yukon.

• Whitehorse Public Library

  phone: +1 867-667-5239
  address: Front and Black Street
  Provides free public Internet and computer access. 30 minute sessions available. You may call to book in advance.

• Visitor Information Centre

  address: 100 Hanson Street
  Free WiFi

Drive West on the Alaska Highway towards Haines Junction to visit the Kluane National Park, or drive South and then take the Klondike Highway towards Carcross and Skagway to see and the .
Alaska Direct Bus Line offers bus service to Alaska.