Family-Friendly Adventure to the Yukon
Our family-friendly adventure to the Yukon. Memories worth more than gold.
In the fall of 2019, our small family set out to explore the magic of the Yukon Territory. While here we would harken the time of the Klondike Gold-rush, ply calm waters by canoe, visit national historic sites, feel apart of a vivid color-palette and spend time with some heroic dogs - all in the quest to create a one-of-a-kind documentary.
This was our first time to the land of gold and natural splendour and the incredible family memories we made have ensured it wont be our last.
The wonders and raw beauty of Canada’s North have been captured in magnificent prose by greats like Jack London and Robert Service.
No! There’s the land. (Have you seen it?)
It’s the cussedest land that I know,
From the big, dizzy mountains that screen it
To the deep, deathlike valleys below.
Some say God was tired when He made it;
Some say it’s a fine land to shun;
Maybe; but there’s some as would trade it
For no land on earth—and I’m one.
(Excerpt - The Spell of the Yukon - Robert Service )
Yet, for most, our family included the warm weather and sandy beaches of destinations farther south continually win out for our hard-earned family vacation time. And if not the beaches, it’s the theme parks with endless sweets, rides and “meet and greets” with characters we love from our favourite childhood movies.
So, when my wife and I decided to head north instead of south for the North American leg of our filming journey, our choice was met with a fair bit of skepticism from wife and daughters.
Still, only early September, we packed our long underwear, bug spray, warm coats and sweaters, and embarked on the grand adventure north of the 60th parallel—to the Yukon!
Day 1
Thanks for the lift Air North
Owned in part by the Vutnuk Grewchin Tribe, many Yukoners work for, or at least know someone who works for, Air North, Yukon’s favourite airline. What that means is that the infectious hospitality and community spirit warms you as soon as you step onto the plane.
Take that from a family that’s spent well over 100 hours in the air over the past year!
It started with the pleasant surprise that there were no baggage fees. Then, freshly made sandwiches and warm cookies were served, free of charge. Our two-hour flight took us over towering mountains and glaciers: a view so dramatic it will take your breath away.
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Upon arriving in Whitehorse, our host, Manuela of Muktuk Kennels, picked us up. Not 25 minutes later, we were welcomed by a chorus of Alaskan and Siberian Huskies as we approached her log cabin on the Takhini River. The cabin would be our home for the next three days.
The golden leaves of early autumn glowed and danced in the refreshing cool breeze. Even though it was late in the afternoon, the sun was still high in the sky; we took advantage of the lingering light and warmth by taking a group of dogs down to the river to play fetch.
That night, we enjoyed home-cooked Arctic Char, cold Yukon lagers, and waited with bated breath in hopes that we’d soon see the Northern Lights.
Bundled up now, as the temperature dipped to almost freezing, the girls cuddled up and nodded off on our laps as we stared up at the star-filled sky. We did see flares of the dancing Aurora Borealis, but only through the long exposure of our cameras did we see the brilliant green we’d hoped for.
Day 2
Gearing up for Dry Land Dog Mushing at Muktuk Kennels
The stillness of the morning was disrupted only by the excitement of the dogs when we headed down to the kennels to select our team for dog mushing.
The weather was just cool enough to begin the winter training—which included pulling an ATV around the marked trails that crisscrossed the property.
Manuela told us many of the dogs were rescued from Alaska and loved to pull the sleds. You could almost hear “pick me, pick me” in their barking. Homer, our lead, was not even a husky but a Stratford Terrier cross with what the owner did not know who’d found his true calling amongst the Huskies. We were told that Homer was the brawn and his lead partner Tink was the brains.
Joël our Director of Photography at Muktuk Kennels
We enjoyed our ride through fall brush with beautiful vistas of the neighbouring mountain peaks and valleys lined with colourful Spruce and Birch trees. Afterward, our girls helped Manuela feed the dogs.
Then we loaded up a couple of canoes and floated down the winding Takhini River. Although we didn’t see any bears or moose, gorgeous hawks and eagles perched along the dramatic cut banks. In the distance, the season’s first dusting of snow glowed in the afternoon light.
Taa’an Kwächän and the Kwanlin Dün are Southern Tutchone names for these people reflect their ties to the land. Taa’an means “head of the lake,” referring to Lake Laberge, while Kwanlin Dün means “water running through a narrow place,” describing the turbulent waters of Miles Canyon and Whitehorse Rapids.
Later, the girls picked fresh vegetables for our dinner of bison stew; after our bellies were full, it was still light enough so we went for a walk back down to the river. There we watched seven beavers instustriously build additions to their den.
Day 3
We spent a rainy day cozied up beside the fire reading, playing board games, and cuddling the house dogs Little and Donner. Our girls had gotten up extra early because they were so excited to feed the dogs with Manuela. As evening approached, Manuela lit up the wood-furnace sauna that sat adjacent to the main cabin; I jumped into the ice-cold river, then enjoyed the deep heat and fragrant scent of the sauna. No one joined me!
A dip even too cold for the dogs in the Takhini River at Muktuk Kennels
That night we drank wine and ate elk ribs and the potatoes the girls had dug up from the garden earlier in the day with Manuela.
There would be no Northern Lights tonight; the pitter patter of rain on the green tin roof and the warmth of the fire soothed us to sleep.
Day 4
By the end of our three days at Muktuk Kennels, the place felt like our home and Manuela, our family. Our girls didn’t want to leave but reluctantly said goodbye to as many of the dogs as they could.
We caught an Air North ATR-42 from Whitehorse to Dawson City. I looked out the window at the lakes and rivers nestled in the endless rolling hills dotted with autumn leaves. It was hard to believe all this serenity was barely a three-hour flight from the non-stop hustle and bustle of our home in Vancouver. Air North surprised us again with a free meat and cheese platter while drinks were served.
A dirt runway greeted us in Dawson City, as well as more Northern hospitality. There, standing in a terminal not much bigger than our apartment, multiple strangers offered us a ride into town!
“That’s just how it goes up here,” a man with a beard said.
Downtown Dawson Hotel – Home of the Jack London Grill and Sourtoe Saloon
Day 5
We stayed at the historic Downtown Dawson Hotel. Our children were enamoured with the old style of buildings of this town (technically, the City of Dawson is actually a town) which hadn’t changed its look in a hundred years!
A hearty Klondike breakfast at the Jack London Grill in our hotel consisted of pancakes, with maple syrup and butter melting on top, and bacon and eggs was made all the sweeter by the multiple “You’re so welcome’s we received from our server.
Yukoners didn’t look you up and down to size you up; they had a warm way of making you feel right at home.
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Although considerably colder in Dawson, about -6°C the air felt fresh and clean. Our tour provider, The Klondike Experience, and our lovely guide Julia, picked us up right in front of the hotel. Our chariot for the day would be the iconic yellow Husky Bus (no actual Huskies included); we drove amongst the tailings of a hundred years of gold mining to reach the Discovery Claim at Rabbit Creek (later named Bonanza Creek) where, in 1896, George Cormack, Skookum Jim Mason and Kaa Goox found the first gold nugget. That gold nugget sparked a migration along the Chilkoot Trail as some 40,000 prospectors all wanted to strike it rich. The region and much of Western Canada were forever changed.
Panning for Gold at Claim 33 with the Klondike Experience Tour
We stopped to pan for gold at Claim 33 and toured Dredge #4 – both a part of the Klondike Experience Tour.
We ended our afternoon on the Midnight Dome mountain top where we looked out at Dawson, the surrounding mountains, the Yukon River, and the breathtaking fall colours of the Native Tr'ondëk Hwëch' land Despite the cold winters, it was becoming more and more evident why people from Canada, as well as everywhere else, wanted to live in this remote part of the world.
Taking in the fall color atop the Midnight Dome
After night had fallen, I stayed in our room and read the girls Jack London’s Whitefang, Janna went down to the Sourdough Saloon (also in our hotel) to enjoy a Yukon Joe Sourtoe Cocktail—a nightcap with a twist. What is this crazy Yukon tradition? Well, it’s a shot of whiskey with a gnarley frozen toe: “You may drink it fast, you may drink it slow, but your lips must surely touch the toe!”
And of course, no trip to Dawson City would be complete without a trip to Diamond Tooth Gerties to see the Can Can show! Janna went while I watched the kids and I caught the early show the next night while she watched the kids.
Day 6
Enjoying the views at Tombstone Territorial Park with Klondike Experience Tours
Although a chilly morning met us, we traveled with Julia and the Husky Bus up the Dempster Highway to Tombstone Territorial Park knowing that, by midday, we’d be shedding our layers. Each day, the temperature gradually reached close to 15°C
Upon entering the park, we drank Labrador tea made from a herb grown in the park. The entrance sign read DDHÄL Ch’èl cha nÄn: “Land of the rugged Rocky Mountains.”
Driving into the vast 2200 square kilometer park was like driving through time. Once green leaves gave way to reddish brown, each leaf held on as gusts of wind threatened to end their final days of brilliance; we couldn't help but be humbled by the grandeur of the setting.
Tombstone, aptly named for its gravelike appearance, anchored the distant vistas of the Blackstone Mountains as well as the equally rugged Ogilvie Mountains both giving way to burgundy and brown frozen moss of the subarctic tundra.
This was as far north as we’d go on any of our adventures around the world.
The Sub Arctic Tundra – Tombstome Territorial Park – Klondike Experience Tours
Our girls danced amongst the fireweeds as the sun slowly set in the distance. The silence was almost penetrating; this was the world’s finest theatre and no amusement ride could ever top it.
We kept that silence as we drove back to the bustling little town of Dawson. The girls slept (including Janna) as I painstakingly looked amongst the trees and fields in hopes of seeing just one grizzly bear or moose—even a caribou would do. But alas, the well-adapted wildlife remained elusive.
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We returned home the following evening, feeling unusually refreshed. Air North made exploring the Yukon remarkably accessible. Instead of long entrance lines and traffic jams, there were dirt roads with no stoplights at intersections; instead of dirty smog, there was clean mountain air, trees, rivers and lakes. Instead of battling impatient tourists for the buffet or a new ride, we experienced wide open spaces and friendly people who are always available to lend a hand.
Our Fall Colours Tour of this special territory only left us wanting more...much more. It has even perked our interest in what magic might come from a winter trip to this incredible wonderland. And rather than feel like it was a world apart, it felt like home. The Yukon—our home and native land.