Communities

The Yukon covers 483,450 square kilometres. All Yukon communities are south of the Arctic Circle and are accessible by road except for Old Crow which is a traditional native community 185 kilometres south of the Arctic coast.

Whitehorse: Capital city and administrative, transportation and communications centre of the Yukon. Kilometre 1489, Alaska Highway. Popular tourist attractions include the S.S. Klondike sternwheeler, MacBride Museum, Miles Canyon, Yukon Gardens, log skyscrapers, and Whitehorse fish ladder.

Watson Lake: Highway community 10 kilometres from the southern border of the Yukon. Kilometre 1019, Alaska Highway. Tourism, lumber, mineral exploration and wilderness outfitting form Watson Lake's economic base. Watson Lake signposts and Alaska Highway history display are the major attractions.

Dawson City: Centre of the Klondike goldrush. Placer gold mining and tourism are the major economic activities. Attractions include Parks Canada's restored Palace Grande Theatre, Post Office, Robert Service's cabin and Gold Dredge #4. Diamond Tooth Gerties is also a popular attraction.

Faro: A mining town, located northeast of Whitehorse, on the Robert Campbell Highway. Faro was built in 1970 to support open pit lead and zinc mining operations. Fannin sheep viewing stations are situated near the town.

Haines Junction: Situated west of Whitehorse at the junction of the Alaska Highway (Kilometre 1636) and the road south to Haines, Alaska. Headquarters for Kluane National Park.

Mayo: A supply centre, prospecting and placer mining community in central Yukon. Mayo is located on the Silver Trail, southeast of Dawson City.

Teslin: A Tlingit native community on the narrows of Teslin Lake south of Whitehorse (Kilometre 1294, Alaska Highway). Popular fishing spot. Guides, boats and accommodation available.

Carmacks: Highway community between Whitehorse and Dawson City. Former site of Tantalus coal mines. North of Carmacks is the viewing site of Five Finger Rapids on the Yukon River.

Ross River: A Kaska native community on the Robert Campbell Highway. Major economic activities include hunting, trapping, guiding and mineral exploration.

Carcross: A Tlingit community on the South Klondike Highway. "Carcross" is short for caribou crossing. This was a former stopping point on the Gold Rush route.

Old Crow: A Vuntut Gwitchin community 192 kilometres north of the Arctic Circle. No road access. One of the earliest sites of human habitation in North America. Hunting, trapping and fishing are major economic activities.

Pelly Crossing: A northern Tutchone community mid-way between Whitehorse and Dawson City on the North Klondike Highway. Families from Yukon River settlements moved to this highway site in the 1950s when the road was completed and sternwheelers were pulled from the river.

Elsa: Located on the Silver Trail. Elsa was once a thriving town for underground silver mines which are now closed.

Burwash Landing: A southern Tutchone community on Kluane Lake, Kilometre 1760, Alaska Highway. Its major attraction is Kluane Museum of Natural History.

Beaver Creek: Westernmost community in Canada, Kilometre 1934, Alaska Highway. Canada Customs post and tourist lodges are the main employers.