Dawson City, Yukon

Windy Arm of Tagish Lake beside the South Klondike Highway with ruins of silver mine equipment. Photo by Eric Longbottom

View from the Midnight Dome at Dawson City Yukon. Photo by Eric Longbottom

Group at Dredge#4 near Dawson City Yukon learning from Parks Canada guide. Photo by Eric Longbottom

View of bridge crossing Mackenzie River in Northwest Territories-Photo credit: Corey Myers_Fort Providence_Deh Cho Bridge_August 2016

60th Parallel park and Visitor Centre signage, NWT Border, Territorial Parks Photo Credit: Benji Straker/GNWT ITI

New Tour!

Northwest Territories and Yukon-The Canadian North

Explore Canada’s last northern frontier as you motorcoach through Alberta and British Columbia on your way to the Northwest Territories and Yukon and embark on a breathtaking adventure along the Waterfalls Route. Adopt an explorer’s spirit and tour a spectacular part of Canada, the territories north of the 60th parallel. Discover the stunning landscapes of the Northwest Territories, take in the views of Great Slave Lake on a scenic boat ride and savour an authentic fish fry dinner onshore. Visit rural towns, villages, and hamlets that have developed along the way, many of them with a great cultural and historical legacy, plus see the wide expanse of the northern wilderness. Take in the colourful past of the Klondike Gold Rush and the modern society of today. If you have a sense for adventure and enjoy the great outdoors, then this trip is for you!

DAY 1 DEPARTURE: Calgary North 7:00 am | Red Deer 9:30 am | Edmonton South 11:00 am | Edmonton North 12:30 pm
DAY 2 DEPARTURE: Peace River 8:00 am
Important Note:
Guests boarding in Peace River will be returned to Grande Prairie

Standard departure times may vary depending on the passenger pick-up locations on this tour. Travellers who have paid for their tour in full will receive travel documents which include specific pick-up details.

2027 Departure date
- 18 days | July 3
- Prices to be announced

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1

Calgary to Edmonton to Peace River

All aboard for a Frontier Adventure into Canada’s north. Depart Calgary, travel north via Red Deer to Edmonton meeting additional travel companions enroute. Your travels cross central and northern Alberta to the beginning of Peace River country. This evening features a WELCOME DINNER.

2

Peace River to Hay River

Journey north, cross the 60th parallel and arrive in the Northwest Territories. Continue along the Mackenzie Highway, also known as the Waterfalls Route. Your first stop on this scenic drive is Twin Falls Gorge Territorial Park for a picture stop of breathtaking ALEXANDRA FALLS and LOUISE FALLS. Continue north to Hay River, nestled on the shores of Great Slave Lake. A DRIVING TOUR introduces you to the unique hospitality of the region’s people. The vast majority of the people you will meet in this area are indigenous people, and traditional ways are intermingled with the modern.

3

Hay River to Yellowknife

(2 nights) Today you will see beautiful LADY EVELYN FALLS and KAKISA, the Northwest Territories’ smallest community. Enjoy an included PICNIC LUNCH on the banks of the mighty Mackenzie River before crossing the DEH CHO BRIDGE, opened in 2012 to replace the ferry service across Canada’s longest river. Watch for wood bison as you travel through the Mackenzie Bison Sanctuary on your way to BEHCHOKǪ̀, the largest Dene community in the Northwest Territories. Continue to Yellowknife, the territorial capital, for a two-night stay.

4

Yellowknife

Today holds something special for you. A GUIDED TOUR of Yellowknife introduces you to the largest community in the Northwest Territories. Later in the afternoon, enjoy a SCENIC BOAT RIDE across Yellowknife Bay on Great Slave Lake to a picturesque location where you will be treated to a NORTHERN STYLE FISH FRY DINNER. Keep an eye out for the abundant summer wildlife.

5

Yellowknife to Fort Simpson

Depart from Yellowknife and retrace your steps to the fisherman’s paradise, FORT PROVIDENCE. After a brief orientation driving tour, enjoy an included LUNCH at Snowshoe Inn. Make a picture stop at SAMBAA DEH FALLS before arriving at your destination, Fort Simpson, the largest community in the region and home to an interpretive museum and visitor centre, opened by Pope John-Paul II on his first trip to the Northwest Territories. Overnight in this remote village considered one of the gateways to Nahanni National Park and Preserve.

6

Fort Simpson to Fort Nelson

Follow the Liard Highway which connects the Northwest Territories with the Alaska Highway in northern British Columbia. Discover the traditional Dene community of FORT LIARD, renowned for its famous native birch bark baskets, porcupine quillwork and other native art. Continue into Northern BC to join the Alaska Highway and overnight in Fort Nelson.

7

Fort Nelson to Watson Lake

Cross over Summit Pass, the highest elevation on the Alaska Highway as you travel through Stone Mountain Provincial Park. Enjoy an included LUNCH in a log chalet by the blue-green waters of Muncho Lake. Before arrival at your hotel for overnight in Watson Lake, Yukon, visit the SIGNPOST FOREST, a collection started by a homesick soldier in 1942 while building the Alcan Highway. If you wish, bring your own sign from home and leave a part of yourself in the Yukon.

8

Watson Lake to Whitehorse

(2 nights). This morning your route offers spectacular views of the Cassiar Mountains. Cross the Great Divide which separates the waters flowing to the Pacific Ocean from those that flow to the Arctic Ocean. Enjoy an included PICNIC LUNCH followed by a picture stop at MILES CANYON before arriving in Yukon’s capital for overnight. Whitehorse was a stopover point for the prospectors on their trek to the Klondike goldfields.

9

Whitehorse

Your explorations today include a visit to the YUKON TRANSPORTATION MUSEUM. Explore fascinating exhibits that trace the evolution of travel and how transportation has shaped the region’s rich and unique history. After, visit the SS KLONDIKE STERNWHEELER, now designated a National Historic Site, which sits proudly on the banks of the Yukon River in Whitehorse. Enjoy a relaxing free afternoon to explore this largest city in the Canadian North.

10

Whitehorse to Dawson City

(3 nights) Today follow the original trail used by prospectors travelling to the Klondike as you travel the scenic NORTH KLONDIKE HIGHWAY. Enjoy an included LUNCH at Moose Creek. Arrive late afternoon for a three-night stay in historic Dawson City, where the famous Klondike Gold Rush started in 1898. This evening try the slots or watch the show at DIAMOND TOOTH GERTIES, a historic casino.

11

Dawson City

Classified as a national historic site, many of Dawson City’s buildings have been restored to reflect life during the gold rush. Enjoy a free morning to travel back in time as you explore the boardwalks, shop for gold nugget jewellery or attend a recital of poetry written by Robert Service. Re-live the excitement of bygone days during your afternoon DRIVING TOUR with stops at DREDGE #4 and DISCOVERY CLAIM NATIONAL HISTORIC SITE and to PAN FOR KLONDIKE GOLD.

12

Dawson City

A free day to explore Dawson City on your own or take the optional excursion on the Top of the World Highway to the Alaska border and return.

13

Dawson City to Whitehorse

(2 nights) Return to Whitehorse along the Klondike Highway. This route closely follows the original over-land trail that was only passable in the winter when the river couldn’t be used as a transportation corridor. Stop for lunch in CARMACKS, home of the Little Salmon/Carmacks First Nation and where George Carmack ran a trading post before venturing into the Klondike region in search of gold.

14

Whitehorse to Fraser to Whitehorse

Take a scenic drive into the coastal mountains to see the rugged terrain crossed by the Stampeders coming to the Klondike Gold Fields in 1898. Stop at historic CARCROSS, the Tagish First Nations village that was home to Skookum Jim, said by many to have discovered the gold nugget that set off the Klondike Gold Rush. See Bennett Lake, Tagish Lake, Tutshi Lake and more on your way to the HISTORIC LOG CABIN that was the NWMP customs station on the Chilkoot Pass. Visit the YUKON SUSPENSION BRIDGE across the Tutshi River before returning for the remainder of the day’s free time in Whitehorse.

15

Whitehorse to Watson Lake

Retrace your travels on the Alaska Highway through southern Yukon as you make your way to Watson Lake for overnight.

16

Watson Lake to Fort Nelson

Today, relax and take in the rugged scenic landscape and the diversity and abundance of wildlife familiar in this part of British Columbia. Unwind in the soothing thermal waters at LIARD RIVER HOT SPRINGS, nestled within a lush boreal spruce forest. The day includes a PICNIC LUNCH before crossing over Summit Pass, the highest point on the Alaska Highway, as you continue to Fort Nelson for overnight. Share tour memories tonight with your fellow travellers at a HOSTED FAREWELL DINNER.

17

Fort Nelson to Grande Prairie

Continue your northern adventure through British Columbia’s eastern interior to the Peace River country in northern Alberta, making a stop in Dawson Creek. It is here at Mile “0” that the legendary 1,500-mile-long Alaska Highway begins. Overnight in Grande Prairie.

18

Grande Prairie to Edmonton to Calgary

Heading south, say farewell to your new-found friends. Make a stop in Edmonton before your tour concludes in Calgary.

Route map for Northwest Territories and Yukon Tour

NOTES ON TRAVELLING

The Northwest Territories and Yukon are still two of the last frontiers of pioneer-style life. Some days we will have extended travel times due to rougher roads or distance between settlements. All of our chosen hotels are comfortable but may not be up to the same standards expected in the south. Bring your explorer’s spirit, expect the unexpected, and enjoy a fantastic tour of the north!

ACTIVITY LEVEL: Will require occasional walking on rugged and uneven terrain and travellers should therefore be in reasonably good health.

Included in Your Holiday

First class transportation on an air-conditioned, washroom equipped motorcoach
Quality accommodation and tax
Services of an experienced Tour Director and Driver
Baggage handling, one average piece per person
Travel Bag
Admission to attractions and sightseeing as outlined in the itinerary
Welcome Dinner
Alexandra Falls
Louise Falls
Evening Tour of Hay River
Lady Evelyn Falls
Kakisa
Deh Cho Bridge
Behchokǫ̀
Guided Tour of Yellowknife
Boat Ride with Northern Style Fish Fry Dinner
Fort Providence
Sambaa Deh Falls
Fort Liard
Signpost Forest

Miles Canyon
Yukon Transportation Museum
SS Klondike Sternwheeler
North Klondike Highway
Diamond Tooth Gerties
Driving tour of Dawson City
Dredge #4 National Historic Site
Discovery Claim
Gold Panning
Carmacks
Carcross
Historic Log Cabin
Yukon Suspension Bridge
Liard River Hot Springs
Farewell Dinner
Alaska Highway Mile 0
City Tours as outlined in the itinerary
15 Meals Include: 6 Breakfasts, 6 Lunches: Fort Providence, Muncho Lake, Moose Creek and 3 picnic box lunches, 3 Dinners, 7 Picnic-style Breaks (cookies and juice).

2027 Prices to be announced

Cost per person | Prices in Canadian Funds | GST on Canadian portion | prices subject to change