Whitehorse

Whitehorse, Yukon

Whitehorse is the capital of the Yukon.

Understand

Whitehorse has been the capital of the Yukon since 1953, and has a population of around 27,000. The city is along the banks of the Yukon River. It is in a rain shadow area, so Whitehorse is Canada's driest city.

Get in

By plane

• 🌍 Whitehorse International Airport (YXY  ^IATA), 75 Barkley Grow Crescent #316, ☎ [phone], toll-free: [phone] ext 8440 (in Yukon), fax: [phone]. 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.

Get around

Whitehorse Transit operates city buses and there are taxis operating in town.

The Trans-Canada Trail runs through the city, and there are some bike trails.

Regulation of Whitehorse taxi operators has traditionally been lax. Drivers have been charged with sexual assault in separate incidents in 2009 and 2017; a 2010 report found drug dealers were riding in cabs to make deliveries and drivers were attempting to operate as taxi dispatchers (taking calls, making handwritten notes) while behind the wheel of a moving cab. The city is belatedly moving to curb the worst of the abuses, prohibiting distracted driving, requiring proper dispatch facilities and record keeping, strengthening criminal record checks and requiring a video camera in every taxi. Unsafe conditions should be reported to the city at [phone].

Taxis are metered and cost $4.50 plus $2.25/km; a trip from downtown to the airport is $18.

• Cadence Cycles, 508 Wood St, ☎ [phone]. A small rental fleet of mountain bikes for rental. 
• Premier Cabs, 128 Goldeneye St, ☎ [phone]. 24/7. Whitehorse's largest taxi fleet (30 cars). 
• Victory Taxi, ☎ [phone]. 

See

Miles Canyon

• 🌍 S.S. Klondike National Historic Site, ☎ [phone], e-mail: [e-mail]. Late May to early Sep: 9:30AM-5PM. A sternwheeler paddleboat, turned into a museum. Free admission. (updated Jun 2018)
• 🌍 Miles Canyon. The 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, 1124 Front St, ☎ [phone]. 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, [phone]) and the MacBride Waterfront Trolley (1127 Front St, [phone]). Programs include museum tours, recreational gold panning and the occasional live music event. 
• 🌍 Beringia Interpretive Centre, Kilometre 1423 (Mile 886) Alaska Hwy, ☎ [phone]. May-Sep: 9AM-6PM; Oct-Apr: noon-5PM. 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. $6/adult, $5/senior, $4/student.  
• 🌍 Takhini Hot Springs (Takhini Hot Pools), KM 10/Mile 6 Takhini Hotsprings Road (take the Alaska Highway north, exit north onto the Klondike Highway, then west on Takhini Hotsprings Road), ☎ [phone]. Open-air hot springs. (updated Jun 2018)
• 🌍 Yukon Transportation Museum, 30 Electra Crescent, ☎ [phone], e-mail: [e-mail]. May-Aug: daily 10AM-6PM; Sep-Apr: Su-M noon-5PM. 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. (updated Jun 2018)
• Old Log Church, 3rd Avenue and Elliott Street, ☎ [phone]. Summer: M-Sa 10AM-5PM, Su noon-4PM; winter by appointment. Local history museum, pioneer stories and artefacts. 
• Whitehorse Fishway, Whitehorse dam, ☎ [phone]. Sep-Jun: 9AM-5PM; July: 9AM-6PM; Aug: 9AM-9PM. 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. $3 suggested donation. 

Do

• Canada Games Centre, 200 Hamilton Blvd, ☎ [phone]. The main centre for indoor recreation activity in Whitehorse. Includes, among other things, a large aquatic centre and three skating rinks. Adult $7.80/day, senior or student $6.35/day, youth (2-18) or disabled (doctor's note required) $4.05/day. 
• Frostbite Music Festival, Quanlin Dün Cultural Centre. One full weekend (Fr-Su), early Mar or late Feb. 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. $15/afternoon, $30/evening or $90 for the entire weekend. 

• Yukon International Storytelling Festival. A summer festival with storytellers from around the world. Workshops are also held during the festival. 
• Whitehorse Cross Country Ski Club. A 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. 

Buy

• Aroma Borealis Herb Shop, 504-B Main St, ☎ +1 867 667-HERB (4372). Natural products from local sources include skin care and aromatherapy products. Herbal teas. 

Eat

• 🌍 Alpine Bakery, 411 Alexander St (downtown, near 5 Ave), ☎ [phone], e-mail: [e-mail]. M-F 8AM-6PM, Sa Su 8AM-4PM. 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. (updated Jun 2018)
• The Chocolate Claim, 305 Strickland St (downtown). This café is more expensive, and well known for their chocolates and desserts. 
• Bent Spoon Café, 305 Main St (downtown, Hougen Centre). Serves coffee from beans locally roasted by Midnight Sun Coffee Roasters. Sandwiches, wraps, and pastries are also available. 
• Tokyo Sushi, 204B Main Street (downtown). 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, 206 Jarvis Street, ☎ [phone]. Italian food. (updated Aug 2018)

Drink

Sleep

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, 408 Hoge St, ☎ [phone], e-mail: [e-mail]. 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. Beds start at $30 per night, private rooms at $65 per night. (updated Jun 2018)

Mid-range

• Chilkoot Trail Inn, 4190 4th Ave, ☎ [phone]. 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. Prices are negotiable and start around $70 for a double and a bit less for a single (including tax). 
• 🌍 Midnight Sun Inn Bed and Breakfast, 6188 6th Ave (Corner of 6th Ave. & Cook St.), ☎ [phone], toll-free: [phone], e-mail: [e-mail]. Check-in: 4PM, check-out: 11AM. 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. $119-$140 (June - early Sept), $10-25 cheaper at other times. 
• Best Western Gold Rush Inn, 411 Main St., ☎ [phone]. Check-in: 3PM, check-out: 11AM. No pets. (updated Jul 2017)

Splurge

• 🌍 Inn On The Lake, Lot 76 McClintock Place, Marsh Lake (southeast of town, on the Alaska Highway), ☎ [phone], e-mail: [e-mail]. 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. $180 and up. 

Connect

• Whitehorse Public Library, Front and Black Street (next to the Kwanlin Dün Cultural Centre), ☎ [phone], e-mail: [e-mail]. M-Th 10AM-9PM, F-Su 10AM-6PM. Provides free public Internet and computer access. 30 minute sessions available. You may call to book in advance. (updated Jun 2018)

Go next

• Alaska Direct Bus Line offers bus service to Alaska.

Routes through Whitehorse

Tok ← Haines Junction ←	W  E	→ Jct S → Watson Lake → Dawson Creek
Dawson City ← Jct E ←	N  S	→ → becomes → Skagway