Top Best Places to Visit in Yukon Territory

The Klondike Gold Rush, which began in 1897, gave birth to Whitehorse and Dawson City. Gold prospectors had to traverse the Miles Canyon and Whitehorse rapids before descending the Yukon River to Dawson's riches after surviving the difficult and sometimes dangerous voyage from Skagway over White Pass.

A little community sprung up on the river's right bank, opposite the modern town, as the first settlers arrived. The name Whitehorse came from the seething, foaming waters of the rapids, which reared like white steeds. The rapid-causing rocks are still present, but they are now gently submerged beneath the waters of Schwatka Lake, which was created when the river was dammed in 1958.

With a population of 25,000 people, Whitehorse has become a major center for arts and culture in recent years, accounting for more than half of Yukon's total population. The modest but bustling territorial capital, located at the crossroads of the Alaska and Klondike Highways and barely 80 kilometers north of the provincial boundary with British Columbia, is a northern hub.

With our list of the top tourist attractions in Whitehorse, you can find the greatest things to do in this small but intriguing city.