Best Time to
Visit Yukon

Planning a trip to the Yukon Territory? Understanding the best time to visit Yukon is crucial for an unforgettable experience. This vast 483,450 km² region, roughly the size of Spain, is Canada’s smallest and westernmost territory. Named after the legendary 3,190 km long Yukon River, which originates in British Columbia and flows into Alaska’s Bering Sea, Yukon offers diverse adventures. From the midnight sun in summer to the awe-inspiring Northern Lights in winter, knowing the optimal travel periods will ensure you maximize your Yukon journey. This article will help you decide the best time to travel to Yukon, based on the activities you wish to experience.

Yukon borders Alaska, the Northwest Territories, the province of British Columbia, and the Arctic Ocean. Fewer than 40,000 people live here, making it Canada’s most sparsely populated region. Nearly 10,000 of them identify as First Nations, the indigenous people.

Yukon Average Temperature

Most of Yukon has a subarctic climate, characterized by long, cold winters and short, warm summers. The Arctic Ocean coast has a tundra climate. The extreme climate, means that it is very important to consider the time of year, when planing a trip.

Mount Logan, Canada’s highest peak at 5,959m, offers a truly spectacular sight. It is the second-highest mountain in North America after Denali in Alaska. Located in Kluane National Park Reserve in southwestern Yukon, it feeds the famous Logan and Hubbard glaciers. Mt. Logan is believed to have the largest base circumference of any non-volcanic mountain on Earth, including a massif with 11 peaks over 5,000 meters. Mt. Logan, St. Elias Mountains, Kluane National Park, Yukon | Image: © Government of Yukon

Approximately 80 percent of Yukon Territory is wilderness: vast mountain ranges, glaciers, forests, and rivers. Here you’ll also find Canada’s highest mountain, 5,959-meter Mount Logan, as well as parts of the famous Hubbard Glacier and the massive Kluane Icefield with the Kaskawulsh Glacier. 17 of Canada’s 20 highest mountains are located in Yukon!

The 21,980 km² Kluane National Park is home to the world’s largest non-polar ice field and 17 of Canada’s 20 highest mountains. The Kaskawulsh Glacier, located between 1,800m and 2,700m above sea level, is the result of two converging outlet glaciers, the Central Arm and the North Arm. At its widest point, it is an impressive 4.8 to 6.4 km wide. Kaskawulsh Glacier in the St. Elias Mountains in Kluane National Park, Yukon | Image: © Government of Yukon / Hans-Gerhard Pfaff

Yukon Territory is one of the coldest regions in Canada. The average annual temperature is minus 4°C. In winter, temperatures can drop to minus 30°C or even lower. Average daily temperatures in January are minus 16°C.

The White Pass & Yukon Railway is one of the most scenic and impressive train journeys in the world. The narrow-gauge railway was built in 1898 during the Gold Rush and is considered an International Historic Civil Engineering Landmark, like the Eiffel Tower, the Statue of Liberty, or the Panama Canal. It was literally blasted through the coastal mountains in just 26 months. The $10 million project was the product of British financing, American engineering, and Canadian contracting. Tens of thousands of men and 450 tons of explosives overcame the harsh and challenging climate and difficult geography to create the railway line from Skagway to Whitehorse. | Image: © Government of Yukon

A large part of Yukon is in the permafrost zone. In summer, the permafrost thaws for a short time, exposing everything trapped within. During mining operations, mammoth tusks or bones of ice age mammals that went extinct thousands of years ago are sometimes found preserved in the permafrost.

Dog sledding – here near Whitehorse – is a popular winter activity for adventure-loving Yukon visitors. You can also watch the professionals at one of the legendary dog sled races, the Yukon Quest or the Yukon Arctic Ultra. | Image: © Government of Yukon / JF Bergeron – Enviro Foto

While the average winter temperature in Yukon Territory is still mild by Canadian Arctic standards, few other regions in North America get as cold during extreme cold snaps. Temperatures have fallen to –60°C three times: 1947, 1952, and 1968. The most extreme cold snap occurred in February 1947, when a record low of –63.0°C was measured in the now-abandoned town of Snag.

Yukon even has a desert, at least in name. The 2.6 km² Carcross Desert is affectionately referred to by Yukon residents as the smallest desert in the world. However, the region’s climate is too humid to be considered a “true desert.” The Carcross Desert area is significantly drier than the surrounding region, with less than 50 cm of precipitation per year, partly due to the rain shadow effect of the surrounding mountains. Sand dunes of the Carcross Desert near the famous White Pass and Yukon Route. | Image: © Government of Yukon / Justin T. Kennedy

In the short, bright summers, daily temperatures can reach plus 20°C and more. In some areas, the midnight sun shines all day and all night during the summer. Precipitation is not very frequent throughout the year.

Whitehorse, the capital of Yukon Territory, has a population of about 27,000. That’s about 70 percent of Yukon’s population. The airport, the White Pass and Yukon Railway station, and its location on the 2,230 km long Alaska Highway, one of Yukon’s main transportation routes, make the largest city in northern Canada an important transportation hub. The nostalgic, lovingly restored S.S. Klondike recalls the importance of steamboats and paddle wheelers on the Yukon River during the Klondike Gold Rush and the development of Yukon and Alaska. | Image: © Government of Yukon / Fritz Mueller

The capital city of Whitehorse on the Yukon River is considered Canada’s driest city – according to the Meteorological Service of Canada – mainly because it lies in the rain shadow of the Coast Mountains. The largest city in northern Canada has an average annual snowfall of only 141.8 cm and 16.1 cm of precipitation. Due to the city’s location in the Whitehorse Valley and its relative proximity to the Pacific Ocean, the subarctic climate here is milder than in comparable northern communities like Yellowknife in the Northwest Territories.

The settlement named after Canadian geologist George Mercer Dawson was founded in 1896 at the start of the legendary Klondike Gold Rush. Since the establishment of Yukon Territory in 1898, Dawson was its capital until the government moved to Whitehorse, 535 km to the south, in 1953. Today, you can still walk in the footsteps of the Gold Rush and Jack London, as time seems to have stood still in this tranquil town at the confluence of the Klondike and Yukon rivers. Dawson City | Image: © Government of Yukon

Unlike most parts of Canada, where the most extreme heat waves occur in July, August, and even September, extreme heat in Yukon Territory occurs in June and even May. Yukon has recorded a temperature of 36°C three times: 36.1°C in Mayo in June 1969, 36°C in Forty Mile in May 1983, and a record temperature of 36.5°C at the Mayo Road weather station northwest of Whitehorse in June 2004.

During the Klondike Gold Rush, Yukon briefly gained great importance as an access and supply route to Dawson, either as part of the route over the Chilkoot or White Pass, or by paddle wheelers from the mouth. In 1898, Dawson, then with a population of 40,000, reached its peak as the “Paris of the North” and the largest city west of Winnipeg and north of Seattle. Today, fewer than 2,000 people live in the tranquil town. The Diamond Tooth Gerties Gambling Hall is Canada’s oldest casino and takes visitors back to the Gold Rush era with its saloon, CanCan theater, and a variety of gambling games. | Image: © Government of Yukon

The best time to visit depends on what you want to see and experience. Between May and September is the best time for a bus tour or road trip. Hiking, boat trips, canoeing or kayaking, wildlife viewing, gold panning, and camping under the midnight sun are popular activities.

From June to August, be prepared for mosquitoes, and for black flies in late August and September. But it all depends on where you’re traveling and the current weather conditions. Pack insect repellent just in case!

The time of the legendary Gold Rush, when thousands of gold seekers hopefully made their arduous way to the goldfields on the Klondike in the late 19th century, is history. Nevertheless, the desire to try gold panning yourself is at the top of the list for adventurous Yukon visitors today. Some mines offer so-called Mining or Gold Panning Tours. | Image: © Government of Yukon / Justin T. Kennedy

The far north of Canada offers extraordinary adventures in winter: Northern Lights viewing, snowshoeing, ice fishing, as well as snowmobile and dog sled rides.

Between October and April is the best time to go on an Aurora hunt. Since it can get quite cold, you should learn about using your photo equipment in freezing temperatures beforehand and perhaps practice operating it with gloves.

Die Nordlichter zu erleben, ist für viele Besucher ein ganz besonderes Erlebnis. Während das Nordlicht immer am Nachthimmel ist, hängt seine Intensität jedoch von der Sonnenaktivität ab. Ebenso ist ein klarer Himmel notwendig, um einen perfekten Blick auf das mystische Nordlicht zu erhalten. | Bild: © Government of Yukon / Stefan Wackerhagen