The YukonGetting there and getting around
Dawson is 530 km north of Whitehorse, about six hours driving the Klondike Highway, or roughly an hour by Air North flight. The town itself is tiny, walkable end to end in 15 minutes, with dirt streets and wooden boardwalks preserved by Parks Canada. Rent a car in Whitehorse if you're driving up, local rentals in Dawson are limited. The free George Black ferry across to West Dawson runs mid-May to mid-October, 24 hours a day, and takes 6 to 7 minutes to cross.
In town
Two nights minimum: one for the town itself, one for Bonanza Creek. In town, Parks Canada runs walking tours through the Palace Grand Theatre and the Jack London and Robert Service cabins, the Dawson City Museum covers the natural and cultural history in more depth, and the Dänojà Zho Cultural Centre tells the Tr'ondëk Hwëch'in side of the story that the gold rush sites don't. The Klondike Institute of Art and Culture, a genuine non-profit arts hub with the ODD Gallery and a busy calendar of festivals and workshops, is worth a stop if you want a sense of the town beyond its history.
Diamond Tooth Gertie's runs its can-can shows and card tables most evenings, and it's worth knowing the whole operation is run by the Klondike Visitors Association, a non-profit built around promoting the town, not a private casino. If you're up for the Sourtoe Cocktail, it's served nearby at the Sourdough Saloon in the Downtown Hotel, we've covered that whole strange tradition in its own article.
The town's preserved look isn't an accident. A major flood in 1979, when ice jams on three rivers backed up at once and sent water as far as Sixth Avenue, led to a dike being finished in 1987 to protect the townsite from a repeat. Its top is now a popular walking and biking trail, with good river views near the SS Keno and the Dänojà Zho Cultural Centre. Around the same period, Dawson adopted heritage bylaws that still govern exterior changes to buildings in the historic townsite today, which is a large part of why the whole place still looks the way it does rather than gradually filling in with modern storefronts.
Out to Bonanza Creek
Dredge No. 4, about 20 km out on Bonanza Creek Road, is worth the drive to see the scale of later industrial gold mining up close. If you want to pan yourself, know there are two different experiences here: Claim 33 is a paid, guided tourist operation, while the actual free public panning claim, maintained by the Klondike Visitors Association, is a separate spot further up the road. Both are worth doing for different reasons.
Two things most visitors miss
Drive out the Top of the World Highway past the treeline into the alpine. You don't need to cross the border to get the payoff, the tundra above the trees is excellent for berry picking in season, and a short walk off the road with a picnic is one of the best quiet afternoons Dawson has to offer.
On the other side of the river, past the campground on the West Dawson side, a walk along the bank brings you to the sternwheeler graveyard: the remains of several gold-rush-era paddlewheelers, slowly being reclaimed by the forest since they were beached decades ago. It's free, unmarked, and one of the more genuinely atmospheric things in the area.
Where to eat
Bonton & Company runs as a café by day and a bistro by night, curing its own meats on site. Klondike Kate's Restaurant, set in a gold-rush-era building, focuses on locally sourced ingredients. Cheechakos Bake Shop covers coffee and baked goods. For groceries, the Dawson City General Store and Bonanza Market are the two options in town.
Where to stay
These are a few of many options, not the only ones. Bombay Peggy's is a restored former brothel with a genuinely good story behind it: the building spent years sinking into a swamp before two local women bought it and lifted it back out, restoring it into the inn it is today. The Downtown Hotel is home to the Sourtoe Cocktail and the Sourdough Saloon. Whitehouse Cabins, at the north end of town, is a collection of older heritage cabins, some originally trappers' cabins, pulled in from elsewhere and remodeled, right on the river.
The Dome viewpoint at midnight in June, when the sun barely sets, is worth timing your trip around if you can.
Questions, answered
Is anything open in winter?
Basic services yes, most tourist sites no. Parks Canada tours end in mid-September, and Diamond Tooth Gertie's closes for the winter along with most of the seasonal restaurants and attractions.
What about the Sourtoe Cocktail?
Still served at the Sourdough Saloon inside the Downtown Hotel. See our full guide to the Sourtoe Cocktail for the history, the rules, and what to expect.
Do I need a car in Dawson itself?
No, the town is walkable in about 15 minutes end to end. You'll want one for Bonanza Creek, the Top of the World Highway, and anything outside the immediate townsite.
How far is Bonanza Creek from town?
Dredge No. 4 is about 20 km out on Bonanza Creek Road, an easy drive if you have a car for the day.
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