Dawson City: Things to Do in the Klondike

Dawson City is the gold rush town of the Klondike, about 525 kilometres (328 miles) north of Whitehorse at the end of the Klondike Highway. Most visitors come between mid-May and mid-September, when Parks Canada runs its tours, Diamond Tooth Gerties is open every night and the road over the Top of the World Highway to Alaska is passable. Plan at least two full days: one for the town, one for the goldfields on Bonanza Creek.

The town sits on the east bank of the Yukon River where the Klondike River flows in. About 1,600 people live here today (2021 census), which makes Dawson the second-largest community in Yukon after Whitehorse. In 1898, an estimated 30,000 or more people crowded onto the same flats. Dawson was the capital of Yukon until 1953. Prices below are in Canadian dollars (CAD), as of October 2026.

How to get to Dawson City

By car from Whitehorse

The North Klondike Highway (Yukon Highway 2) is paved and open all year. The drive from Whitehorse takes 5 to 6 hours without stops; most people break it at the Five Finger Rapids viewpoint near Carmacks. Fuel is available in Carmacks, Pelly Crossing and Dawson City, and cell coverage is patchy between them. Our guide to Yukon highways has the details for every section.

By air

Air North, Yukon’s airline, flies from Whitehorse to Dawson City in about 1 hour 10 minutes, around six times a week, and also links Dawson with Old Crow and Inuvik. Dawson City Airport (YDA) is about 15 minutes from town, and many hotels arrange pickups.

From Alaska over the Top of the World Highway

The Top of the World Highway (Yukon Highway 9) runs 105 kilometres from the Alaska border to the Yukon River opposite Dawson. It is mostly gravel and follows ridgetops above the treeline. In Alaska it joins the Taylor Highway towards Chicken and Tok.

The border crossing at Little Gold Creek (Canada) and Poker Creek (USA) is the northernmost land crossing between the two countries, and it is only open in summer. In 2026 the Canadian port opened on May 22 and closed on September 15. Hours were 9 am to 7 pm Yukon time, seven days a week. Yukon time is one hour ahead of Alaska time in summer, so that is 8 am to 6 pm in Alaska. Outside these hours you cannot cross. Bring a passport or NEXUS card, and check that your rental contract allows gravel roads and border crossings.

At the end of the highway, the free George Black ferry carries cars across the Yukon River into Dawson. It runs 24 hours a day from mid-May to mid-October, depending on ice and water levels. In 2026 it stops for the season on October 14 with a last sailing at 11 pm.

The gravel Top of the World Highway leading over open ridges towards Dawson City — Before the Klondike Highway was finished, the Top of the World Highway was the only road into Dawson City. Photo Tobias Barth

The Klondike Gold Rush in brief

On August 16, 1896, Keish (Skookum Jim), Dawson Charlie and George Carmack found gold on Rabbit Creek, a tributary of the Klondike River that was soon renamed Bonanza Creek. News reached the outside world in July 1897, when ships with gold and newly rich miners docked in Seattle and San Francisco. Tens of thousands set off north, most of them over the Chilkoot or White Pass and then by boat down the Yukon River.

By the time most stampeders arrived in 1898, the rich creeks had been staked, and many left for Nome when gold was found there in 1899. Large companies then bought up the claims and brought in dredges. Gold is still mined in the Klondike today.

For the Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in, whose fish camp at the mouth of the Klondike River stood where Dawson grew, the stampede changed everything in a few years. Chief Isaac moved his people downriver to Moosehide. Their story is now part of the Tr’ondëk-Klondike UNESCO World Heritage Site (see below).

Klondike National Historic Sites (Parks Canada)

Parks Canada looks after a large part of historic Dawson, including historic buildings in town, the sternwheeler S.S. Keno and Dredge No. 4. Programs run in summer, roughly from mid-May to early September. Tickets are sold at the Visitor Information Centre at Front and King Street. From June 19 to September 7, 2026, admission was free with the Canada Strong Pass; regular fees apply again from September 8, 2026. Current fees per person:

Program	Price (CAD)
Historic Town Walking Tour	16.50
S.S. Keno tour	12.50
Dredge No. 4 tour	12.50
Palace Grand Theatre tour	12.50
Commissioner’s Residence program	12.50
Robert Service program	12.50
Bear Creek Compound tour	19.50

The walking tour with a costumed guide is the best start. It runs several times a day in summer; the Visitor Information Centre has the current times. Some of the buildings you pass lean at odd angles because the permafrost under them has thawed.

A street in Dawson City with restored gold rush era buildings and wooden boardwalks — Restored buildings from the gold rush era line the streets of Dawson City. Photo edb3_16 / Deposit

S.S. Keno

The S.S. Keno was built in Whitehorse in 1922. It carried silver and lead ore from Mayo on the Stewart River to Stewart Island on the Yukon River and returned with supplies. It was retired in 1953, and in 1960 it made one last trip down the Yukon River to Dawson, where it now sits on the riverbank. Guided tours take you aboard.

Dredge No. 4

About 17 kilometres south of town, 12 kilometres up Bonanza Creek Road, stands Dredge No. 4, eight storeys tall and about two thirds the length of a football field. Parks Canada calls it the largest wooden-hulled bucket-line dredge in North America. It was built in 1912, started digging in May 1913, worked the Klondike Valley and Hunker Creek until 1940 and Bonanza Creek from 1941 to 1959. The tour explains how dredges left the gravel tailings you see all over the valley. Tours run several times a day in summer.

Discovery Claim and Bear Creek

A little further up Bonanza Creek Road, the Discovery Trail leads to Discovery Claim, the spot where the 1896 find was made. You can walk it on your own. Bear Creek, about 10 kilometres east of Dawson, was the compound where the Yukon Consolidated Gold Corporation repaired and supplied its dredges. In summer Parks Canada offers guided tours there on selected days.

Diamond Tooth Gerties

Diamond Tooth Gerties Gambling Hall on Fourth Avenue is run by the not-for-profit Klondike Visitors Association. In summer there are three cancan shows a night, plus blackjack, poker, roulette and slot machines. You must be 19 or older.

In summer Gerties is open seven days a week from 7 pm to 2 am. Entry from May to September requires the Gerties Season Pass, which costs 30 CAD and is valid all summer. The next summer season runs from May 7 to September 18, 2027. In fall 2026 the hall is open on Fridays and Saturdays from 7 pm to 1 am until October 17, without shows. In winter it opens again on Fridays and Saturdays from January 29 to April 17, 2027, with no pass needed.

The Sourtoe Cocktail

Dawson’s strangest tradition started in 1973, when Captain Dick Stevenson found an amputated toe preserved in a jar in a cabin. The drink is served in the Sourdough Saloon of the Downtown Hotel in the evening. You order a shot (traditionally Yukon Jack), the toe goes into the glass, and the rule is: “You can drink it fast, you can drink it slow, but your lips must touch the toe.” You pay for your drink plus a fee (reported at 5 to 10 CAD in recent years) for the certificate that makes you a member of the Sourtoe Cocktail Club. Anyone who swallows the toe pays a fine of 2,500 CAD.

Midnight Dome

The road up the Midnight Dome climbs about 8 kilometres from the edge of town to a summit at roughly 880 metres (2,900 feet). From the top you look down on Dawson, the mouth of the Klondike, the Yukon River, the goldfields with their tailing piles and the Top of the World Highway on the far side. Locals drive up on the night of the summer solstice, when the sun only just dips behind the Ogilvie Mountains to the north.

Dänojà Zho Cultural Centre and the World Heritage Site

The Dänojà Zho Cultural Centre on Front Street is run by the Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in. Its galleries cover the history and culture of the first people of the Klondike, and a 14-minute film introduces the community. The centre is open in summer and by appointment in winter, and tickets are valid for two days.

In September 2023, UNESCO added Tr’ondëk-Klondike to the World Heritage List. It is Yukon’s first cultural World Heritage Site. Its eight sites along the Yukon River, among them Dawson City, Tr’ochëk, Moosehide Village and Forty Mile, show how the Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in experienced and adapted to colonial expansion between 1874 and 1908.

Writers’ Dawson: Robert Service, Jack London and Pierre Berton

Robert Service, the “Bard of the Yukon”, lived in a small log cabin on Eighth Avenue. Parks Canada runs a one-hour program at the cabin, “The Adventurous Life of Robert Service”, in summer.

Jack London spent the winter of 1897 to 1898 on Henderson Creek, south of Dawson. The Jack London Museum nearby, run by the Klondike Visitors Association, has a replica of his cabin. In 2026 it was open daily from June 1 to September 13, 11 am to 2:30 pm, with a talk at noon on weekdays. Admission is 5 CAD.

Berton House, the childhood home of the author Pierre Berton (“Klondike”), is a writers’ retreat and not open to visitors.

Dawson City Museum

The Dawson City Museum is in the Old Territorial Administration Building at 595 Fifth Avenue. It is open daily from 9 am to 5 pm in summer, and Monday to Friday, 9 am to 5 pm, from mid-September to mid-May. Admission is 10 CAD for adults, 8 CAD for seniors and students, and free for children under 12.

Gold panning

You do not need a tour to try your luck. Free Claim No. 6, run by the Klondike Visitors Association, is about 18 kilometres up Bonanza Creek Road, around 15 minutes by car from town. Panning is free, you keep what you find, and you can borrow a pan at the Visitor Information Centre. Do not pan elsewhere on Bonanza Creek: the ground is staked by working miners.

If you want a guide, Goldbottom Mine Tours runs a Goldfields and Mine Tour from its shop on Front Street to a working family mine at Hunker Creek Road. It takes 3 to 3.5 hours and includes panning. The price is 80 CAD for adults and 40 CAD for youth, with departures at 8:15 am and 1:15 pm from mid-May to mid-September (minimum four people). In town, the same company sells a “guaranteed gold” pan for 25 CAD.

Day trip to Tombstone Territorial Park

Tombstone Territorial Park covers about 2,200 square kilometres of the Ogilvie Mountains along the Dempster Highway. From Dawson, drive about 40 kilometres east on the Klondike Highway to the Dempster turnoff, then north on gravel. The Tombstone Interpretive Centre at kilometre 71.5 of the Dempster is about 1.5 hours from Dawson and is open from mid-May to mid-September. Staff can recommend short hikes. Late August, when the tundra turns red, is the best time. There is no fuel in the park. Our Yukon road trip from the Pacific to the Arctic Ocean continues up the Dempster to Inuvik and Tuktoyaktuk.

Events

The Yukon River Quest, a 715-kilometre paddling race from Whitehorse, finishes in Dawson in late June. In 2026 the race started on June 17, and teams arrived from June 19 to 20.

The Dawson City Music Festival fills the town in mid-July. The 2026 edition took place from July 17 to 19 on stages across the historic townsite. Book rooms early.

Discovery Day, the third Monday of August, is a Yukon holiday that marks the 1896 gold find. Dawson celebrates over the long weekend with Discovery Days: a parade, music, sports tournaments and other events.

When to visit

The main season runs from mid-May to mid-September. June and July bring 24-hour daylight and the most going on. July temperatures average around 15 °C, but days above 25 °C are common, and so are mosquitoes. By late August the nights get dark again and the hills turn yellow. Many businesses close in early to mid-September.

Winter is quiet and cold. January averages around minus 26 °C. The Klondike Highway stays open, Air North keeps flying, and a few hotels, restaurants and the museum stay open. From late August to mid-April, the long dark nights are good for the northern lights, often right from the edge of town. If you want a guided aurora experience, it is easier to arrange in Whitehorse, for example at Northern Lights Resort & Spa or the Aurora Lounge of EPIC NORTH. More in our guide to the northern lights in Canada.

Old wooden buildings in Dawson City leaning because the permafrost beneath them has thawed — Some buildings in Dawson City have sunk as the permafrost under them thawed. Photo Barbora.Martinakova / Deposit

Where to stay

Most hotels are on or near Front Street, within walking distance of everything in town. There are also B&Bs, cabins and hostels. In July and August, and especially during the music festival, rooms are scarce, so book months ahead. In winter, check that your accommodation is open. RV parks are on the edge of town, and there are Yukon government campgrounds along the Klondike Highway east of town and across the river in West Dawson near the ferry landing.

See hotels in Dawson CityAd

Frequently asked questions

How far is Dawson City from Whitehorse?

About 525 kilometres (328 miles) on the paved North Klondike Highway, which takes 5 to 6 hours without stops. Air North flies the route in about 1 hour 10 minutes.

When is the Top of the World Highway open?

Only in summer. In 2026 the Little Gold Creek border crossing was open from May 22 to September 15, daily from 9 am to 7 pm Yukon time (8 am to 6 pm Alaska time). Outside these hours you cannot cross.

How much does Diamond Tooth Gerties cost?

In summer you need the Gerties Season Pass for 30 CAD, which is valid for the whole season. In fall and winter, when the hall opens on Fridays and Saturdays, no pass is needed. You must be 19 or older.

Can you pan for gold for free in Dawson City?

Yes. At Free Claim No. 6, about 18 kilometres up Bonanza Creek Road, panning is free and you keep what you find. Pans can be borrowed at the Visitor Information Centre.

Sources

Parks Canada: Interpretive program schedule, Klondike National Historic Sites (opens in a new tab)
Parks Canada: Fees, Klondike National Historic Sites (opens in a new tab)
Parks Canada: Dredge No. 4 National Historic Site (opens in a new tab)
Parks Canada: S.S. Keno National Historic Site of Canada (opens in a new tab)
Parks Canada: Klondike Goldfields (opens in a new tab)
Parks Canada: Tr’ondëk-Klondike inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List (opens in a new tab)
Canada Border Services Agency: Little Gold Creek port of entry to open for summer season (opens in a new tab)
Government of Yukon: Find sailing times for Yukon ferries (opens in a new tab)
Government of Yukon: Tombstone Territorial Park (opens in a new tab)
Klondike Visitors Association: Getting here (opens in a new tab)
Klondike Visitors Association: Properties (opens in a new tab)
Klondike Visitors Association: Discovery Day Celebrations (opens in a new tab)
Diamond Tooth Gerties: Visit Gerties (opens in a new tab)
Jack London Museum: Visit the Jack London Museum and Cabin (opens in a new tab)
Dawson City Museum: Visit (opens in a new tab)
Dänojà Zho Cultural Centre: Listing on dawsoncity.ca (opens in a new tab)
Goldbottom Mine Tours: Services (opens in a new tab)
Dawson City Music Festival: DCMF 2026 (opens in a new tab)
Yukon River Quest: Handbook 2026 (opens in a new tab)
Travel2Next: Sourtoe Cocktail: how to join the club in Dawson City (opens in a new tab)
Canadian Heritage: About the Canada Strong Pass (opens in a new tab)
Government of Yukon: Dredge No. 4 (Parks Canada) site location (opens in a new tab)
Getaway Couple: We Tried the Sourtoe Cocktail (opens in a new tab)
FlightConnections: Flights from Whitehorse to Dawson City (opens in a new tab)