Traveling along the same trail as the miners from Dawson City builds your respect for the stamina and determination of those miners.   The trails that you see are rough, but there are several incredible stops along the way.  Whitehorse, the capital of the Yukon Territory, is the largest city in the Yukon.  There are lots of both local and nationally recognized restaurants such as Burger King, Subway and Tim Hortons.  Most notable of the restaurants is the Salmon and Rib BBQ which sports a wait every evening.  But, the dishes are truly worth the wait.  Lil’s is also a very unique 50’s diner in town.

There are various sightseeing opportunities here.  Kluane National Park is almost a 2 hour drive away and does offer very scenic flight and whitewater rafting trips.  However, the path is so large and mountainous that only flight-seeing trips will offer to opportunity to see the steep, mountainous terrain.  The paddle wheel riverboat, Klondike II is on display here for those that want to see how the later gold miners traveled down the Yukon River to Dawson City.

Another entertaining stop in the area is the “Frantic Follies”, the area’s longest running stage show.  Located in the Westmark Hotel, it is 2 hours of incredible fun.  Finally, the area visitor’s center offers travel information and a short movie about the wonders of the Yukon Territory.

Dawson City . . .What an amazing town!  The Canadian Park Service has and continues to rebuild this city to mimic the gold rush days.  The hotels and restaurants are wonderfully restored and there’s a casino complete with stage shoes.  Meals with salmon and halibut are abundant and the ice cream store on Front Street is also a favorite of mine.  A nice museum and a historic riverboat tour round out the city’s activities.

Don’t worry about exchanging into Canadian dollars, all of the stores accept American dollars, but give close change, as you’ll receive any change in Canadian.  Visa and Mastercard are readily accepted at most establishments.

About 90 minutes down the Dempster Highway is Tombstone Park, noted for black granite peaks, alpine lakes and tundra.  If you will be traveling on the Yukon Queen II, I would skip this adventure and spend more time in Dawson City.  Although in the late summer, the tundra changes into a “living palette” of crimson, orange and gold.  Sourdough Joe’s and Klondike Kate’s are notable restaurants here.

The capital is a great place to port, but alas, again will be very busy.  It is not a large town, so skip across the main street and view the land.  Take advantage of the long daylight hours to visit Tongass National Forest, experience Alaska’s gold mining past at the Last Chance Mining Museum, or enjoy the pristine nature by kayaking, dog sledding, we watching, or fishing. Juneau is also home to North America’s fifth largest icefield. It is a drive-up attraction and the highlight is the Mendenhall Glacier, a wave of ice that stretches 12 miles from the Juneau Icefield to Mendenhall Lake. At its widest point, the glacier is more than 1 ½ miles with ice from 400-1800 feet deep. The opportunities are endless in Alaska’s capital.

There are charter boats available for salmon fishing, but be aware that

Skagway is a wonderful little town that has tried to recreate the original miner’s town of old.  The buildings are great, but I am not sure if all of the jewelry stores existed in 1896.  The Red Onion Saloon and the Alaska Brewing Company are notable restaurants; the latter having a better menu and not as authentic as the former.  If you are lucky enough to visit the town on the weekend, you will be rewarded with quiet streets and the ambiance of a frontier town.

The Park Service offers a one hour guided tour of the town which is very entertaining.  Also, here you will find the second best flight seeing excursion in Alaska (Denali being #1).  Glacier Bay is close and extended walks on one of the many close glaciers is the norm.  River floats are also available.