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Town in Yukon, Canada
Photo: Dawsonesque at English Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Dawson City is a historical town of 2,270 people (2021) in Yukon. It invites visitors to celebrate its heritage as a late 19th-century gold rush town, with frontier buildings and boardwalks, saloons, and a vintage sternwheeler.
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Old paddle boats that plied the Yukon are drydocked, after a fashion, down the Yukon River opposite the town. To reach this you must take the free ferry across the river and walk through the government camping area along the river. Where the camping area ends, get out onto the river's shore and walk maybe 200 m further. These are dilapidated tetanus traps but it's fascinating to crawl around in and on them.
Preserved frontier buildings and boardwalks, saloons, and a vintage sternwheeler recall the 1898 Klondike Gold Rush days. You can visit the goldfields, the Commissioner’s residence, and a famous poet’s historic log cabin.
Discover the history and culture of the first people of the Klondike, the Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in.
Contemporary visual arts.
"Theater" reconstructing the shady establishments of the gold rush. Various teams of professional artists present "Cancan Shows" on stage with dancing, music and singing.
Art gallery.
Historical fire trucks and firefighting equipment from the Gold Rush era to present.
Heritage museum with several exhibition rooms, including the "Klondike Mines Railway Locomotive Shelter".
The celebrated novelist joined the Klondike Gold Rush. His time in Dawson City inspired him to write novels on adventures in the wilderness.
Midnight Dome viewpoint, whose summit (879 m) is 2.0 km (as the crow flies) north-east of downtown Dawson City, overlooking the Klondyke River Valley, the Yukon River Valley and the city. A trail and Dome Road allow you to explore this mountain. The site is recommended for viewing the Northern Lights.
Lookout on Mount Bronson, whose summit (1123 m) is located 10 km south of downtown Dawson City, overlooking the Klondyke River Valley, the Yukon River Valley and the city. A trail allows you to explore this mountain.
Statue of a miner.
Statue of a mammoth.
Drive south for 18 km to Bonanza Creek. This is where prospectors struck the first gold material that kicked off the Klondike Gold Rush. Along the way, you’ll also pass Dredge No. 4, a National Historic Site. There are some self-guided trails in the area and a viewpoint at Cripple Hill.
A wooden-hulled bucketline sluice dredge that mined placer gold on the Yukon River from 1913 until 1959. It is preserved as one of the National Historic Sites of Canada. It is the largest wooden-hulled dredge in North America.
Leaning houses built on permafrost.
Anglican Church.
Catholic church.
In this cemetery, trees have grown for a hundred years through the burial sites.
The towns has a great variety of cemeteries, including Jewish, Masonic, RCMP, and others. They are a reminder of the town's colourful past. They are just a short drive up Crocus Bluff and halfway up the shoulder of the Midnight Dome mountain that looms over the town.
This weekend festival in Dawson City typically includes these activities: a parade (route: Front St., Church St., Fifth Avenue, King St.) of floats with an after parade at the Front St. Gazebo, a baseball tournament, a golf tournament, a horticultural show (in a large tent on Front Street), a bike rodeo, and live music and art...
The Moosehide Gathering is an inclusive event to share and celebrate Hän traditions and culture. This festival brings together people from Canada, Alaska and international visitors. The festival is held at the Moosehide Village Heritage Site, 3 kilometres downstream from Dawson City (on the north side). All participants enjoy live entertainment, dancing, drumming and singing... In addition, there are guest presenters, arts and crafts displays/booths, community meals... Participants are invited to camp for free at Moosehide Village. Regular boat transportation is available free of charge from Dawson. The first Moosehide Gathering was held in 1993.
Dawson City Golf Course organizes some summer golf tournaments.
A touristy relic of the old Gold Rush days but it is still a blast, frequented by locals and visitors. It is the only casino in northern Canada. In the summer there are three can-can shows a night in addition to gambling of all sorts, food, and of course local beers and drinks. Must be 19+.
The park protects over of rugged peaks, permafrost landforms and wildlife, including sections of the Blackstone Uplands and the Ogilvie Mountains. An interpretive centre, open in summer, provides visitors with necessary resources for accessing the backcountry and interpretive programs for understanding it, and several car camping sites. There are three designated backcountry campgrounds.
From late May to the beginning of September, Parks Canada offers 1 to 1½-hour guided walking tours of the historic town, Dredge No.4, the S.S. Keno, and the Palace Grand Theatre. These tours provide access to buildings that are not open to the public such as the past office and the Red Feather Saloon. There is also an escape room experience ($76.75).
An experiential tour of an operating placer gold mine in Dawson City Yukon. See placer mining up close and personal, learn some Klondike 98 mining history and do some creek gold panning, with the opportunity to take home anything you find.
Cruise ship on the Yukon River.
A nine holes wilderness course. Clubhouse.
Swimming pool.
Leisure center.
Great Greek food. Eat in. Take out orders.
Restaurant. Eat in. Take out orders. In the menu: Bison carpaccio and fireweed honey duck breast.
Restaurant. Eat in. Take out orders.
Restaurant. Eat in. Take out orders.
Family restaurant. Meals on site.
Restaurant. Eat in. Take out orders.
Cafe. Eat in. Take out.
Restaurant. Eat in. Take out orders.
Jamaican restaurant. Eat in. Take out.
Chinese restaurant.
Pizzeria. Takeaway orders.
Pizzeria. Takeaway orders.
Ice cream counter.
A good bar, home of the "Sourtoe Cocktail Club": to join, down a shot of Yukon Jack whiskey garnished with a mummified human toe. Don't swallow the toe, though, or you'll be fined $2,500. Eat in. Take out.
For some local colour try the beer parlour at the Westminster Hotel or "the pit" (the dodgy-looking pink building on 3rd Ave) where gold mining fortunes and welfare cheques are cheerfully exchanged for $2 sleeves of draught beer almost any time of any day. Good local live music in the lounge next door at the pit on some nights. The building caught fire in May 2026; as yet, there is no decision whether it will be rebuilt.
Bar. Meals on site.
Greek restaurant. Eat in. Take out.
Three-star hotel.
Rooms with en-suite and shared bathrooms.
Hotel.
Two-star hotel.
Three-star hotel. Cabins.
Hotel.
Rooms with en suite or shared bathrooms.
Three-star hotel hotel. Free WiFi and airport shuttle.
Three-star hotel hotel.
Three stars hotel. Belinda dining room.
Historic accommodation overlooking the Yukon River at the north end of Dawson City, with guest rooms in historic buildings, a restored Gold Rush-era log cabin and canvas wall tents. A range of amenities and services are available, including private bathrooms, kitchenettes, Wi-Fi and on-site parking. Pet-friendly and motorcycle-friendly. Within walking distance of downtown. Open seasonally from May–September.
Motel and RV park.
B&B.
B&B.
Motel and RV park. Full hookups (15/30/50 amps) with cable TV, Wi-Fi.
Campground.
Campground and RV parking.
Campground.
Campground operated by Yukon Parks. It offers 102 campsites. It offers several cook shelters.
The Trading Post
Amazing examples of Tr'ondek Hwech'in products. Beaded vests, fur mittens and the like. The shop also has all the things you might need to make a journey out onto the land with more amenities.
Grocery store.
General store.
Supermarket.
Second-hand stores and counters. The resale of items that are still useful is popular.
Bakeshop.
Bakeshop.
Souvenir gift shop.
Souvenir gift shop.
Craft, DIY and collector's store.
By plane
Dawson City has a small airport for scheduled and chartered flights.
By bus
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Dawson City · Regional · YDA
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