Here are 12 must-do activities to enjoy the Yukon

The vast Yukon attracts outdoor enthusiasts and history buffs alike. Traces of the gold rush are still clearly visible, and legends from this vibrant period are numerous. Here are some suggestions for fully enjoying the attractions of this unique territory.

In Whitehorse

This is arguably the best starting point for a trip to the Yukon. With its exhibits, the MacBride Museum traces the history of the traditional territories of the Kwanlin Dün First Nation and the Ta'an Kwäch'än Council, as well as the gold rush. Located in the heart of the capital, the museum is just steps from the Yukon River and the White Pass & Yukon Route train station.

The Yukon River

In Whitehorse, the Yukon River owes its aquamarine hue to the sediment it contains. The city takes its name from its impetuous rapids, whose foam resembled the manes of white horses. While various companies invite athletes to canoe down the river in small groups on multi-day expeditions, operators like Yukon Wild offer kayak, canoe, and paddleboard rentals from May to September. Cycling the Millennium Trail, which runs along and over the river twice to form a loop of about fifteen kilometers, is another good option for admiring it to your heart's content. You can rent them from Icycle Sports , which shares its premises with Midnight Sun Coffee Roosters .

Miles Canyon

Just minutes from downtown Whitehorse, the teal waters of Miles Canyon contrast with the grayish hues of its rock walls. Forged by volcanic activity, the landscape bears witness to the passage of a basalt flow. Long before prospectors crossed it on their way to the Klondike, First Nations established a fishing camp there. Today, it can be admired from various vantage points, including a suspension bridge.

Three favorite addresses in Whitehorse:

• Gather Café and Taphouse : Adjacent to Lumel Studios, a glassblowing workshop, this restaurant offers delicious cocktails, Mexican specialties, and a pleasant terrace.

• Baked Café and Bakery : for great scones and lattes !

• Edgewater Hotel : While it may not look like much from the outside, the Edgewater Hotel is arguably one of the most comfortable hotels in the capital. Gold prospectors used to stay here before heading to Dawson City.

In Dawson City

It's hard to imagine that Dawson City, now home to about 2,400 residents, was home to up to 40,000 people during the Gold Rush. Wandering its streets, wooden sidewalks, and dirt roads, you'll feel like you've been transported back to the late 1800s. To understand how the discovery of gold transformed this small community on the banks of the Yukon River, a Parks Canada guided city tour is a great way to understand how it transformed this small community on the banks of the Yukon River. You'll learn, for example, that the first CIBC Bank welcomed customers in a tent, that people paid for their purchases with gold dust, and that the Mounties were as involved in crime prevention as they were in delivering the mail. The tour also offers the opportunity to enter three buildings, including the intriguing, beautifully restored Red Feather Saloon.

The Midnight Dome

At 888 meters (2,820 feet), Midnight Dome offers breathtaking 360-degree views of the Klondike Valley. You can reach it on foot via a trail or by taking a tour with Klondike Experience . The latter also offers insights into life in Dawson City. The site is undoubtedly the best place to watch the golden hour stretch into infinity on the evening of the summer solstice, June 21.

Diamond Tooth Gerthies

The oldest casino in Canada, opened in 1971, Diamond Tooth Gerthies is housed in one of Dawson City's oldest buildings, erected in 1901. It is here that a can-can show is presented during the peak tourist season. In the new version of the show, Quebecer Rowe Demers is one of the featured dancers.

Elsewhere

• The Gold Miners' Train: Departing from Whitehorse, the White Pass & Yukon Route offers a one-day excursion that combines a bus and a tourist train. The tracks on which it runs were laid during the gold rush, to spare thousands of prospectors the pitfalls of traveling through passes, ravines, and mountains.

• Carcross Desert: At 2.6 ^km² , "the world's smallest desert" is actually a series of dunes formed by dried-up glacial lakes.

Practical information

• Getting there: Yukon-based Air North offers flights between Ottawa and Whitehorse, Vancouver and Whitehorse, and Whitehorse and Dawson City. Air Canada offers flights from Montreal with a stopover in Vancouver.
• Getting around: While renting a car remains the easiest option for covering as much territory as possible, more and more companies are offering excursions and transportation services, such as Who What Where Tours (whitehorsetours.com).
• Please note: prices are very high in the Yukon, both for transportation and accommodation, especially in summer.

Air North provided our reporter with the flight between Whitehorse and Dawson City. The company had no say in this article.

Would you drink a cocktail containing a human toe?

Pushing open the swinging doors of the Sourdoe Saloon at the Downtown Hotel in Dawson City, you're transported to another era. It's in this timeless setting that a strange tradition is perpetuated: a drink into which a real, mummified human toe is slipped.

To understand the origins of the Sour Toe Cocktail , we have to go back to the 1970s, after a toe was discovered in a bottle of liquor—legend has it that it was amputated by a bootlegger after suffering frostbite during Prohibition. Captain Dick Stevenson is said to have teased and served it to his guest. The crazy idea led to the birth of one of the most iconic tourist attractions in the area.

Night after night, a captain repeats the same formula to the club's aspirants, who receive a certificate after completing the exercise: " You can drink it fast . You can drink it slow . But your lips must touch that gnarly toe." To date, it is estimated that around 200,000 people have played the game.

“Captain Dick handed over to Captain Bill Holmes in 1995,” says Captain Terry Lee, the current toemaster— and actual captain. “Since he couldn’t read Dick’s handwriting, he started counting from zero.”

Above the bar at the Sourdoe Saloon, a toe-shaped urn contains the ashes of the late Captain Stevenson. Although he bequeathed his ashes to the Downtown Hotel upon his death, they cannot be slipped into the cocktail. "We can't serve them because they're too long," says Captain Terry Lee. "They won't fit in a glass!"