3 Best Sights in Yukon Territory, Canada

The stories and experiences of the Yukon's First Nations peoples are one of the many topics explored throughout this museum on regional history. While touring the excellent displays of gold-rush materials in this ornate former territorial administration building, you may find it surprising just how luxurious Dawson was for the lucky few who could call themselves rich. Four restored locomotives and other railway cars and gear from the Klondike Mines Railway are housed in an adjacent building. The museum also has a library and archives, with staff on hand to help those seeking information about gold-rush ancestors, and tours are offered throughout the day (these are included with the price of admission).

The exhibits at the MacBride provide a comprehensive view of the colorful characters and groundbreaking events that shaped the Yukon. An old-fashioned confectionery and an 1898 miner’s saloon are among the highlights of the Gold to Government Gallery illuminating gold-rush and Whitehorse history. The gold-related exhibits illustrate particularly well what people went through in quest of a little glint of color. Other displays investigate the Yukon's wildlife (including a taxidermied albino moose) and geology, and there are fine collections of photography and First Nations beadwork. Outdoor artifacts include the cabin of Sam McGee, who was immortalized in Robert Service's famous poem "The Cremation of Sam McGee."

The story of the Yukon during the last ice age comes alive at this center near the Whitehorse Airport. Beringia is the name given to the large subcontinental landmasses of eastern Siberia and Interior Alaska and the Yukon, which stayed ice-free and were linked by the Bering Land Bridge during the latest ice age. The area that is now Whitehorse wasn't actually part of this—it was glaciated—but lands farther north, among them what is present-day Dawson City, were in the thick of it, and miners are still turning up mammoth bones. Large dioramas depict the lives of animals in Ice Age Beringia, and there are skeleton replicas and genuine artifacts. A 26,000-year-old horsehide reveals that horses weren't as big back then as they are now.