Land, Climate & Transportation

Location

The Yukon Territory is located in the northwestern corner of Canada and borders the U.S. state of Alaska to the west. To the east is Canada's Northwest Territories and to the south, the Province of British Columbia.

It covers 482,443 square kilometers, about the size of Spain. This includes 8,052 square kilometers of fresh water. Although Yukon is only 80 kilometers from the Pacific Ocean at Skagway, Alaska, it does not border the ocean except for a short stretch of Arctic coastline in the north.

Terrain

The central part of Yukon is a broad plateau, between the mountains of the western Coastal Ranges, and the Selwyn and Ogilvie Mountains on the east. A tundra plain stretches along the Arctic coast.

The mighty Yukon River flows across the Territory from Whitehorse to Dawson before passing into Alaska. Mount Logan, the highest point in Canada at 5,971 meters, is located in the southwest Yukon.

More land details

Climate & Weather

Yukon has a sub-arctic climate. Winters are cold with long dark nights. Summers are mild with long sunny days.

Temperatures in the Yukon are usually more extreme than those experienced in the southern provinces of Canada.

Whitehorse Temperature

The territory is relatively dry throughout the year. Usually approximately half of Yukon's precipitation fall as rain and half as snow.

Whitehorse Average Annual Precipitation

Wildlife

Wildlife is abundant in Yukon and it is not uncommon to catch a glimpse of a moose, caribou or other wild animal. Yukon is home to seven species of large mammals including North America's largest population of grizzly bears and Dall sheep, and there are many species of small mammals.

More than 200 species of birds can be found in Yukon and major migration routes for waterfowl pass through southern and central Yukon. Trumpeter and tundra swans, geese, ducks and cranes travel to Yukon annually. Bald eagles and gold eagles are common as well as many species of hawks and owls. Songbirds are plentiful and many Yukoners enjoy birdwatching.

Fishing is popular and more than 200,000 fish are caught annually in Yukon by residents and visiting sports anglers. Popular species include lake trout, arctic grayling, northern pike and dolly varden. Commercial fishermen prefer chinook, coho and chum salmon, and whitefish.

More information about Wildlife & Biodiversity

Roads

Yukon has good roads, including a major section of the Alaska Highway, which connects Yukon with British Columbia and Alaska. The Klondike Highway links Skagway, Alaska with Yukon's Dawson City and the Dempster Highway connects Dawson to Inuvik, Northwest Territories.

Major roads are paved and maintained during the winter months. All communities except Old Crow have year-round road access.

Air

Several carriers have daily flights between Whitehorse and Vancouver and regularly scheduled flights between Whitehorse and Edmonton/Calgary. During the summer there are more frequent flights, including direct flights between Whitehorse and Frankfurt.

More transportation information