Still glowing from a perfect Yukon winter getaway, I’m giving away a free travel calendar to help you keep track of your travel goals for 2022. Whether you’ve a desire to fly up to the great white North to try skijoring or you’re planning a summer trip to the Yukon – or anywhere! – in your RV, you’ll want to read on!
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An amazing Yukon winter getaway
Last year may have had a few up and downs, but the end of the year was pure perfection! We spent Christmas in the Yukon with our girl, her guy and their super chill canine companions. Over the years, we’ve driven up to the Yukon with our trailer a couple of times, but for this trip we took the easy 2 ½-hour flight from Calgary to Whitehorse with Air North.
And what we came away with was a little list of 3 must-do winter adventures – from winter walks to dog-power assisted cross-country skiing (aka skijoring) to watching the Northern lights.
Winter walks near Whitehorse
While there are miles of trails to explore, we took two memorable walks in and near Whitehorse this winter. The first was a stroll through Shipyards Park to view the light display and continuing along the Riverfront Trail beside the mighty Yukon River. It’s a perfect evening walk.
Heading outside of the city just before the turnoff to the soon-to-be open Eclipse Nordic Hot Springs (old Takhini Hotsprings), you’ll see the parking lot for the Gunnar Nilsson and Mickey Lammers Research Forest. There is series of great winter walking loops at the research forest with over 20 kilometres of signed paths. We wandered over towards Kettle Lake, enjoying every moment of the frosty air.
Skijoring with dogs
Take two retired sled dogs, toss on a couple of specialty harnesses, hook up a skijoring lead with built-in bungee and emergency release mechanism to a belt strapped to your waist, slap on a pair of skis and say “Yahoo!” You are ready to cross-country ski with dog power – or as we like to say, go d-skiing.
You may not have the luxury of a free, family-run tour, but if you are an avid cross-country skier and would like to give skijoring a go, contact Yukon Skijoring/Bikejoring via their Facebook page. I promise you won’t be able to wipe the smile off your face for a week!
Watching the northern lights
We just turned out the cabin reading lights around midnight when my cell phone rang. It was my daughter calling from the main house.
“Look outside!”
The auroras were dancing in a big green arc across the sky.
Quickly throwing on warm layers, toques and mitts and down coats, we rushed outside to stand in awe as the show went on and on and on. Tip number one for watching the northern lights is to get away from the “big” city lights. Okay, Whitehorse may not be a big city compared to many of its southern cousins, but lights of any shape and size detract from the natural lights of the auroras. Our family’s place is about half an hour outside of the city.
Tip number two is to look up after dark. The best times to see the show are between 10 pm and 3 am. And finally, tip number three is to cheat a little and use this forecaster to improve your odds of seeing this incredible phenomenon.
Travel gifts
We received so many wonderful gifts this year – from winter walks to active adventure to light shows.
I’m wait for the green light to head south for some Arizona desert sunshine and active travel adventures. Our “new to us” R-pod trailer is patiently sitting in the deep freeze ready to roll in a minute’s notice.
Whether you are on a southern road now, are heading out soon or have plans to drive up to the Yukon this coming summer, enjoy the Yukon trip planning time and the travel gifts you receive when you go.
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