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Whitehorse
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Whitehorse, CanadaOpen-Meteo forecast.
Whitehorse city overview
Whitehorse works best as a base in Canada when you anchor days around Yukon River, SS Klondike and Miles Canyon. Use those sights to understand the city's history, street life and visitor rhythm. Whitehorse International Airport handles the main arrival flow, so hotel choice should balance the centre, transfer time and day-trip plans.
Worth seeing
Yukon River
Yukon River adds outdoor time to a Whitehorse stay, with open space, views or waterfront breathing room between denser city sights.
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SS Klondike
SS Klondike is a named stop in Whitehorse worth keeping on the route when it fits the day's transport, timing and neighborhood plan.
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Miles Canyon
Miles Canyon is a named stop in Whitehorse worth keeping on the route when it fits the day's transport, timing and neighborhood plan.
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Kwanlin Dun Cultural Centre
Kwanlin Dun Cultural Centre gives Whitehorse a strong culture stop for museums, exhibitions or local collections, and works best as an indoor anchor in the day's route.
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Aurora viewing
Aurora viewing is a named stop in Whitehorse worth keeping on the route when it fits the day's transport, timing and neighborhood plan.
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Alaska Highway
Alaska Highway is a named stop in Whitehorse worth keeping on the route when it fits the day's transport, timing and neighborhood plan.
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Start with City centre for the easiest first Whitehorse stay, then compare Old Town and Waterfront when price, nightlife, quieter evenings or transfer timing matter more than being beside every major sight.
Hotels & areas
Whitehorse hotel choice is mostly about repeat journeys: use City centre for sightseeing, Old Town for a different local base, and Waterfront or Airport area when views, parking, airport timing or longer stays matter.
City centre
City centre is the most practical first base in Whitehorse, keeping main sights, restaurants and short local transfers close.
Best for: first visits, sightseeing, restaurantsSee hotel optionsOld Town
Old Town is the most practical first base in Whitehorse, keeping main sights, restaurants and short local transfers close.
Best for: first visits, sightseeing, restaurantsSee hotel optionsWaterfront
Waterfront suits travellers who want views, evening walks and a calmer base while still keeping central Whitehorse reachable.
Best for: views, quieter evenings, walksSee hotel optionsAirport area
Airport area works mainly for early departures, late arrivals or car pickup, not for a first Whitehorse sightseeing base.
Best for: early flights, late arrivals, car pickupSee hotel optionsFlights & airports
Whitehorse / Erik Nielsen International Airport (YXY) arrival plan
- Whitehorse / Erik Nielsen International Airport (YXY)About 1 km from the centre
Compare airport access against hotel location, arrival time, rental car pickup, late flights and onward driving before choosing the first night base.
Rental cars
Whitehorse day-trip car use
Do not rent a car for central Whitehorse unless parking and traffic are part of the plan; use one mainly for regional day trips.
Compare rental carsTravel tips
Best base
Choose City centre for a first stay because it keeps main sights, restaurants and practical local movement close.
Airport timing
Leave extra time for Whitehorse International Airport, especially for early flights, late arrivals, traffic or unfamiliar transfer routes.
Local movement
Plan each day in clusters around Yukon River and SS Klondike so transfers do not consume the best sightseeing hours.
Day trips
Keep one flexible slot for nearby routes from Whitehorse, checking weather, transport and opening hours before committing.
Nearby ideas
Spa · about 30 min · car north-west on the Klondike Highway
Takhini Hot Springs
Open-air mineral pools at 42°C; in winter people compete to freeze their hair into shapes.
View on mapTown · about 1 h · car south on the Klondike Highway
Carcross
A Tagish and Tlingit village beside the smallest desert in the world, a square mile of dunes.
View on mapNature · about 35 min · car north-west on the Klondike Highway
Yukon Wildlife Preserve
Muskox, lynx and wood bison on 700 acres, walked on a five-kilometre loop.
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City history
The surrounding area had seasonal fish camps and Frederick Schwatka, in 1883, observed the presence of a portage trail used to bypass Miles Canyon.
The discovery of gold in the Klondike in August 1896, by Skookum Jim, Tagish Charlie, and George Washington Carmack, set off a major change in the historical patterns of the region.
Early prospectors used the Chilkoot Pass, but by July 1897, crowds of neophyte prospectors had arrived via steamship and were camping at "White Horse".
The White Pass and Yukon Route narrow-gauge railway linking Skagway to Whitehorse had begun construction in May 1898.
By May 1899, construction had arrived at the south end of Bennett Lake.
It was only in June–July 1900 that construction finished the difficult Bennett Lake section itself, completing the entire route.
By 1901, the Whitehorse Star was already reporting on daily freight volumes.
On May 23, 1905, a small fire in the barber shop of the Windsor Hotel got out of control when the fire engine ran out of water, spreading throughout the city and causing $300,000.
In 1920, the first planes landed in Whitehorse and the first air mail was sent in November 1927.
Until 1942, rail, river, and air were the only way to get to Whitehorse, but in 1942 the US military decided an interior road would be safer to transfer troops and provisions between Alaska.
In 1950, the city was incorporated and by 1951 the population had doubled from its 1941 numbers.
On April 1, 1953, the city was designated the capital of the Yukon Territory when the seat was moved from Dawson City after the construction of the Klondike Highway.
The White Horse Restaurant and Inn was among the buildings destroyed, after its co-founder Frederick Trump had sold his shares and left the city.
The Canadian portion of the highway was only returned to Canadian sovereignty after the war.