Exploring Dawson City in the Heart of Winter

Dawson City: A Journey to the Heart of Yukon Territory

A cold day in the UK recently reminded me of the time I drove up to Dawson City from Whitehorse - that’s a long six-hour adventure in the Yukon snow and ice, I can tell you.

On the way to Dawson City

The Allure of Dawson City: Beyond the Gold Rush

In winter Dawson City is fairly quiet, with a population of 800 - quiet, that is, unless it happens to be Yukon Quest week. Then the town goes a bit wild - and I followed suit, which is why I can't recall too much about it. Save, that is, for drinking the Sourtoe Cocktail which, alas, is a thing you have to do in Dawson. It is a real mummified toe which is kept in sea-salt and unwrapped for the ceremony - the barman reads some kind of proclamation and you knock back the vodka (or spirit of your choice) containing the toe, which must touch your lips at least once in order for you to be awarded a certificate. You can look up the legend online, I won't bother repeating the tale about the frostbitten gold miner who lost the original appendage because I thought it was all completely daft.

Me about to “drink the miner’s toe”

But I did it anyway, because that's the sort of crazy town Dawson City is. The place where the Klondike River meets the mighty, muddy stream that gives the territory its name. Most people will have heard of this enigmatic town… You can’t say the name without thinking of gold rush tales and all that backwoods survival stuff. But put aside the touristy talk and the romantic ideas, and what’s left is a very real and gritty, workaday community.

Dawson City on its frozen river

A place that all too obviously requires a certain hardiness. A community that, I felt, most certainly has a definite sense of place.

Experiencing Dawson City in Winter: A Unique Adventure

As I say, we arrived after a very lengthy winter drive, weary from the long and winding road. It was a journey that outlined for us, in the most stark and mind-boggling way, just how incredibly vast the Yukon is. The journey itself defined the vastness of this extraordinary region.

After that icy journey from Whitehorse, I was very glad to see it, with its lights beginning to sparkle in the winter gloaming down there in the river valley. A compact grid playing host to buildings that, while many are restored, seem to retain the patina of age. Dawson has a very noticeable sense of bygone days and you get the feeling that some of these structures have borne witness to plenty of life.

Dawson City's Gritty Reality: Life in the Far North

The snowbound streets, some still of the old boardwalk style, do conjure a slight frisson of the past. The aging shops, hotels, diners and saloons are not museum pieces but, for the most part, functional homes and businesses. Of course you can see that tourism does exist, but you very much get the feeling that it’s not the sole purpose for the town's modern-day existence. There’s a certain quiet to Dawson, perhaps aided and abetted by the vast empty spaces around it.

The river flows, slow and wide in summer - I am told it acts as a constant presence - while in winter it looks for all the world like a great wide motorway made of solid white ice.

Main drag into Dawson City

The surrounding hills and their forested slopes do a good job of enclosing the town - they offer a natural boundary between its streets and the great void beyond. Even in winter when it’s minus 40c, you can walk out of the built-up area in minutes and find yourself deep in the silent white woods.

Dawson City's Community Spirit: Life in a Remote Location

We did just that and crossed the river to climb a sizeable hill so we could look back down on the town. Strolling back, freezing cold, we could sense the history of the place - it is certainly there, but it’s not hammered home. You can visit the preserved buildings and the museums and learn about the gold rush era and its characters and their hardships - but from what I could make out, the town doesn’t seem to dwell on its past. Why should it?

The place isn’t a theme park but very much a workaday place - one which obviously offers a lifeline to the people who live out there in the endless hills and forests beyond. The population is a mix. There are families who’ve lived here for generations - and there are plenty who have been attracted by the romance and the history - along with an even greater number who’ve come north seeking a different way of life.

You get the distinct feeling there’s a strong sense of community, which you kind of expect in a place located out on the extremes.

The kind of places where shared experience becomes an important fact of life. The shared experience here, of course, being all about sub-zero temperatures and vast empty distances. So you get the impression that people look out for one another, that they all have a mutual understanding of the challenges that such a remote location can thrust into everyday life.

Seasonal Changes in Dawson City: Embracing the Extremes

Long, dark winters and short, intense summers. The extremes are a given. The river freezes, the ground hardens and the snow covers everything. The spring thaw brings a rush of life, a brief burst of activity before the long days of summer.

Eating and Drinking in Dawson City: A Relaxed Atmosphere

As the sun went down, we found some wonderful places to eat and to drink. There’s a certain unpretentiousness to it all.

The food is straightforward and the atmosphere is very relaxed - although, as I mentioned at the beginning, it can get a bit boisterous late on a weekend night. There’s certainly no need for airs and graces. You get the sense that people are there to enjoy themselves, to unwind.

The Sourtoe Cocktail: A Dawson City Tradition

(This section already appears higher up, but is so important it is worth another mention!) …Save, that is, for drinking the Sourtoe Cocktail which, alas, is a thing you have to do in Dawson. It is a real mummified toe which is kept in sea-salt and unwrapped for the ceremony - the barman reads some kind of proclamation and you knock back the vodka (or spirit of your choice) containing the toe, which must touch your lips at least once in order for you to be awarded a certificate…

I did it! Hesp drinks “the toe”

And I needed a chilly hike the next day

Exploring Dawson City's Historic Charm and Natural Beauty

FACT FILE

Dawson City, in the heart of Yukon Territory, is located at the confluence of Klondike and Yukon rivers. A historically significant settlement, site of the Klondike Gold Rush.

It’s a compact town plan, many of the old buildings have been restored. Tourism is a component of the economy, but not the sole driver.

Surrounding landscape: river, hills, forest - and lots and lots of all three. The geographic isolation is Dawson’s defining characteristic.The gold rush era is very well documented, but not overly dramatised. The town integrates its history into present-day existence.

Me and my pal Jim are saying, “We Want Beer!”

The population is a mix of long-term residents and newcomers, diverse backgrounds.Climate: extreme seasonal variations. Long winters, short summers. River freezing, ground hardening, spring thaw. Seasonal fluctuations dictate activity.

Dawson City is not a place for everyone, but I liked it a lot.