While Aussie travellers wait for the world to come out of hibernation, it’s reassuring to know that the wild residents of Canada’s Yukon Territory have come out to play.
That’s right, from the capital city of Whitehorse to Tombstone Territorial Park, thousands of grizzlies and black bears have woken from their winter slumber, ready to celebrate the midnight sun during Yukon’s balmy summer days.
Situated in Canada’s north west, Yukon is one of the few natural havens on Earth where wildlife is not just surviving but thriving. Imagine a wilderness expanse the size of California, where the population of moose, bears, caribou, and sheep (to name a few), far exceeds the 40,000 human residents.
The whole of Yukon is a wildlife sanctuary; a place where the caribou outnumber the humans two to one. The Territory boasts three national parks, six territorial parks and four Canadian Heritage Rivers, a haven for more than 165,000 caribou, 70,000 moose, 22,000 mountain sheep, 7,000 grizzly bears and 10,000 black bears.
Yukon is also a bird-lover’s paradise, with more than 250 species of birds throughout the territory, including the bald eagle, great gray owl, yellow rumped warbler, bufflehead, boreal owl, horned lark, mountain blue bird and the iconic Canadian loon. Nesting bird-life is prolific throughout Yukon in summer, making it a roadside bird-viewing Mecca, with the Dempster Highway alone recording 160 species.
Bison: the Yukon is one of the few natural havens on Earth where wildlife is not just surviving but thriving.
This is one of the few places on earth where you can easily view wildlife without paying an admission fee. A road trip through Yukon provides spontaneous encounters with birds, bears, wolves, caribou, deer, elk, mountain goats, and even beavers, if you know where to look. Make use of this handy wildlife viewing guide to learn where and how to safely view these exquisite creatures in the wild.
While you’re in with a great chance of spotting wildlife meandering alongside the roads and hiking trails, for a fail-safe way to encounter these magnificent creatures, head to the Yukon Wildlife Preserve, where 700 acres of lush green hills, marshes, steep cliffs and flat-lands are the perfect ecosystem for 11 species of northern Canadian mammals. We’re talking bison, moose, mule, deer, woodland caribou, elk, mountain goats, Canada lynx, and foxes, to name a few.
Grizzly: thousands have woken from their winter slumber.
Just 25 minutes from downtown Whitehorse, you can walk, ski, snowshoe or bike the five-kilometre viewing loop, or jump on a bus tour with a knowledgeable interpreter. However you choose to experience it, be prepared for wildlife encounters you’ll never forget.
While we wait for international travel to take off again, feed your Yukon daydreams with this stunning videoof dogsledding at Haines Junction. Picture yourself flying along a snow-packed trail, propelled by a powerful pack of Huskies. Winter in the Great White North doesn’t get better than this.
Eagle: the Yukon is a bird-lover’s paradise.
For more information about Yukon visit www.travelyukon.com.
NOTE: Potential travellers should check the status of individual events and establishments with regard to the coronavirus outbreak.
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