Yukon 2025 - Aurora and Mountains

To start the celebration of Sara's retirement we planned a trip to Whitehorse in the Yukon, Canada for two weeks of northern lights and nature. We arrived Friday 21st March and spent our first night in the Airport Chalet whose historic bar used to be a hangout for local bush pilots after WW2.

The next day we had the pleasure of meeting Matteo and Cora originally from Italy and now living in Whitehorse. They are friends of our fellow world traveler Jim Bennett and gave us excellent tips on what to do around Whitehorse. After picking up what seemed like enough groceries for a month we drove 45 minutes north to Lake Laberge and our cabin for the next 12 days. The cabin was remote, warm and comfortable and surrounded by peaceful nature. Plus it had a hot tub which we used almost every day - It was a very romantic way to celebrate retirement.

The Yukon, a territory in northwest Canada, is wild, mountainous and sparsely populated with around 45,750 residents, 75% living in or around the capital of Whitehorse. It has stunning natural beauty, the Klondike Gold Rush history and unique cultural heritage of the First Nations. At 60 degrees north latitude it also has the potential for stunning Aurora displays!

At 10:30pm we bundled up in our warm gear and heavy boots and drove 5 minutes down the road to an access point to the lake. We spent three wonderful hours standing on the frozen lake enjoying and photographing an incredible Aurora display. The temperatures dropped to around 10F, which is much warmer than our time in Yellowknife a few years ago. It was an excellent start to the trip.

Sunday, March 23rd we took a trip to the Yukon Wildlife Preserve, just 30 minutes south of our cabin. The Preserve has 750 acres and is home to 11 different Yukon species. It is a lovely place with wonderful people, and we enjoyed a 2 hour tour learning about the different animals. We saw wood bison, thinhorn sheep, mule deer, woodland caribou, mountain goats, muskox and the foot of a sleeping lynx! The moose, and red and arctic foxes were hiding. That evening it was mostly cloudy, we went to the lake around midnight and lay on the frozen surface looking at the sky and letting the snowflakes hit our faces. It was very romantic, but no good for Aurora. At the cabin, as we were removing our warm gear we looked out the door of our cabin and saw a cute little red fox looking in through the lower glass pane. She stayed on the cabin deck for about 30 minutes while we quietly took pictures.

The next few days settled into a pattern of exploring the beautiful area during the day and looking for Aurora by night. We typically packed a sandwiches and a thermos of hot tea and would find a place with a magnificent view for lunch. 

Whitehorse is surrounded by beautiful mountains, rivers and lakes and we quickly fell in love with the area. Our first day trip was to McIntyre creek overlook (where we saw eagles fishing), Fish Lake and Haeckel Hill which required a 20 minute drive up a narrow, twisty snow covered road. We were rewarded with great views of Whitehorse and the mountains. That night we were treated to more Aurora with great colors we hadn't seen the first night. The colors of the Aurora are dependent on the altitude of the oxygen or nitrogen content and are very vivid on the camera, and less so to the naked eye. Regardless of the color it's a magical experience that never gets boring!

Tuesday was a relaxing day, with a visit to the local hot springs and an exploration of the side roads looking for potential night time shots. We decided Burma Road could be a good option. We were secretly glad it was a cloudy night because we were exhausted and looking forward to an early night!

The next day was a beautiful blue sky morning and we drove 75 miles to the tiny town of Carcross (short for Caribou Crossing). The views were so incredible we stopped numerous times for photos, and a picnic lunch so it took 3 1/2 hours. We loved stopping to enjoy a view along a side rode and rarely saw other people. It was incredibly relaxing to be surrounded by such beautiful nature. The businesses in Carcross are primarily owned by First Nation Tlingit people. The stores were closed for the winter, and people were working on repairs to the buildings to be ready for summer. We enjoyed talking to a man doing wood work on his store who gave us some tips for photo locations. We found everyone in Canada to be incredibly friendly and helpful. That evening we returned to the location on Burma Road, on the side of the frozen Yukon river. It was another great night of lights, and when we got back to the cabin Sara sat in the hot tub and enjoyed watching the Aurora right over the cabin - what a wonderful day!

Click Here to see the Photos