A day in Dawson City and on to Tombstone Territorial Park
On Day 4 of this RV trip – Friday, July 27th – Cathy flew into Dawson to join the fur-kids and me. After being unable to find a campsite at the Yukon River Campground, we drove 14 km up the Top of the World Highway and parked at a rest area there.
With a broad mountain view, this was a good spot to park. The border is closed from midnight until 08:00 so there’s no traffic at night, and not much even during the day.
Saturday morning was glorious from our camping spot, though it soon clouded over. The next photo was shot at 06:15 – it’s underexposed to better show the colours, and the sundog to the far left.
Among the earliest traffic past our spot were two fellows driving tractors from Arlington, Washington, to Prudhoe Bay, Alaska. This was the third time I’d encountered them – first on the Alaska Highway near Teslin, then on the North Klondike near Pelly Crossing. Their Driving for Diabetes project is raising money for juvenile diabetes research. The lead tractor was a John Deere, followed by this New Holland.
By the time we reach the Dawson ferry to cross the Yukon River back into town, it was raining quite hard. A fleet of small boats was still shuttling people down the river to the Moosehide Gathering, though. A couple we talked to the next day said that they stood in line for 2 hours to get a boat.
I started at the visitor centre, where I hooked up to the wifi and got a couple of blog posts posted. While I did that, Cathy went shopping for “something sparkly” – she wasn’t successful.
The rain eased off when we reached the Farmers’ Market just after 11:00. While I took the dogs for a walk, Cathy browsed the produce and arts and crafts, then the dogs and I joined her briefly to pick up some beets and pickles to take back to the motohome.
Almost-clear skies had returned when we got up on Sunday morning, and the forecast was calling for clear and 28°C in Dawson. The next photo was shot from the viewing deck at the rest area we were parked at. It looks up the Yukon River, and has interpretive panels about the Fortymile caribou herd.
At 11:15, we were back on the ferry, on our way to the Dempster Highway and Tombstone Territorial Park. Having been on the road with no services (and no expenses) for 5 nights, I made a brief stop at the Goldrush Campground in downtown Dawson to use their sanidump ($5).
The Tombstone Mountain Campground is one of our favourites. The views are spectacular in every direction, there are excellent interpretive programs, and it just has a good vibe.
There are a broad range of campsites, including some walk-ins, some for groups, and some posted as being for large vehicles. We were surprised by how full the campground was at about 2:00 pm, but we got a very spacious site for a 2-night stay.
As well as the other features, very well-maintained outhouses and free firewood, all for $12 per night. Annual camping passes for Yukon residents are $50, or free for Yukon seniors. Pretty amazing, though a current study being done may change that.
A simple lunch of peanut butter and jam sandwiches (with peach jam picked up at a farmers’ market in Cochrane, Alberta, a few weeks ago) resulted in a bonus for Bella – an empty peanut butter jar! 🙂
Sunday evening was wonderful. I built a campfire and Cathy cooked cherry pies over it while Tucker and I enjoyed the warm sun.
We had no real plans for our stay at Tombstone. I’d do some hiking, with or without dogs depending on the temperature, and we’d drive up the Dempster Highway a ways.
About The Author
