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Yukon Territory
publication date: Dec 17, 2007
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author/source: Polly Evans
Not many people choose to live in the remote reaches of the Yukon, says Polly Evans, so this vast wilderness is a haven for wildlife. Where is the Yukon Territory?
It’s in the north-west corner of Canada. It borders Alaska to the west, while the icy waters of the Beaufort Sea lap its north coast. The Yukon is roughly twice the size of the UK, but home to just 31,000 people, 23,000 of whom live in the capital, Whitehorse.
Why should I go there?
The Yukon is one of North America’s last great wildernesses. With so few people and just a handful of roads, it’s a land where silence and serenity reign. Summer days are long and balmy; winter is pure, crisp and pristine white, a time when jagged jewels of hoarfrost glitter on the trees and the northern lights dance across night skies. You’ll never be mown down by fellow tourists here, even in high season, and, best of all, your mobile phone won’t work.
What species will I see?
Kluane National Park is home to lots of grizzly bears and Dall sheep. Black bears are common in the Yukon’s central and southern areas, while further north, the Porcupine caribou herd migrates between its North Slope calving grounds and its winter retreat in the Richardson and Ogilvie Mountains. In the North Slope region, there’s also a small population of muskoxen, which died out in this area in the 1800s but have been reintroduced.
And in winter?
Bears hibernate when the snow starts to fall, but if you wrap up warm and take to the trails, you should see moose, snowshoe hares, ptarmigan and red foxes. You may occasionally spot a lone wolf. Lynx and wolverines also inhabit the Yukon, but to see them you’ll need binoculars – and plenty of luck.
When else should I visit?
In April, thousands of trumpeter and tundra swans, Canada geese and other waterbirds flock to M’Clintock Bay on Marsh Lake, which is one of the first bodies of water to thaw after the winter ice. The Swan Haven Interpretation Centre offers wonderful views.
Three species to see
Brush up on your bear awareness: mother GRIZZLY BEARS with cubs can be dangerous.
MOOSE (or elk as we know them) are easy to see: up to 70,000 of them live in the Yukon.
BALD EAGLES have unique brown and white plumage. To spot them, look for ‘golf balls’ in trees.
Now you do it
Getting there
Further information
Photo of grizzly cub by Stefan Wackerhagen Comments |
BBC Wildlife, December 2007.