Sights in Whitehorse

The Klondike was the largest sternwheeler that ever worked the Canadian part of the Yukon River. The first boat of that name was built in Whitehorse in 1929 and ran aground in 1936 between Lake Laberge and the Teslin River. The company built a copy straight away, and the Klondike II was launched in 1937. From 1937 to 1952 she carried freight, silver ore and a few passengers between Whitehorse and Dawson City. The trip downstream took about 36 hours, the trip back upstream four to five days. After a refit as a cruise boat she made her last run in August 1955, the last sternwheeler working on the Yukon River.

The boat was moved to its present spot in 1966 and became a National Historic Site in 1967. Parks Canada is now repairing the hull and removing old lead paint, a project that runs for several years. You can walk around the boat, read the outdoor panels and see the Atlin barge. From May 7 to September 15, Parks Canada staff are at the Yukon Visitor Information Centre, 100 Hanson Street, Monday to Friday from 9 AM to 5 PM, where they show the short film "In the Days of the Riverboats".

A rearing horse more than three metres high and over two tonnes, welded from scrap metal that more than 200 Yukoners donated. Many of the pieces came with a story: tools, car parts and keepsakes from all over the territory. Artist Daphne Mennell won the city's commission in 2009 and built the horse with welder Roger Poole. It went up in 2011. In front of the building stands a firefighter that artist Paul Baker made from scrap metal and fire extinguishers.

Drive in from the city offices on Range Road. There is no access from the Alaska Highway. The view over the north end of town is worth the stop.

The White Pass & Yukon Route railway from Skagway reached Whitehorse in 1900, and the town grew around the point where freight moved from trains to riverboats. The first depot burned in May 1905 in a fire that destroyed most of the business district, and the building you see now was put up on the same spot within two months. It held the railway offices, a customs house and the North West Mounted Police. Trains stopped running to Whitehorse in 1982. Look for the neon "White Pass & Yukon Route" sign on the roof.

Next door is the Old Fire Hall, a rebuild of the 1901 fire hall that is now used for concerts and events. A few blocks north, at The Wharf on 1st Avenue and Wood Street, stands Fire Fighter, a bronze statue by Susan Velder.

The main museum of Yukon history, with more than 37,000 photographs, documents and objects. Exhibits cover Yukon First Nations, the Gold Rush, the building of the Alaska Highway and Yukon wildlife. Sam McGee's cabin from 1899 stands in the outdoor courtyard, which is open in summer only. Robert Service made McGee famous with "The Cremation of Sam McGee". Plan on two hours. Admission also includes the MacBride Roundhouse with Engine 51. In summer the museum runs the waterfront trolley ($3) and the Copperbelt Mining Museum on the Alaska Highway.

The gathering place of the Kwanlin Dün First Nation, whose name comes from Kwänlin, the Southern Tutchone name for Miles Canyon. Inside are exhibits, work by local artists and a gift shop, and the building hosts markets and events through the year. One of them is the Fireweed Winter Market in the Longhouse, the largest Christmas market in the Yukon. It usually runs in December; dates are on fireweedmarket.ca. The Whitehorse Public Library is attached to the centre.

Built by the Anglican Church in 1900, it is one of the oldest buildings in Whitehorse still on its original spot. It was the main Anglican church in the Yukon until 1962, briefly the cathedral after 1953, and has been a museum since 1962. The exhibits cover missionaries, whalers, early settlers and First Nations, including the story of the Bishop Who Ate His Boots.

Here the Yukon River squeezes through walls of basalt. Before the dam was built in 1958, the White Horse Rapids below the canyon gave the city its name. From the parking lot, stairs lead down to a suspension footbridge, and trails run along both sides of the canyon. The walk to the old Canyon City site and back is an easy hour. There is an outhouse at the parking lot but no water. It is bear country, so carry bear spray. Early and late in the season the stairs and trails can be icy.