The Klondike (Moose Creek/Dawson City )

June 18 we left Whitehorse and the Alaska Highway and took Highway #2 (Klondike Loop) to work our way up to Dawson City, the site of the Klondike gold rush.

We are starting to run into RV caravans (numbering anywhere from 20-40 rigs) and tour buses, and they are all headed to Dawson City. We decided to travel only half way (180 miles) and stay at a Yukon government camp. The caravans and tour buses are making the same stops at a convenient day’s drive. We had been told that the RV parks fill up by noon, so we stopped short of DC at Moose Creek Yukon Government Park. That way we would only have a short drive the next day.

We did stop for a late morning snack of the famous plate-sized cinnamon buns at Braeburn Lodge. It was delicious, and the two of us got at least 4 snacks out of it.

Then on to Moose Creek campground with large spaces, free firewood, and lots of trees. The campground was approximately 10% full (all Canadians). Such a deal at $12/night. The private parks are anywhere from $20 on up. This time we didn’t camp near the water and there were very few mosquitoes.

June 19, up and off to Dawson City. The road is paved, but this section had frequent pot holes and some gravel where they are doing construction. It was a fairly slow drive.

We pulled into the Guggieville RV park just 2 miles outside of town. We opted for a site with trees in the back with just water and electricity. The majority of people want full hookups and they are side by side on a gravel parking lot. The most popular park in the center of town was full, our park was only about half full. Our philosophy of arriving early, not getting full hookups, and checking out the sites first, is working best for us.

Dawson Creek is a small town of 2,000 permanent residents. It is still very similar to what it was like during its gold rush heyday of the late 1800’s. The streets are dirt, with wooden sidewalks, and most of the buildings are original. Cute town, tourists, but not crowded at all.

Gold panning, gold jewelry (I already have my authentic gold nuggets from Grandma E.’s gold prospecting relative), and history are the main themes here. There are lots of tours and demonstrations. It is very well done and worth the time to detour off the Alaska Highway.

We just happened to be there on the summer solstice. There is a drive up to the top of Midnight Dome (a mountain above town, overlooking the area) where the locals celebrate the solstice. The sun barely dips behind the local mountains at midnight. We took the drive up, during the day, not at midnight when everyone else went up to party. (Are we old, or what?)