Usually after a long Yukon winter, you look forward to packing away your warm winter coat and saying goodbye to your winter activities for another season. Maybe the winter wasn’t as cold and as long as it used be, but it was still there and we all look forward to the warmer days.
And as the summer sun comes out and warms our skin, we bike, hike, canoe and do all those summer things. The streets become alive, music can be heard from every corner, the cafés fill with people and the city gets it’s annual clean-up. The birds sing songs and fill the air with the happy melodies.
It’s the time when people get together and have barbeques with friends, family and neighbours. When marshmallows are being grilled over an open campfire and s’mores are made. Just like mother nature, people and communities become alive, waking up from their winter sleep.
Stores, restaurants, campgrounds and other places take down their “closed for the season” signs.
It’s like the whole Yukon opens up its doors, big or small, to welcome summer into our lives once again.
And with the arrival of the first Condor flight from Germany, it is official that the summer season is here. People come from all over the world to experience the midnight sun and all the beautiful things the Yukon has to offer.
And look around: the Yukon is not only rich in culture and beautiful museums, there is so much more. Throughout the summer there are lots of festivals: there is the Arts in the Park festival that brings music and art to us every weekday from the end of May until the beginning of August, the Atlin Music Festival and the Dawson City Music Festival, just to mention a few.
And finally, after a year of closure, the SS Klondike is opening up again. People travel thousands of miles just to see what we have right outside our door.
If we just step a little bit outside of Whitehorse, Carcross offers more than just your average little town. And with the White Pass train and bus excursion connecting Carcross to the Skagway, Alaska, we have the opportunity to sit back and marvel at the beauty of the lakes, rivers and mountains in this area. Arriving in the oceanside port town of Skagway, from there, the rest of the world is just around the corner.
There is more natural beauty to experience north of Whitehorse. Seven hours north along the Klondike Highway is Dawson City, hidden from view until we actually make it around the corner. Like a time machine, Dawson has the ability to take us back for a glimpse of the olden days. It’s one of the few places where history still feels alive.
The Yukon is filled with history and opportunities for everyone to have a fun and activity filled summer.
