Yukon Territory Weather, climate and geography

Weather and climate

Best time to visit

Summers are warm with almost continuous daylight during June. Winters are bitterly cold with limited daylight.

Required clothing

Days can be hot in summer, but sweaters and light jackets are advised for the evenings. In spring and autumn coats and gloves are required for outdoor activities. Thermal underwear, wool sweaters, parkas, wool gloves or mittens, and mukluks (traditional Arctic hide boots) or felt-lined boots are advised for the winter. Clothes made with synthetic insulating fabrics are widely available, effective against the cold, and easier to pack than bulky wool or down-filled clothes; they also dry faster.

Geography

The Yukon Territory, Canada's 'last frontier', is a largely mountainous and forested wilderness located in the northwest of the country. It is bordered by the US state of Alaska to the west, Canada's Northwest Territories to the east and British Columbia to the south. The Yukon Territory is bisected by the valley of the Yukon River, which passes to the west of the Mackenzie Mountains. Mt Logan, in the St Elias Range on the border with Alaska, is Canada's highest mountain and the second-highest peak in North America at 5,959m (19,550ft).