Page 89 - 2024-25 Travel Guide to Canada

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BY E. LISA MOSES
Connecting the
Yukon and Canada’s
Major Cities
Whether flying into the north from
Canadian hubs such as Toronto or
Vancouver on Boeing 737 jets, or
soaring around the Yukon on ATR
42 turboprop airliners, Air North
passengers are treated to pleasant
guest experiences. Each ride
includes a meal, beverage service
or snacks—and two pieces of
checked luggage.
That simplifies bringing gear and clothing for
different activities and all sorts of weather.
Founded in 1977, this specialty airline is
49 per cent owned by Vuntut Gwitchin First
Nation. Its mission is to connect the
Canadian north and south, making air travel
an uncomplicated and relaxing experience.
The Yukon is a magnet for visitors of all
ages and tastes, and Air North takes them to
key jumping-off points where they can rent
gear and vehicles if they have not brought
their own. International adventurers include
extreme cyclist racers, backcountry skiers
and dog mushers. Hikers can choose from
an unlimited number of trails with levels of
difficulty ranging from easy to strenuous.
Horse riders can take in the fresh air,
mountain sights and river treks from the
saddle—sometimes coming eye to eye with
wildlife such as Dall sheep, muskox, bison
and moose.
Dawson City, home of the Klondike Gold
Rush, is a big draw that has inspired
countless songs and stories. Author and gold
prospector Jack London’s famous book, Call
of the Wild, awakened the world to the Yukon
wilderness life. Robert W. Service’s ballad,
The Cremation of Sam McGee, performed by
many artists including Johnny Cash, is also
an ode to life up north. Today’s visitors can
see the sights described in these writings,
learn about the Gold Rush and immerse
themselves in First Nations heritage while
enjoying the midnight sun, fall colours or
northern lights.
In the village of Old Crow at the conflu-
ence of the Crow and Porcupine rivers, Air
North is a lifeline for visitors and residents
in the absence of road access. On the
traditional territory of the Vuntut Gwitchin
First Nation, it is 60 kilometres south of
Vuntut National Park—the setting for the
longest land mammal migration in the
world. More than 200,000 animals in the
porcupine caribou herd wander back and
forth, grazing and calving over 250,000
sq.km of northern tundra through Alaska,
the Yukon and the Northwest Territories.
The area surrounding Old Crow is rich in
ice age fossils, and has yielded evidence of
Yukon giant camels, mammoths, steppe
bison and other species.
The territory’s main travel hub is the
cosmopolitan city of Whitehorse, where
incoming flights offer passengers their
first glimpse of the Yukon. From there, the
sky is the limit for exploring a wilderness
playground like no other (www.flyair
north.com).
SIMON BLAKESLEY
NEIL ZELLER