Dawson is a small and beautiful historic city, situated in the Rocky Mountains in the Canadian province of Yukon. It lies 64° north latitude and 139° west longitude, on the east coast of the deep Yukon River, which flows into the Bering Sea on the west coast of Alaska, USA. The town is located about 320 meters above sea level and virtually on all sides is surrounded by mountains. Dawson is located in very sparsely populated part of Canada. Indeed, the nearest big city is Anchorage in the U.S. state of Alaska. Otherwise Dawson itself has a population of about 1500 people.
The surrounding towns are not bigger of it. Can not be denied, however, that for such a small town it is quite popular.
Climate. Dawson falls into the subpolar climate zone. Winter is very long, harsh and snowy. From early October to late March, daytime temperatures are negative.
Coldest is January, when thermometers show between (-20) and (-30) °C. April is the first spring month and in May everything is bustling with life. In April, temperatures are about 8°C and about 15-16°C in May.
June and July are the sunniest and warmest months of the year. Then the temperatures are very pleasant and reach to about 22 – 23°C. In August autumn already usually knocks on the door.
Although it is still warm (about 19 – 20°C) something suggest that summer is already over.
September is quite different, a typical autumn month with daytime temperatures between 10 and 14 – 15°C.
Speaking of temperatures should be noted that here the nights are quite cool throughout the year.
Even during the hottest summer days the nights are with temperatures below 10°C and from September to April night temperatures are even negative.
Rainfall is moderate as a quantity throughout the year, but it is more abundant during the warmer summer months of the year. Most significant are the rains in July – to about 50 millimeters.
Tourism in Dawson, Yukon
Dawson’s glory comes from the times of the famous gold rush, attracted thousands of people in these lands in an effort to get rich quick.
It began in the 19th century, similar to the gold rush in the U.S.. In fact, urban surroundings have always been very rich in gold, although the human imagination still significantly exceeded the reality.
In fact, today gold mining in the vicinity of the city is a major source of income for the local economy. Today, however, locals discover another treasure – the opportunity to develop tourism.
Many people would follow the footsteps of the great Jack London, who inspired by the beautiful but harsh local nature created a series of books about the wildlife of the Yukon, about the struggle for survival and about the world famous gold rush.
Today there are many small hotels, where you could stay. Most likely you will get here by plane, as Dawson is in the most remote corner of Canada and other modes of transport would take a long time and could be quite tiring. The city has a convenient airport, so this will help you most.
Here except that you will enjoy the historic atmosphere of a small but very famous town you will also have the chance to find yourself among the lovely scenery of Canada.
Here we should mention that the vicinity of Dawson is covered with beautiful pine trees.
Forests in the area are home to large predators such as bears, pumas, wolves, and others which easy find prey into these wild and sparsely populated areas.
When to visit Dawson? The best months for tourism in Dawson are June and July. Except that the weather then is warmest you will also be able to enjoy the midnight sun.
Here in the longest days of the year in practice the sun does not set. Winters are cold and very dark.
You may want to see Dawson as it looks like in winter – covered with white fluffy snow, but avoid the coldest months, when unless cold it is also very gloomy.
What clothes to wear if you travel to Dawson? The climate in Dawson is cold and generally warm clothes must to present in your suitcase necessarily.
Exceptions are the months from June to August when it is warm and pleasant and you will feel most comfortable with short sleeves.
However, even then it is better to predict a warmer clothes for every occasion. However, the nights are always cool. For September and May prepare clothing as for spring or autumn – not very thick jacket, sweater, anorak and so on.
From October to April warm winter clothing is needed, as it is necessary to pay more attention to the months of December, January and February which are so cold that it is very likely to have not enough warm clothes in your wardrobe.