The Cassiar and Alaska highways converge at Watson Lake , a weather-beaten junction that straddles the 60th Parallel and marks the entrance to the Yukon Territory (YT), perhaps the most exhilarating and varied destination in this part of the world. Taking its name from a Dene word meaning “great”, it boasts the highest mountains in Canada, wild sweeps of forest and tundra, and the fascinating nineteenth-century relic, Dawson City . The focus of the Klondike gold rush, Dawson was also the territory’s capital until that role shifted south to Whitehorse , a town booming on tourism and the ever-increasing exploitation of the Yukon’s vast mineral resources.

Road access is easier than you might think. In addition to the Alaska Highway, which runs through the Yukon’s southern reaches, the Klondike Highway strikes north to link Whitehorse with Dawson City. North of Dawson the Dempster Highway is the only road in Canada to cross the Arctic Circle, offering an unparalleled direct approach to the northern tundra and to several remote communities in the Northwest Territories. The Yukon’s other major road is the short spur linking the Alaskan port of Skagway to Whitehorse, which shadows the Chilkoot Trail , a treacherous track taken by the poorest of the 1898 prospectors that is now a popular long-distance footpath.

Combining coastal ferries with the Chilkoot Trail makes an especially fine itinerary. Following the old gold-rush trail, the route begins at Skagway - reached by ferry from Prince Rupert - then follows the Chilkoot to Whitehorse, before heading north to Dawson City. From there you could continue up the Dempster Highway, or travel on the equally majestic Top of the World road into the heart of Alaska. However, many people coming up from Skagway or plying the mainland routes from British Columbia head to Alaska directly on the Alaska Highway, to enjoy views of the extraordinary and largely inaccessible mountain vastness of Kluane National Park , which contains Canada’s highest peaks and most extensive glacial wilderness.