South Klondike Highway
Leave the Alaska Highway to drive the scenic Klondike Highway into the Southern Lakes District.
The Southern Lakes are a chain of major lakes that flow into the famous Yukon River. You can circle through this region to see unique landscapes and communities. Watch for opportunities to buy locally-made arts and craft items. There are many friendly tourism-related businesses offering fun and recreational activities.
The historic communities of Tagish, Carcross and Atlin, British Columbia are set in areas that the original First Nations found to be rich in hunting and fishing resources.
The Southern Tutchone-speaking Tagish people have occupied the Carcross village site for hundreds, if not thousands, of years. An active trade with the coastal Tlingit allowed for inland migration and the Carcross/Tagish First Nation people trace their ancestry to both cultures.
After the WP&YR railway was constructed, Carcross grew as a supply centre for mines that bordered the southern lakes. The little locomotive, Duchess, sits by the Visitor Information Centre. White Pass & Yukon Route brought in the Duchess in 1899 to work on the 3.6-kilometre railway connecting Tagish and Atlin lakes.
