A Day Trip to Tombstone Territorial Park, YT

If you want to really experience some a true northern wilderness, even if it is from the luxury of your car, you don’t want to miss a visit to Tombstone Territorial Park. The park entrance is just north of Dawson City, easily accessed by the Dempster Highway. Tombstone has been referred to as the “Patagonia of the North” with rugged mountain peaks and endless valleys of lush tundra. It is a place you can step back and truly experience an the untouched and awesome beautify of a true northern mountain wilderness. There is an abundance of wildlife here and depending on the time of year and some luck there are Caribou, Moose, Dall Sheep, Grizzly Bears, Wolves, and more.

To get to the park, you drive the Dempster Highway whose junction is 25 miles/40 kms southeast of Dawson City. The Dempster Highway itself is quite interesting. Construction began in 1959 and was completed in 1978. The road was built to provide year round access to the Canadian Arctic. Except for the first 5 miles/8 kms, which are paved, the road is gravel for the entire 456 miles/734 kms and services are few and far between. Good preparation and carrying 2 full-sized spares on rims are recommended if you are planning the complete drive to Inuvik. Since our visit, the road has been completed all the way to Tuktoyaktuk.

The Dempster Highway Sign at the junction of the Klondike Hwy

The single lane bridge leading onto the Dempster Highway

Heavy rain showers on the Dempster leading into Tombstone Park

The entrance to Tombstone Interpretive Centre is 40 miles/65 kms from the junction. The centre has natural history and cultural displays and a resource library, and provides permits for backcountry camping, and provides maps and hiking information. They also offer campfire talks, interpretive walks and other special events. Last time we were here they offered a fry bread making demonstration (with tastings of course) and topped with delicious homemade wild blueberry compote that one of the park staff kindly brought in.

The Tombstone Territorial Park Interpretive Centre

Fry Bread Demonstration at the Interpretive Centre

We didn’t see much wildlife this trip other than this Ptarmigan

Campground

Just up the road from the interpretive centre is the Tombstone Territorial Park Yukon Government Campground. This campground is in a beautiful setting in the valley and many of the sites have spectacular views of the valley and surrounding mountains.

Tombstone Territorial Park Campground

View from our campsite at Tombstone Territorial Park, YT

View from our campsite 2 years ago

As you pass the campground, the road starts climbing and the highway quickly moves above the tree line. At mile 46/76 kms, you will come to the Tombstone Range Viewpoint, which you will not want to miss. Looking far down the valley to the southwest you will see the peak from which the park derives its name. The shape looks quite obviously like a tombstone. Tombstone mountain is 1,795’/2,193m high. The mountains of the Olgivie range form the sides of the valley, which in the summer are lush green tundra with intermittent black spruce.

Beautiful views looking down the valley at the campground and Intrerpretive Centre

The Olgivie Mountains

From the Tombstone Range Viewpoint

Tombstone Mountain, the parks namesake

As you continue through the park you are just in awe at the views all around you, the deep blue lakes that are everywhere, the rivers, the vast expanse of the tundra, it is almost too much to take in. If you are like us you will find it hard to make any time as you will be constantly stopping to take pictures.

Spectacular views everywhere you look in Tombstone

The Dempster Hwy running through Tombtone Park

The tundra, spotted with black spruce

Enjoying lunch by the Blackstone River

Rugged canyon formed by the Blackstone River

Tombstone Territorial Park’s encompasses 850 sq miles/2,200 km² and the north boundary of the park is 72 miles/116 miles from the junction of highway 2.