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Destination Whitehorse YT
By
Blue Goose Aviation
Joe Kuberka
Whitehorse YT is located at Mile 918 on the Alaska Highway and is located just
north of the 60 degree latitude line It hosts ¾ of the territory’s population
with 20,461 residents over 186,660 square miles.
During the Klondike Gold Rush it was an important city for supplies and
information as miners made there way over White Pass from
Skagway
and then made or boarded boats up to
Dawson
City.
This is definitely a great place to stop and rest on a trek to
Alaska
or as a vacation spot on its own.
Airport
The city
of Whitehorse’s airport sits
on a bluff overlooking the city while the sea plane base sits on the river just
below the main airport. There are
parallel runways 13 and 31 the longest being 9497 X 150. and a cross runway 19
01 that is 2075 X 75.
Elevation at the airport is 2317
feet. They now have self service
fuel that makes it very convenient for transient pilots.
Located on the field is a flight service office with a very helpful staff
and Canadian Customs may be accomplished at the airport.
They
boast the largest wind T as a DC-3 points the direction of the wind and may be
seen a good distance from the airport.
Attractions &
Activities
There
are numerous museums in the city of Whitehorse.
If you have the time I recommend some time at each one but here are some
of my favorites:
Transportation
Museum
– Located one block from the airport this is a very interesting museum with
exhibits from dog sled days to present modern day transportation.
There are many interesting aviation artifacts, exhibits, and stories for
you to see and read while touring the museum.
Beringia
– One block from the Transportation Museum
you may discover Beringia. Here you
will learn about the large animals of the Ice Age.
You will be amazed at the animals that lived during these times and how
their habitat was developed at least 24,000 years ago.
You will also learn how humans lived and moved into the area 24,000 years
ago.
S.S.
Klondike – This steam power paddle ship was part of the main transportation from
Whitehorse to Dawson
City
back in 1937. You will be
allowed to take a self guided tour of the ship or a guided tour of the boat.
I recommend the guided tour.
The guides will inform you on cargo carried on the ship, life for first and
second class passengers, and how hard the crew worked to make a safe journey
back then.
Fish
Ladder – In August the King Salmon pass Whitehorse.
If you are there it is very interesting to see the fish going up the fish
ladder built by the energy company to get over the dam in Whitehorse.
If you are not in Whitehorse you may see these fish on line at
www.yukonenrgy.ca
and click on “Salmon Cam”.
If you really want to relax, take
a short trip from town to Takhini Hot Springs.
You may soak in one of their two connected pools.
Water Temp starts at about 40 degrees Celsius and cools going through the
pool to about 35 degrees Celsius.
The pools are drained and cleaned every 24 hours.
You may view all the amenities at the
Hot Springs
at
www.takhinihotspirngs.com
.
There
are many more attractions but this will get you started for a day or two while
visiting Whitehorse.
Eats & Treats
There are
many restaurants located in Whitehorse,
from local mom and pop to national chains.
When I travel I like to eat at restaurants with the local flavor.
Three restaurants I enjoy in
Whitehorse
are:
The
airport café located in the terminal building.
You can get a great meal with window seats overlooking the ramp and
runway allowing you to watch some interesting aircraft flying into
Whitehorse
or meet local and international pilots traveling through the Yukon.
Across
the street from the airport you can get a great meal at the Airport Chalet
Family Restaurant.
Reasonable prices and good service will keep me eating at this friendly café.
Downtown
across the street from the Westmark
Klondike Hotel is the Klondike Rib and Salmon Barbeque.
This family long table seating restaurant has great food and you never
know who will be seated at the table next to you making it a wonderful dining
experience. The food is great but
arrive early or plan on waiting a little while because they do not take
reservations but are happy to serve you liquid refreshments on the front deck
and if you you’re a bit chilly they will even provide a blanket to keep you
warm.
Accommodations
You
will be able to find accommodations that will meet
your style of living and budget because there are many hotels and Bed and
Breakfast located in Whitehorse.
Three hotels that have met my expectations are:
The
Westmark Klondike. Located right
downtown your are always greeted in a friendly manner and all of the staff will
go out of their way to make sure you stay in enjoyable.
I have stayed at many Westmark Hotels in
Canada
and Alaska,
each has made my stay wonderful with clean rooms and pleasant staff.
The
Skyy Hotel. Located across the
street from the airport is very access for aviators.
There staff is also very pleasant to work with and if you show them a
pilot license they will give you a significant discount on your room.
There rooms are also very clean with up to date amenities in each room.
The
third hotel I have stayed at is the High Country Inn.
Also located downtown makes it easy to visit many of the museums and
shops in town. The hotel is very
reasonably priced.
Transportation
There
are three rental car agencies located at the airport.
Budget, National, and Norcan.
Whitehorse also has a good
public transportation system if needed with buses and taxi cabs.
If you are into physical fitness there are miles of bike and hiking
trails through the city and along the river.
Instructor
Moment
Many of us fail to realize
the privileges we have in the USA.
To be able to fly or own an airplane is not possible in many parts of the
world for the average person. If
you go just south or north
 of
the US you
will notice their citizens also have the right to fly but at a much greater cost
and general aviation is on the decline in those countries.
I will not get into the political matter of what we need to do to keep
our rights and privileges, but what I will state is while we have them we should
use them. If you ever desire to fly
north or south of the border now is the time while we still can and to show it
is used and should continue to be allowed.
However, remember while flying in another country to follow ICAO
regulations and the local countries aviation regulations.
As for flying in Canada, all I can say is I have only met great people
that are friendly, gracious, and wonderful hosts to guests of their country.
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