Staying warm together in Canada’s stunning, frigid Yukon Territory

Picture a romantic getaway and many queer travelers think big — a long weekend in Paris, Madrid, or New York City — or warm, like Puerto Vallarta, Miami, or Palm Springs.

But a recent getaway with my husband achieved adventure and romance without any of the above. We chose Canada’s sparsely populated Yukon Territory, a place with cold temperatures but warm people, and a surprisingly large queer population.

Plus, we got to live out some of our “I’m coming to the cottage” fantasy from Heated Rivalry.

Related: You can re-enact your favorite heated rivalry scenes

Getting here
We flew into Whitehorse, the territorial capital, an easy 2.5-hour flight north from Vancouver, on Air North, which felt like a throwback airline, where everyone’s friendly, and they serve you warm chocolate chip cookies. The Yukon Territory sits just east of Alaska and north of British Columbia and is vast — about 15% larger than California. Winters can be brutally cold here, but many visitors choose to rent cold-weather equipment from a local outfitter.

Our large duffel bags from The Base Outdoor Rentals were waiting for us at the hotel when we checked in, and they included heavy snow boots, an inner-liner jacket, a heavy-duty parka, snow pants, a hat with ear flaps, and lightweight inner gloves with snow mittens. This saved us from having to pack intense cold-weather gear and was well worth the expense!

We rented a car from Driving Force, a local car rental agency, to explore the wider area. The airport has seasonal and regular service to Vancouver, Victoria, Ottawa, Toronto, and other Canadian cities. We found it incredibly easy to get in and out of.

The big city
Whitehorse is home to about 39,000 of the Yukon’s 48,000 residents. The city is surrounded by mountain ranges, and everyone seems to know everyone else here. The city and territory are surprisingly queer-friendly, and I’ve met quite a few community members in my three trips to the area over the past five years.

Pack your bags, we’re going on an adventure

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We started our adventure indoors, taking an hour-long glassblowing class at Lumel Studio in downtown. My husband, Lance, and I each made two items; I chose a globe and an ornament. While Lance worked on a bowl and a vase, glassblower Damien Hinkle guided me through the process and helped make my creations look professional. 

It quickly came out that Damien is a queer man and married a Yukoner seven years ago. He had been living in Austin, but they decided that, politically, it made more sense to relocate to Whitehorse as a married couple. And Damien has enjoyed the lively queer scene here.

“We have a Pride Parade every year, and it seems to be just about everybody in town is either walking it or watching,” he said. “In fact, that’s one of the most impressive things to me, there are usually more people walking it than there are sitting on the sides. And it’s not because there’s a lack of support; it’s that everybody wants to be part of it. These days, I think a lot of people are exploring and becoming more comfortable with the gender spectrum in general. Now our Pride is like a literal interpretation of the rainbow — whoever you are, whatever you’re feeling like or being that day, you can do that. It is amazing.” 

We ate quite well while in town. Favorites included Latin-inspired fare at Gather Café & Taphouse, great sandwiches at queer-owned Burnt Toast Café, and the savory crepes at La Petite Maison. 

We stayed at the brand-new Hyatt Place, right in downtown, which was elegant and comfortable; I can’t recall the last hotel where I saw the lobby space so consistently used at all hours of the day. One local said it’s her new favorite spot to meet friends. We also spent a night at the unique Yukon Black Spruce, an adorable collection of modern, eco-friendly cabins on the edge of town. Our bed faced enormous picture windows looking out into the beautiful forest.

Adventure everywhere
There was plenty to do outside, and we tried out four local favorite wintertime activities:

Aurora watching: Seeing the northern lights is a mainstay here in winter, and we tried out two local companies. Kyle Callbeck, owner of North Country Adventures, took us far from the city lights — about an hour’s drive — and impressed us with his setup. He uses ice fishing tents to set up camp where the skies are clearest, and we were able to stay warm and enjoy charcuterie while waiting for the sky show. We also ventured out with Northern Tales, and loved the campfire, cozy cabins, and the adjacent open field, perfect for watching the slowly dancing auroras. Owners Emily and Aaron were lovely, and their setup allows for larger groups of several dozen people.

Hot springs: Hanging out in natural hot springs outdoors in below-freezing temperatures sounded interesting. We found all that at Eclipse Nordic Hot Springs, which features three outside pools, relaxation rooms, and sauna and steam rooms. 

Dogsledding: We ventured about 90 minutes south of town to the Carcross area, where we spent a couple of incredible evenings at Southern Lakes Resort & Restaurant. Set on magnificent Tagish Lake, the handful of lakeside cabins are romantic and cozy. For anyone who fantasizes about someone telling them, “I’m going to the cabin,” you can make those vibes happen in the splendid seclusion here. The meals at the main lodge are top-notch, and some of the best we had in the Yukon. We arranged for a four-hour dogsledding adventure through the resort on our second day here. 

For any animal lover worried that dog sledding is questionable, this dog lover’s fears were quickly put to rest upon seeing how much the dogs loved Sara, our musher, not to mention how much she loved them. My husband and I alternated between riding in the basket and standing to steer a second attached sled in the back. Standing was exhilarating, as we cruised through the boreal forest, past frozen lakes and under towering peaks. We stopped midway for a lunch break, enjoying chili con carne from individual thermoses, while the dogs enjoyed a combo of beef and bison. 

Flightseeing: We flew in a Cessna 206 with pilot Max, enjoying what Alpine Aviation calls a “flightseeing” tour of the mountains south of Whitehorse. The experience was truly memorable and far different from seeing mountains on a larger commercial plane. Staying around 7,000 feet for the two-hour flight, we flew around and over endless snowcapped mountains, glaciers, and ice fields.

We saw caribou walking on a frozen lake and marveled at the craggy peaks, the undulating tree line, and impossibly sheer cliffs. Being in such a small plane was a bit scary at first, but Max’s deft flying skills, especially during the flawless takeoff and landing, had us relaxed a short time into the flight. We’d both do it again in an instant — and we’d head back to Whitehorse in an instant, as well. Make sure to add this dynamic, friendly territory to your bucket list!

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