King's Throne climbs from Kathleen Lake into an alpine cirque, a glacier-cut amphitheatre above turquoise water and the Kluane Range. Kluane National Park is a UNESCO World Heritage Site with twelve of Canada's highest mountains, including Mount Logan. Sleep on that shore and the walk starts from camp.
The Alaska Highway reaches the park through Haines Junction, about two hours west of Whitehorse, far enough that the night belongs at Kathleen Lake. Book that pad before the van. As of September 2026, Parks Canada holds a portion of the sites for reservation and leaves the rest first-come. Potable water, bear lockers, and fire rings are at the campground.
Parks Canada flags sturdy footwear for King's Throne, and an unmarked, unmaintained route continues from the cirque toward the peak. The campground runs mid-May into late September.
Miles Canyon and the Yukon River
In town the Yukon River runs fast and turquoise between the basalt cliffs of Miles Canyon. A suspension bridge crosses where Gold Rush boats once ran the canyon, with a small parking area at the end of a side road off the Alaska Highway.
The Millennium Trail reaches the canyon from downtown by way of a fish ladder, and the Yukon Conservation Society runs interpretive hikes in summer. That Alaska Highway side road closes in winter, and year-round access is Chadburn Lake Road on the north side of the river.
Wolf Creek Territorial Park is the close night on the Alaska Highway south of town. As of September 2026 it is reservable, with pull-throughs for a van and walk-in tent pads down a trail, and it is often busy. Hiking trails leave the campground past a cook shelter and a bear-proof cache, in a serviced season from mid-May into early October. Lock the pad before the van, and everyone using a territorial campsite needs a Yukon campsite permit. If you need more sleeping space than a campervan, look at RVs for rent in Whitehorse. Eclipse Nordic Hot Springs, formerly Takhini Hot Springs, is the adults-only soak on Takhini Hot Springs Road.
Carcross, Emerald Lake, and the Carcross Desert
The South Klondike Highway is about an hour from Whitehorse to Carcross, with Emerald Lake a turquoise roadside stop on the way. Past the village the Carcross Desert is sand dunes in the alpine, the old bed of a glacial lake. Travel Yukon calls it the world's smallest desert. Keep the van night at Wolf Creek and spend the day on that highway.
Skagway is another hour down that highway, and nights past the border are an Alaska trip. The Alaska Highway south runs into British Columbia. Dawson City and the Dempster Highway are the northern run from Whitehorse, the rest of the Yukon.