Crawling into the rather small helicopter on the tarmac of Dawson City’s tiny airport, I couldn’t help but smile. Up until this point, I had never stepped foot inside a helicopter, and what better way to pop my chopper cherry than in the colossal mountains of the Yukon. Looking at this sophisticated piece of machinery, I couldn’t help but awe at the wonder of flight. Four blades connected to a shell, slicing through the air to provide lift to a handful of men stuffed into its insides. It’s a strange notion the more you dissect it, but as the helicopter got off the ground, I’d never felt more safe, and never felt more alive.

Trinity Helicopter Tours

I first met our helicopter pilot at a bar in Whitehorse a few days before the flight. While talking over some beer it turned out that we were alumni’s to the same elementary school in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan – talk about a small world. I had almost forgot about the encounter in Whitehorse until I ran into him again in Dawson City. I laughed thinking “I wonder how many helicopter pilots are in the Yukon, and how come I keep running into this fellow.” As it would turn out, he was fated to blow my mind with the dangerously endearing beauty of the Tombstone Mountain Range.

Tombstone Valley

Departing from Dawson City, we climbed the currents of air eastward, exploring the hills, valleys, and trees that completely surround this small town. Our pilot provided us with some colour commentary on the way up, explaining some of the work being done in the current gold mines, and briefly informing our group of the geological studies being performed in the area. It wasn’t long before the tree line began to fade into rocky outcrops – which fast became massive slabs of earth that stabbed the sky.

Yukon Spires

As we flew through Tombstone Valley, it was clear why this area of mountains was used as a landmark for first nations people. The towering spires on each side, the epic beauty of small rivers, colourful greenery, and deep shades of blue, grey, and white make for a scene that can only be described as mind-blowingly-memorable. We hovered in the area, snapping photos, and circling the sharp jagged spires along the Tombstone Territorial Park.

Tombstone Mountain, Yukon

Flying up to Tombstone Mountain, it’s apparent how the name stuck. The sharp flat face and jagged edges truly do the name justice .Looking over some of the mountains, you could see completely different weather systems lingering, threatening our clear skies. Our pilot seemed sure they weren’t going to sneak our way, but it was something he was going to keep an eye on. As we approached the 40 minute mark our helicopter began it’s flight back to Dawson City; however, not before a quick fly by of the the city & the Dredge Ponds which scour the surrounding area.

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What are Dredge Ponds?

The dredge ponds located throughout the Yukon are remnants from several multi-million dollar machines that clawed through the land, digging for gold. Their method was far from “good” for the environment, but in those days the word eco-friendly didn’t sit anywhere near machines. In order to extract the gold from the land, a complicated process involving washing the soil with water from the rivers and lakes nearby forced the gold to fall to the bottom of these massive machines. While some see the dredge ponds as a scar on Yukon’s past I can’t help but feel they’re a unique piece of Canadian history.

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As our helicopter landed along the Dawson City airstrip I stepped onto solid ground once again. I couldn’t help but laugh in shock of what I’d just seen – taking in the Yukon from the sky is truly the only way to get a grasp of the scale and sheer enormity of this Canadian territory. The Yukon is so sparsely populated by humans, yet so densely populated by wildlife, trees, rivers, mountains and lakes. With helicopter tours starting for under $200, you’d be a fool not to jump aboard.

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Trinity Helicopters in the Yukon

Trinity Helicopter Tours offers the most spectacular views of Gold Fields, Tombstone Park, Ibex Valley, Fish Lake, Wheaton Valley, Chilkat Glacier, along with City & River tours in Dawson & Whitehorse.

Dawson City: (867) 993-3971

Whitehorse: (867) 393-3598

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Special thanks to Tourism Yukon and Owen at Trinity Helicopters for helping me get up in the air!