Tombstone Territorial Park Travel Guide

Tombstone Territorial Park doesn't announce itself gradually. You drive north from Dawson City on the Dempster Highway, through boreal forest for the first 50 kilometres, and then the trees drop away and the Tombstone Mountains are right there — dark, jagged granite peaks rising out of open tundra, nothing like what the highway looked like ten minutes earlier. It's one of the more dramatic landscape transitions I know. The park covers 2,200 square kilometres of tundra, alpine, and boreal forest in the Ogilvie Mountains. It sits entirely in the traditional territory of the Tr'ondëk Hwëch'in First Nation. And it passes by on a road that most people are driving to get somewhere else, which means it's consistently undervisited relative to how good it is. For planning the full Dempster drive, see the [Dempster Highway Hub](/travel/tombstone-territorial-park). ### The Interpretive Centre At km 71.5 on the Dempster, there's a Yukon Parks interpretive centre that is genuinely excellent. Not "good for a remote park" excellent — actually excellent. The exhibits cover the ecology of the Tombstone region, the Tr'ondëk Hwëch'in cultural history, the geology of the Ogilvie Mountains, and the practical information about hiking, camping, and wildlife. Stop here first, even if you're just doing a day trip. The staff are knowledgeable and will tell you current trail conditions, wildlife sightings, and whether any specific areas have bear activity worth noting. The centre also has the best park maps. The centre is open from approximately late May through early September. Check Yukon Parks (yukon.ca/tombstone) for exact current hours. ### Trails Goldensides Trail is the most popular day hike in the park and for good reason. It starts near the interpretive centre and climbs through tundra to a ridgeline with panoramic views of the Tombstone massif and the surrounding mountains. The elevation gain is about 500 metres over 4 km. Allow four to five hours return. You don't need technical experience, but you do need decent footwear — the tundra is uneven and wet in places. Grizzly Lake Trail is a full-day hike into the alpine, 10 km each way from the interpretive centre. It gains elevation steadily through tundra into a high alpine valley with a lake at the end. Allow eight to ten hours return. This is a serious day hike — bring proper gear, layers, lunch, and a map. The views are exceptional. Blackstone Uplands Trail is a longer multi-day route into the park's backcountry. It requires navigation skills and full backcountry self-sufficiency. Not for first visits, but it's there for people who want more than the day trails. For all trails, tell someone your itinerary before you go. Cell service is absent in the park. The interpretive centre staff will note your hiking plans if you mention them. ### Wildlife Tombstone is one of the better places in the Yukon to see large mammals from a vehicle or on foot. Caribou cross the highway in migration — fall is the best time for this, as the Porcupine Caribou Herd moves through the region. Dall sheep are visible on the rocky slopes above the highway in the main Tombstone section. Grizzly bears are present and occasionally visible from the road or on the lower slopes. Wolves are in the park but rarely visible. Moose are in the lower boreal sections. Golden eagles are common in the alpine. Wildlife watching ethics here are the same as everywhere in the north: give animals space, don't stop in the middle of the highway for extended photography, and treat a bear sighting as a reason for alertness rather than a photo opportunity. ### Camping The Tombstone campground at km 71.5 has 36 sites and is the only campground in the park with facilities (pit toilets, fire rings, bear poles). It fills up completely in July and August and requires advance reservations through the Yukon government system (yukon.ca/camping). If you can't get a Tombstone site, there are primitive dispersed camping areas farther north on the Dempster. These have no facilities and require full Leave No Trace practice including hang-bagged food storage. Book Tombstone early — weeks or months in advance for July and August dates. September dates are easier to get and the fall colours in the park are worth the trip specifically. ### Day Trip from Dawson City vs Overnight The park is 71.5 km from Dawson City on the Dempster. A day trip from Dawson is entirely feasible — leave at 8 a.m., spend time at the interpretive centre, hike Goldensides, and return to Dawson by 6 p.m. You'll need to move at a purposeful pace but it works. Overnight is better. Spending a night at the Tombstone campground gives you the morning light on the mountains, the possibility of aurora in September, and a more relaxed pace on the trail. The campground has a quiet quality in the evening — the tundra is open in every direction and the silence is real. ### Timing For hiking and full park access: late June through August. For fall colours and aurora (the best visual window): mid-August to mid-September. For the tundra colour peak: typically mid-September, though it varies with elevation and year. The park is at its most photographically spectacular from late August through mid-September. See [Best Time to Visit the Yukon](/blog/best-time-to-visit-yukon) for the broader seasonal context. See also [Is Tombstone Territorial Park Worth Visiting?](/blog/tombstone-territorial-park-worth-visiting) for a more direct take on the decision. For the full Dempster Highway prep — before you get to Tombstone and beyond — see the [Dempster Highway Travel Guide](/blog/dempster-highway-travel-guide). For campground planning, see the [Yukon Camping Guide](/blog/yukon-camping-guide). The [Dempster Highway Guide](/shop/dempster-highway-guide) covers Tombstone campgrounds, trail descriptions, and what to pack for the drive north. Sign up at [/newsletter](/newsletter) for trail condition and wildlife updates. The [shop](/shop) has the complete downloadable guides.