Free days and the small, story-rich collections locals actually recommend.
Whitehorse downtown runs CAD 160-220 per night in shoulder season and CAD 220-320 in July and August. The Edgewater on Main Street and the Coast High Country Inn sit at the top of that band; the Yukon Hotel and the River View Hotel are 20 percent cheaper for a similar location. Hostel beds at Beez Kneez Bakpakers on Hanson Street are CAD 40-50. Airport-strip motels bottom out around CAD 110-140 off-peak and are the cheapest private rooms you will find within reach of Whitehorse.
Dawson City is seasonal and brutal about it. From late May to early September expect CAD 180-260 at the Westmark, Aurora Inn or Bombay Peggys, and full lockout during Music Festival weekend and Discovery Days (17 August). In winter the same rooms drop to CAD 110-150, but many restaurants and the George Black ferry are closed. Haines Junction stays flatter, CAD 140-190 year-round. Fuel is roughly CAD 1.75 per litre in Whitehorse and CAD 1.95-2.15 in Dawson, Beaver Creek and along the Dempster — factor that into any road trip budget.
You will need a vehicle. Whitehorse Transit covers the city only (single fare CAD 2.50, day pass CAD 7) and there is no intercity bus that runs daily — Husky Bus does Whitehorse to Dawson a few days a week in summer for around CAD 170 one way. Rentals from Erik Nielsen International Airport start at CAD 70-110 a day for a compact, more for a 4x4, which you want if the Dempster or Top of the World Highway is on the plan. Whitehorse to Skagway (Alaska) is 180 km and about 2.5 hours over the White Pass, border open 24 hours in summer.
Time your visit to the trip you want. June to August gives midnight sun, open roads and the Adaka Cultural Festival at the Kwanlin Dun Cultural Centre in early July, but also the highest hotel prices. Late August to mid-April is aurora season — Takhini Hot Pools stays open at minus 30, and February brings the Yukon Rendezvous carnival and Yukon Quest start or finish in Whitehorse. Avoid late April to mid-May and mid-October to mid-November: shoulder mud season, many lodges closed, and the Dempster is impassable during freeze-up and break-up.