Carcross

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title: "Carcross" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["carcross,-yukon"] topic_path: "general/carcross-yukon" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carcross" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::data[format=table title="Infobox settlement"]

FieldValue
official_nameCarcross
native_nameNadashaa Héeni
other_nameCaribou Crossing
image_skylineFile:Carcross, Yukon (14109531945).jpg
image_captionCarcross, Yukon
pushpin_mapCanada Yukon#Canada
subdivision_typeCountry
subdivision_nameCanada
subdivision_type1Territory
subdivision_name1Yukon
area_footnotes
area_land_km216.14
population_as_of2016
population_footnotes
population_total301
population_density_km218.7
population_blank1_titleChange 2011-16
population_blank14.2%
coordinates
timezoneMST
utc_offset−07:00
elevation_footnotes
elevation_ft2161
::

|official_name =Carcross |native_name = Nadashaa Héeni |other_name = Caribou Crossing |image_skyline = File:Carcross, Yukon (14109531945).jpg |imagesize = |image_caption = Carcross, Yukon |image_flag = |flag_size = |image_seal = |seal_size = |image_shield = |shield_size = |image_blank_emblem = |blank_emblem_size = |image_map = |mapsize = |map_caption = |image_dot_map = |pushpin_map = Canada Yukon#Canada |pushpin_label_position = |subdivision_type = Country |subdivision_name = Canada |subdivision_type1 = Territory |subdivision_name1 = Yukon |government_type = |leader_title = |leader_name = |leader_title1 = |leader_name1 = |established_title = |established_date = |established_title2 = |established_date2 = |established_title3 = |established_date3 = |area_magnitude = |area_footnotes = |area_total_km2 = |area_land_km2 =16.14 |area_water_km2 = |population_as_of = 2016 |population_footnotes = |population_note = |settlement_type = |population_total = 301 |population_density_km2 = 18.7 |population_density_sq_mi = |population_blank1_title = Change 2011-16 |population_blank1 = 4.2% |coordinates = |timezone = MST |utc_offset = −07:00 |elevation_footnotes = |elevation_m = |elevation_ft = 2161 |postal_code_type = |postal_code = |area_code = |blank_name = |blank_info = |blank1_name = |blank1_info = |blank2_name = |blank2_info = |website = |footnotes = Carcross, originally known as Caribou Crossing, () is an unincorporated community in Yukon, Canada, on Bennett Lake and Nares Lake. It is home to the Carcross/Tagish First Nation.

It is 74 km south-southeast by the Alaska Highway and the Klondike Highway from Whitehorse. The south end of the Tagish Road is in Carcross. Carcross is also on the White Pass and Yukon Route railway.

Carcross is well known for its world class mountain biking on the near-by Montana Mountain, and for the nearby Carcross Desert, often referred to as the "world's smallest desert."

History

Caribou Crossing was a fishing and hunting camp for Inland Tlingit and Tagish people. 4,500-year-old artifacts from First Nations people living in the area have been found in the region.

Originally known as Naataase Heen (Tagish for ‘water running through the narrows’), Caribou Crossing was named after the migration of huge numbers of caribou across the natural land bridge between Lake Bennett and Nares Lake. That caribou herd was decimated during the Klondike Gold Rush, but a recovery program raised the number of animals to about 450. The modern village began in 1896, during the Klondike Gold Rush. At the time, Caribou Crossing was a popular stopping place for prospectors going to and from the gold fields of Dawson City.

Caribou Crossing was also a station for the Royal Mail and the Dominion Telegraph Line, and it served as a communications point on the Yukon River.

In 1904, Caribou Crossing was renamed Carcross as a result of some mail mix-ups with the Cariboo Regional District in nearby British Columbia.

Silver mining was promoted nearby in Conrad, Yukon in the early 1900s, but there was little to be found and mining efforts soon ended. Mineral exploration continues today, but tourism is far more important to the economy of the community.

In 2016, Prince William, Duke of Cambridge and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge visited Carcross for a day trip.

Demographics

;Carcross (settlement) | title = Federal census population history of Carcross | type = Canada | align = right | width = | state = | shading = | percentages = |1941|162 |1951|182 |1981|218 |1986|209 |1991|183 |1996|196 |2001|152 |2006|280 |2011|289 |2016|301 |2021|317 | footnote = | source = Statistics Canada

In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, Carcross had a population of living in of its total private dwellings, a change of from its 2016 population of . With a land area of 15.56 km2, it had a population density of in 2021.

;Carcross 4 (self-government) In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, Carcross 4 had a population of living in of its total private dwellings, a change of from its 2016 population of . With a land area of 0.58 km2, it had a population density of in 2021.

Climate

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/3d/Carcross,_Yukón,_Canadá,_2017-08-26,_DD_99.jpg" caption="Caribou crossing bridge in Carcross"] ::

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c2/Carcross_Yukon_Winter.jpg" caption="In winter, many businesses in Carcross close due to a lack of tourism."] ::

Carcross has a dry-summer subarctic climate (Köppen climate classification: Dsc), typical of this part of the Yukon.

Summer days are mild to warm with crisp, cool nights due to low humidity during summers. Winters are cold by Canadian standards, but not so much by Yukon standards. Annual snowfall averages 50 inches (127 cm) with peak snowpack reaching 16 inches (40.6 cm) during March.

Carcross has one of the lowest amounts of precipitation days out of anywhere in Canada, only having 76 precipitation days, with the rainiest month September only averaging 9 days with precipitation, and the driest month April only averaging 2 days with precipitation.

|location = Carcross |metric first = yes |single line = yes |Jan record high C = 8.9 |Feb record high C = 18.9 |Mar record high C = 13.5 |Apr record high C = 21.0 |May record high C = 28.0 |Jun record high C = 31.7 |Jul record high C = 32.5 |Aug record high C = 31.7 |Sep record high C = 26.7 |Oct record high C = 20.0 |Nov record high C = 13.3 |Dec record high C = 14.0 |year record high C= 32.5 |Jan high C = -13.2 |Feb high C = -7.8 |Mar high C = -0.6 |Apr high C = 7.3 |May high C = 12.0 |Jun high C = 17.0 |Jul high C = 21.7 |Aug high C = 20.6 |Sep high C = 13.5 |Oct high C = 5.6 |Nov high C = -3.7 |Dec high C = -7.3 |year high C = 3.6 |Jan mean C= -18.2 |Feb mean C= -13.9 |Mar mean C= -7.8 |Apr mean C= -0.7 |May mean C= 5.6 |Jun mean C= 10.6 |Jul mean C= 14.2 |Aug mean C= 13.0 |Sep mean C= 7.9 |Oct mean C= 1.1 |Nov mean C= -7.7 |Dec mean C= -11.6 |year mean C= -2.4 |Jan low C = -22.7 |Feb low C = -20.0 |Mar low C = -14.8 |Apr low C = -8.4 |May low C = 0.0 |Jun low C = 4.0 |Jul low C = 6.7 |Aug low C = 5.1 |Sep low C = 2.3 |Oct low C = -3.4 |Nov low C = -11.4 |Dec low C = -15.7 |year low C = -8.2 |Jan record low C = -51.2 |Feb record low C = -48.3 |Mar record low C = -42.2 |Apr record low C = -32.8 |May record low C = -12.5 |Jun record low C = -6.7 |Jul record low C = -3.3 |Aug record low C = -11.7 |Sep record low C = -18.0 |Oct record low C = -30.0 |Nov record low C = -40.0 |Dec record low C = -55.0 |year record low C= -55.0 |precipitation colour = green |Jan precipitation mm = 28.6 |Feb precipitation mm = 23.4 |Mar precipitation mm = 9.6 |Apr precipitation mm = 5.5 |May precipitation mm = 14.9 |Jun precipitation mm = 28.5 |Jul precipitation mm = 29.9 |Aug precipitation mm = 28.1 |Sep precipitation mm = 32.9 |Oct precipitation mm = 27.0 |Nov precipitation mm = 28.9 |Dec precipitation mm = 22.5 |year precipitation mm = 279.8 |rain colour = green |Jan rain mm = 0.5 |Feb rain mm = 0.0 |Mar rain mm = 0.2 |Apr rain mm = 1.5 |May rain mm = 14.8 |Jun rain mm = 28.5 |Jul rain mm = 29.9 |Aug rain mm = 28.0 |Sep rain mm = 30.1 |Oct rain mm = 17.1 |Nov rain mm = 1.4 |Dec rain mm = 0.2 |year rain mm= 152.2 |snow colour = green |Jan snow cm = 28.1 |Feb snow cm = 23.4 |Mar snow cm = 9.4 |Apr snow cm = 4.0 |May snow cm = 0.1 |Jun snow cm = 0.0 |Jul snow cm = 0.0 |Aug snow cm = 0.1 |Sep snow cm = 2.8 |Oct snow cm = 9.9 |Nov snow cm = 27.4 |Dec snow cm = 22.4 |year snow cm = 127.6 |precip days colour = green |unit precipitation days = 0.2 mm |Jan precipitation days = 7.5 |Feb precipitation days = 6.0 |Mar precipitation days = 3.5 |Apr precipitation days = 2.1 |May precipitation days = 4.7 |Jun precipitation days = 6.4 |Jul precipitation days = 8.1 |Aug precipitation days = 7.4 |Sep precipitation days = 9.0 |Oct precipitation days = 7.9 |Nov precipitation days = 7.3 |Dec precipitation days = 6.5 |year precipitation days = 76.3 |unit rain days = 0.2 mm |Jan rain days = 0.2 |Feb rain days = 0.0 |Mar rain days = 0.1 |Apr rain days = 0.6 |May rain days = 4.8 |Jun rain days = 6.4 |Jul rain days = 8.1 |Aug rain days = 7.4 |Sep rain days = 8.5 |Oct rain days = 5.0 |Nov rain days = 0.4 |Dec rain days = 0.1 |year rain days= 41.7 |unit snow days = 0.2 cm |Jan snow days = 7.3 |Feb snow days = 6.0 |Mar snow days = 3.4 |Apr snow days = 1.5 |May snow days = 0.1 |Jun snow days = 0.0 |Jul snow days = 0.0 |Aug snow days = 0.0 |Sep snow days = 0.7 |Oct snow days = 3.5 |Nov snow days = 7.1 |Dec snow days = 6.5 |year snow days= 35.9 |source 1 = 1981-2010 Environment Canada, Source 2: May and June temp. averages

Economy

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/ac/Tourist_stop_in_Carcross,_Yukon.jpg" caption="Tour buses at a large tourist stop in Carcross"] ::

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/48/Carcross,_Yukon_Territory_2.jpg" caption=""Downtown" Carcross"] ::

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c5/Carcross_Commons.jpg" caption="Large totem pole in the Carcross Commons."] ::

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d4/Lake_trout,_tutshi_lake,_carcross,_yukon,_canada.jpg" caption="Lake trout, tutshi lake, carcross, Yukon, Canada"] ::

Carcross relies on tourism to support the local economy. It lies on the Klondike Highway between Whitehorse and Skagway, Alaska and offers a variety of historic attractions and outdoor activities. Popular with road traffic including tour buses and RVs, in 2007 the White Pass railway also resumed service to Carcross railway station.

Just north of the town is the Carcross Desert, often referred to as the "world's smallest desert." There are two small airports located in the area: Carcross Airport is adjacent to the town and Carcross Water Aerodrome located on Tagish Lake.

Alaska cruises stopping in Skagway will offer day tours to Carcross. The day tours offer stops at the Yukon sign, the Caribou Crossing Wildlife Museum, Dog Sledding Zoo and the actual town of Carcross.

Transportation

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/8e/Carcross_Trading_Post.jpg" caption="The Carcross Trading post."] ::

Carcross lies on the popular Klondike Highway.

The city is served by Carcross Airport, which has no scheduled commercial flights. The closest Canadian airport with large airline service is Whitehorse Airport, which has domestic airline service as well as flights to Europe and the United States. Tourist buses serving cruise ships passengers at the port of Skagway, Alaska, USA make day trips to Carcross.

The White Pass and Yukon Route currently terminates in Carcross, as tracks further north to Whitehorse have not been restored.

Notable people

Media

Culture

In 2016, the Yukon Arts Centre opened an art gallery called the Art House and storefront in Carcross, in partnership with the Tagish First Nation.https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/north/art-house-carcross-gallery-opens-1.3681949

References

References

  1. Elevation at [[Carcross Airport]] as per {{CFS
  2. Stanton, Peter. (7 August 2018). "Comprehensive List of Tlingit Names for All the Present-Day Communities in Lingít Aaní".
  3. Lundberg, Murray. (1996). "Fractured Veins & Broken Dreams: Montana Mountain and the Windy Arm stampede". Pathfinder Publications.
  4. (21 September 2018). "Osiris drilling extends Sunrise, Conrad". North of 60° Mining News.
  5. Croft, Dave. (4 October 2016). "'Top of my bucket list': Royal hugs thrill Yukon moms". CBC News.
  6. (March 31, 1954). "Ninth Census of Canada, 1951". [[Statistics Canada.
  7. (September 1987). "1986 Census: Population - Census Divisions and Census Subdivisions". [[Statistics Canada]].
  8. (April 1992). "91 Census: Census Divisions and Census Subdivisions - Population and Dwelling Counts". [[Statistics Canada]].
  9. (April 1997). "96 Census: A National Overview - Population and Dwelling Counts". [[Statistics Canada]].
  10. (August 15, 2012). "Population and Dwelling Counts, for Canada, Provinces and Territories, and Census Subdivisions (Municipalities), 2001 and 1996 Censuses - 100% Data (Yukon Territory)". [[Statistics Canada]].
  11. (June 23, 2009). "2006 Census Corrections and updates". [[Statistics Canada]].
  12. (July 25, 2021). "Population and dwelling counts, for Canada, provinces and territories, and census subdivisions (municipalities), 2011 and 2006 censuses (Yukon)". [[Statistics Canada]].
  13. (February 8, 2017). "Population and dwelling counts, for Canada, provinces and territories, and census subdivisions (municipalities), 2016 and 2011 censuses – 100% data (Yukon)". [[Statistics Canada]].
  14. (February 9, 2022). "Population and dwelling counts: Canada, provinces and territories, and census subdivisions (municipalities), Yukon". [[Statistics Canada]].
  15. Canada, Environment and Climate Change. (2013-09-25). "Canadian Climate Normals 1981-2010 Station Data - Climate - Environment and Climate Change Canada".
  16. "Carcross".
  17. (22 June 2018). "The unlikely home of the world's smallest desert". BBC.
  18. "Home of dogsledding, husky puppies, and family fun in Carcross Yukon".
  19. "Skagway Bus Service". Yukon Alaska Tourist Tours.

::callout[type=info title="Wikipedia Source"] This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page. ::

carcross,-yukon