The Basics

• one of 3 rivers that roughly tie as the 2nd longest river in North America - 2,300 miles (the Mississippi and Missouri are also 2,300 miles, the Mackenzie River is 2,600). Th elength is often stated as 1,980 miles, but that is much out-of-date, and defines the Yukon River as starting at Hootalinqua, where the Pelly River joins what used to be called the Lewes River - for more information about that issue, see this article.
• a federal hydrologist, Rick Janowitz, determined in 1999 that the source of the Yukon River is a stream fed by the Llewellyn Glacier at the south end of Atlin Lake.
• total drainage area - 840,000 square kilometers (327,600 square miles). Of that, 323,800 square kilometers (126,300 square miles) is in Canada. As a comparison, the total area is more than 25% larger than Texas or Alberta.
• discharges 195 cubic kilometres of water per year.
• average flow is west-northwest, with the headwaters in the Coastal Mountains at roughly 60° N., 134° W., and the mouth at Norton Sound, 63°N., 165°W.
• there are only 4 bridges across the Yukon River - at the foot of Marsh Lake, in downtown Whitehorse, at Carmacks and on the Dalton Highway north of Livengood.
• historically, the two major hazards to navigation were Miles Canyon (now tamed by a dam) and Five Finger Rapids.

The Details

Books about the Yukon River
From paddling guides to history, personal journals and juvenile fiction.

"Buzzsaw Jimmy"
Darrell Hookey brings us the story of one of the Yukon River's most colourful characters.

'Corporate America' in the North
The negative effects of tourism on some people who live along the Yukon River.

The Lewes River
Darrell Hookey clears up the confusion about what the real name of the river that passes by Whitehorse is.

Map
A large colour map of the entire river.

Mileages on the Upper Yukon River
Mileages of about 70 locations from Dawson and Whitehorse, from the steamboat log book of Henry Breaden.

Our Time Machine is a Canoe
A 3-part series (plus a photo album) describing my journey down the Yukon River to Dawson City with my son in July 1997.

The Thirty Mile River
Details on this stretch of the river, from the Canadian Heritage Rivers System.

Yukon-Alaska Sternwheelers
A listing of over 360 of the boats which operated on the rivers of the Yukon and Alaska.

Yukon-Charley Rivers Preserve
The National Park Service describes the preserve, which protects 115 miles of the Yukon River and the entire Charley River basin.

Yukon River Channel Charts
You can order this book, which consists of a series of 64 very detailed maps, with lots of commentary about life along the river.

Yukon River Inter-Tribal Watershed Council
The YRITWC is an is an international indigenous peoples' organization dedicated to cleaning up and protecting the Yukon River watershed.

Yukon River, Whitehorse to Dawson City
Flip Stoker has posted a log of some of the most interesting points along the river.

Yukon Salmon Committee
A public advisory body whose main concern is the conservation of Yukon River salmon stocks.

Some books about the Yukon River