The Yukon Territory's 28,000-person capital sees little rain and copious daylight over summer so wake up with a Midnight Sun coffee and sweet treat in the high morning sun (midnightsuncoffeeroasters.com; $5.50). Visit the nearby Kwanlin Dun First Nations cultural centre then gather a picnic lunch of sandwiches, salads and caribou smokies from The Deli (kwanlindunculturalcentre.com; free, yukonmeatandsausage.com; $7). Near SS Klondike, join the circular 5-kilometre Millennium Trail to walk the banks of the Yukon River and pass salmon hatcheries and fish ladders (whitehorse.ca; free). That afternoon visit the MacBride Museum of Yukon History or, alternatively, the Old Log Church for the bishop who ate his boots (oldlogchurchmuseum.ca; $6.50). Wash down wood fired pizza with Yukon Brewing beer at the Dirty Northern then trawl the city for free live music before crashing at Beez Kneez Bakpakers (facebook.com/DirtyNorthernPublicHouse; $19, bzkneez.com; from $30).

TOTAL: $67.50

EASY DOES IT

Drop into Alpine Bakery for wholesome breakfasty baked goods (alpinebakery.ca; $10). Collect your rental car and drive south to Sky High Wilderness Ranch, where the sled dogs are on summer break, for horseback riding (drivingforce.ca; $56, skyhighwilderness.com; from $35). Head back to Whitehorse for Caribbean soul food at Pickapeppa then drive north for a self-guided walk around Yukon Wildlife Preserve to see caribou, elk, lynx, mule deer, Dall sheep, muskox and arctic fox (2074 2nd Ave; $18, yukonwildlife.ca; $15). Soak in the nearby natural thermal waters of Takhini Hot Springs and be back in town for a wild game feast at Klondike Rib & Salmon (takhinihotsprings.com; $12, klondikerib.com; $45). At 7.30 take a 90-minute guided Whitehorse cycling tour and sleep well at Victorian-style Bluejay Suites B&B (borealebiking.ca; $45, bluejay-suites.com; from $150).

TOTAL: $394

SPLASH OUT 

You'll have time for pulled pork poutine or crab cake benny with your coffee at Burnt Toast Café before setting off on a four-hour guided Eagle Tour canoe trip along the Yukon River (burnttoastcafe.ca; $20, upnorthadventures.com; $150). Refuel with a lunch of margaritas and burritos at Sanchez Cantina (yukonweb.com/tourism/sanchez; $28). When that's settled, take a 2.5-hour Chilkoot Pass and Icefields light aircraft tour and descend back into Whitehorse for Yukon spirited cocktails at the riverside Wheelhouse (alpineaviationyukon.com; $380, wheelhouserestaurant.ca; $20). Walk a few blocks to dinner at Antoinette's where Caribbean cooking seamlessly melds with Canadian produce over a good bottle of wine (facebook.com/Antoinettes.Whitehorse; $65). Dress code, like everywhere in the Territory, is the broadly interpretable Yukon formal. Sleep away from the small city lights at French-elegant Takhini River Lodge (takhiniriverlodge.com; from $188).

TOTAL: $851

The writer was a guest of Tourism Yukon and the Canadian Tourism Commission.