Tombstone Territorial Park

Two hours up the Dempster Highway from Dawson, the road climbs onto a plateau and the Tombstone range appears: dark jagged granite peaks standing over rolling tundra with no trees at all, a landscape that looks subarctic because it is. Parts of this country, north of the divide, escaped the glaciations, so its plant communities are unusually old, and the traditional territory of the Tr'ondëk Hwëch'in runs through it. For roughly two weeks in late August the tundra turns, dwarf birch to scarlet and willow to gold across whole hillsides, which is when photographers arrive. Three backcountry campgrounds sit at Grizzly, Divide and Talus lakes, reached on foot, with permits capped tightly.

What you'll find

• The Tombstone range - black granite peaks above treeless tundra.
• Tundra colour - two weeks of scarlet and gold in late August.
• Grizzly Lake - the classic hike in, hard going and heavily booked.
• The Dempster Highway - the road itself, running toward the Arctic Ocean.

When to go

Late June to mid-September, with wildflowers in early July and the tundra colour usually peaking in the last ten days of August. Snow can fall in any month. Backcountry permits for the lake campgrounds open in spring and go within minutes.

Practical notes

The Dempster is gravel, hard on tyres and windscreens, and hire companies often prohibit it or exclude tyre damage; carry two spares. Backcountry permits are extremely limited and the Grizzly Lake trail is far rougher than its distance suggests. Grizzly bears are present throughout. There is no fuel between Dawson and Eagle Plains, nearly four hundred kilometres.

Nearby

Dawson City is two hours south; the Arctic Circle is further up the Dempster.

Key facts