Alaska Destinations

Dawson: The 1896 Bonanza Creek gold discovery by George Carmack, Dawson Charlie and Skookum Jim Mason changed Dawson forever.  What had been a sleepy, basically native settlement at the confluence of the Yukon and Klondike rivers ended up with 40,000 miners by 1898.  In 1899 the rush was over and Dawson shrunk back down to about 8,000 people and now has a population of about 2,200 hardy souls.

While hiking, river rafting, jeep tours and golf are available in Dawson, the real attraction for us is that it's the gateway to Tombstone Territorial Park.  Again, another reason we love Holland America.  They are the only major tour company that will take you to Dawson and give you the opportunity to go to Tombstone.  There are escorted hikes, driving tours and flightseeing over the area, and whichever you choose will knock your socks off!  Tombstone is so wild, so untouched by humans…  I tell people all the time that there is a good chance that on any hike there you could conceivably put your foot down on a piece of Earth that has never felt a human foot before!  It's a feeling very difficult to put into words, but it is a very spiritual, uplifting feeling.

If you choose to stay in town, Dawson has stayed true to its' roots as a frontier town.  The streets are unpaved, there are true boardwalks and Diamond Tooth Gertie's is a small casino with a twist; All the proceeds from go towards keeping Dawson maintained as a National Historic treasure.

Just one more thing, there is a restaurant in Dawson called "Antoinette's".  It is in a house about two streets up from the Westmark Hotel and was opened this last year by Antoinette and her son who acts as the waiter and host.  It has maybe 5 tables and can seat no more than 20 or so at a time.  We had one of the finest eating experiences we've had in a long time there.  We are talking gourmet, New York, L.A., Dallas, none of them were better, and quite a few did not even compare.  Do yourself a favor and go have dinner at Antoinette's!