Tombstone Territorial Park

Tombstone sits at Kilometre 71 of the Dempster Highway, the only Yukon park you can drive to on gravel. The Grizzly Lake / Divide Lake / Talus Lake backpacking loop is the park's signature — a permit-limited three-to-five-day trek across boot-eating tundra to a black-granite amphitheatre. The last two weeks of August paint the tundra red and gold; the interpretive centre at Km 71 doubles as the trailhead for the free day-hikes.

• Yukon's most photographed backcountry route
• Tundra fall colour peaks late August — earliest 'autumn' in Canada
• Dempster Highway road-trip anchor
• Reliable grizzly, caribou, and moose viewing

Size

2,200 km²

Established

1999

Access

Dempster Highway Km 71

Backcountry sites

Permit-limited

• Grizzly-Divide-Talus backpack

  3-5 days, permit required

• Goldensides day-hike

• Dempster Highway wildlife viewing

• Tundra fall-colour photography

Reservations: Mixed · Frontcountry: Yes · Backcountry: Yes · RV: Yes · Glamping: No

• Tombstone Mountain Campground (Km 71) — 36 sites, self-register
• Backcountry sites at Grizzly, Divide and Talus lakes — permit-only
• Bear-resistant food lockers at all backcountry sites

• Goldensides Mountain

  Moderate · 5.5 km

  Best half-day view of the Tombstone Range.

• Grizzly Lake Trail

  Hard · 22 km

  Trailhead to Grizzly Lake; often first leg of the loop.

• Grizzly-Divide-Talus Loop

  Hard · 55 km

  Signature 3-5 day trek; three cirques, no bridges.

• North Fork Pass Ridge

  Moderate · 8 km

  Big-view ridge scramble from Km 74 pullout.

• Tombstone Range from Goldensides at sunset
• Talus Lake amphitheatre in late-August red tundra
• Dempster Highway wildlife shots at any pullout
• Northern lights visible late August to April

Peak: August 20 - September 5 · Shoulder: Mid-July (before bugs peak), mid-September (colour past, aurora prime)

Book through Yukon Parks — opens 90 days ahead of arrival.

Grizzly Lake / Divide / Talus backcountry permits open annually in April; sell out within a week.

• 3-day

  Dempster + Goldensides

  Two nights at Tombstone Campground, day-hike Goldensides, drive north to Two Moose Lake.

• photography

  Tundra in Red Weekend

  Late-August visit; sunrise at Goldensides, sunset over North Fork Pass, aurora watch after dark.

• 5-day

  Grizzly-Divide-Talus Loop

  Four nights in the backcountry; a bucket-list Canadian backpacking trip.

Our Travel Concierge builds custom itineraries around Tombstone Territorial Park — permits, campsites, driving times, and shoulder-season strategy included.