Official State of Alaska Vacation and Travel Information

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Fort Yukon

Mountain range just North of the Arctic Circle

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Fort Yukon sits on the banks of the Yukon River in Interior Alaska at an elbow in the river that marks its northern apex before bending and twisting southwest toward the Bering Sea.

About Fort Yukon

Fort Yukon, the state’s largest Athabascan village, is home to about 600 people and is located 145 miles northeast of Fairbanks. Access to the village is primarily by air from Fairbanks, although in summer the Yukon River serves as a freeway of sorts for riverboats transporting friends and family between the many villages scattered along its length. The village sits just one mile from the Arctic Circle.

Fort Yukon is one of the older settlements in Alaska, founded as a fur-trading outpost in 1847 by the Hudson Bay Company. To this day, many residents earn their livelihoods through fur trading.

Things to do

Many visitors to Fort Yukon are there to connect with outfitters and guiding companies that run trips in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to the north. Seeing and crossing the Arctic Circle is also a big draw. Flightseeing tours out of Fairbanks take visitors for a flight across the Arctic Circle and then land in Fort Yukon for a tour of the community and to see the town’s historic Episcopal Church, which was built in 1899. In winter Fort Yukon’s location above the Arctic Circle and the wide-open terrain make the village an exceptional place to witness the aurora borealis.

Fort Yukon

Fort Yukon is 145 miles northeast of Fairbanks and accessible by scheduled or charter air service from Fairbanks.

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Fort Yukon

Nearby Parks

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Attractions

Hudson Bay Company Fort +

Within Fort Yukon is a replica of Hudson Bay Company fort built by the British trading company in the mid-1800s for protection against the Russians, not Native Alaskans.
Rafting +

Fort Yukon is a major staging area for guiding companies who run raft trips in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (arctic.fws.gov). Among the most popular rivers to float are the Kongakut, Sheenjek, Canning and the Hulahula.
Wildlife Viewing +

Viewing wildlife is one of the main reasons many visitors head to Arctic National Wildlife Refuge for extended wilderness trips. Air taxi operators also offer one-day flightseeing trips to spot caribou in both the refuge and the areas surrounding Fort Yukon.