Teslin: George Johnston Trail and Tlingit Culture

Teslin brings together the George Johnston Trail and the stories and buildings of the Teslin Tlingit. Used year-round by hikers, cyclists and cross-country skiers, the trail runs along the lake and the Alaska Highway between the village of Teslin and the Teslin Tlingit Heritage Centre at Fox Point. One trailhead is opposite the old village, across the Alaska Highway. This makes Teslin an appealing destination for travellers looking to include outdoor activities and cultural discoveries in their trip.

Exploring the George Johnston Trail

On foot, by bicycle or on cross-country skis: the trail offers different ways to get outdoors. Its location along the lake and highway shapes the route, which runs between the village and the Heritage Centre at Fox Point. If you include the route in your travel plans, you can use the trailhead opposite the old village as a reference point. The information about its different uses can help you decide what to focus on during your stay, without requiring you to choose a particular activity.

Five kilometres north of the Village of Teslin, the Teslin Tlingit Heritage Centre offers hands-on activities. These include beadwork, carving, moose-hide tanning and traditional drumming. Local artisans and knowledge holders lead the activities. Taking part offers a different way to connect with Teslin Tlingit culture than visiting historic buildings or a museum.

Teslin Tlingit culture and historic buildings

Teslin Tlingit architecture includes buildings from three distinct periods in Teslin’s architectural history. Notable buildings include St. Philip’s Parish Hall, the oldest standing building in Teslin, and St. Philip’s Church, built by the Teslin Tlingit community in 1934. The Joe Jackson House is also part of this history: it was built by the Teslin Tlingit around 1965. The different dates show that the buildings do not all come from a single period.

Another piece of technological history is the Aeradio Navigation Range Station. It is the only known surviving building from a series of structures built to house electronic equipment and communications for the Northwest Staging Route. This broadens the picture of Teslin beyond its architecture: alongside Teslin Tlingit history, communications along this route are also part of what the place has to share.

The George Johnston Museum displays rare cultural objects of the Tlingit First Nation. It is open daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., from June 1 through Labour Day. If you’re planning a museum visit, you can keep these opening hours in mind for that period. Together with the historic buildings and hands-on activities at the Heritage Centre, the museum offers another way to explore culture and history.

Lake, delta and wildlife

The natural surroundings of Teslin offer another focus for your visit. Nearby, the Nisutlin River Delta National Wildlife Area encompasses Yukon’s largest freshwater delta and is a particularly important stopover area for migratory birds. For nature lovers, this distinctive landscape can be part of your travel plans; its importance as a stopover area also connects the delta with the seasonal migration of birds.

The Wildlife Gallery in Teslin offers another perspective on nature. It displays professionally mounted wildlife specimens in naturalistic dioramas. Teslin’s Yukon Motel also has a Northern Wildlife Gallery and a gift shop. Wildlife can therefore be discovered not only through the landscape, but also through exhibits.

Choose Teslin as a destination

At 584 metres long, the Nisutlin Bay Bridge is the longest bridge on the Alaska Highway. This striking structure complements the impressions made by the landscape and culture. When choosing a vacation rental in Teslin, consider what you want from your trip: would you like to focus on the trail and nature, or give more weight to cultural activities, historic buildings and the museum?

Discover more destinations

If you’d like to discover more destinations, you’ll also find Tagish, Johnsons Crossing, Carmacks, Carcross, Marsh Lake, Watson Lake and Keno City.

For the main travel overview, see Yukon.