Hiking Miles Canyon: Emerald Waters, Suspension Bridges & History

A little history

Long before it had an English name, this stretch of the Yukon River was known to the Southern Tutchone and the people who would become the Kwanlin Dün First Nation as Kwanlin, meaning "running water through canyon." The site was used for fishing for an estimated 2,500 years or more, the narrow, fast water forced salmon and other fish to pool above and below the canyon, making it a natural gathering point long before anyone was looking for gold. The canyon itself was carved by the Yukon River cutting down through a flow of basaltic lava that spread across the valley roughly 8.5 million years ago. It was later named Miles Canyon in 1883 after an American military general, though gold rush prospectors mostly just called it the Grand Canyon.

During the 1897-98 stampede, the rapids here were genuinely lethal. Nearly 300 boats were wrecked and 5 people drowned attempting to run the canyon and the Whitehorse Rapids beyond it, bad enough that the North-West Mounted Police eventually required anyone running the water to take a licensed pilot through. A settlement called Canyon City sprang up nearby, a small tent-and-log community with a police post, a tramway office, and a few other buildings, built specifically so stampeders could portage their boats and gear around the danger by log tramway instead of risking the run. The gold rush was short-lived, and most of Canyon City's buildings were eventually dismantled and moved downstream to the growing town of Whitehorse. A restored tram car and interpretive signage still mark the site today.

The rapids that made all of this necessary are gone now. The Whitehorse dam, built in 1957-58, submerged the original White Horse Rapids beneath what's now Schwatka Lake, taming the canyon into the calmer, though still genuinely fast-moving, water you see today.

The trails

The classic outing crosses the Robert Lowe suspension bridge, built in 1922 and still swaying gently underfoot, and follows the canyon rim on both sides, with loop options ranging from a quick walk to a full day. The two sides are not equally easy, though. The east side trail is well maintained, wide, and genuinely suitable for families. The west side, sometimes called the Tramway Trail, is a different matter: steep, narrow, and in places eroded or partially collapsed, with real drop-offs and no guardrails. It's manageable for confident, sure-footed hikers, but it is not the gentle family stroll it can look like from the bridge, and isn't the place to bring young children or anyone unsteady on their feet.

For a short visit, walking across the bridge and a little way along the east side and back takes well under an hour. Ambitious hikers can continue on to Canyon City, and from there link up with the wider Yukon River Loop trail system through Chadburn Lake and back to Whitehorse, a full loop of roughly 15 to 17 km. As of June 2026, part of this wider loop has been temporarily closed due to riverbank erosion, so check current trail conditions before planning a route that depends on the full loop being open.

If you'd rather have the history explained as you walk, the Yukon Conservation Society runs free guided interpretive hikes from the bridge through the summer, covering both the natural history and the Canyon City story in one outing.

What to look for

Beyond the striking water and rock, watch for interpretive signs about the gold rush and the Canyon City site, and enjoy the wildflowers and birdlife in summer, cliff swallows nest in the canyon walls, and bald eagles and otters are both regularly spotted. The light on the water is beautiful in the low sun of morning and evening. For a view without committing to a hike at all, there's a large pullout on the road between Schwatka Lake and the suspension bridge that looks straight down into the canyon, worth a stop even if you're just passing through.

If you're a runner, the canyon is also part of the route for the Yukon River Trail Marathon, held each August, which crosses through Kwanlin/Miles Canyon and Canyon City as part of its course.

Practical tips

Wear decent shoes, bring water and bug spray in summer, and start from the main Miles Canyon parking area off the Alaska Highway. It's free, dog-friendly on leash, and open year-round, in winter the trails become a snowy walk with the canyon under ice, though the access road itself can be closed seasonally, so check conditions if you're driving out rather than walking from town.

Perfect for an afternoon when you're based in town, Miles Canyon proves you don't have to travel far from Whitehorse to find genuine natural drama and a real slice of Yukon history.