Grey Mountain

7 kms
5hours
difficult
Hiking
Fall, Summer
Whitehorse, YT

xtremepeaks

Grey Mountain is the most prominent mountain overlooking the city. Hiking up the subalpine slopes or the alpine ridge will bring home the beauty and character of this local monument.

Follow the steep road up through the subalpine for about 1km. On the ridge a bent pole with a worn reflective marker pinpoints the intersection of the road with the main alpine ridge trail. Turn left to start the ridge hike. Hike on any of the main trails as they will all converge as you walk northwest along the ridge towards the first prominent peak. The trail winds its way past huge tilted plates of limestone. Fossils of marine plants and animals can be found on the thin layers of exposed limestone chips.

For a longer hike continue along the ridge another 3km to the second peak. The trail becomes less defined and disappears in places. The walking is easy in the open alpine and from the top there is a grand view of the surrounding valleys to Marsh Lake and Lake Laberge.

Current conditions:

Directions:

From the SS Klondike cross the Yukon River bridge onto Lewes Blvd. At the lights turn left onto Alsek Rd. Take the second left to Grey Mountain Rd. Drive 6.4km past a rifle range on the left until you reach a lookout and parking on the right. You can park here or continue 3.5km further up the road where you will see a steep road rising on the left. This is the trailhead.

Copyright Yukon Conservation Society, used with permission. (Permission granted until January 2012.)

For more information and additional trails please see the excellent guidebook: "Whitehorse & Area Hikes & Bikes" (the definitive guide to hiking and biking in the Whitehorse area) published by Harbour Publishing, on sale by the Yukon Conservation Society, supporting conservation efforts in the Yukon.

Photo credits: Yukon Conservation Society and A. Graham, UArctic Photo Pool, 2006.