Canada
Whitehorse Rapids
Miles Canyon's turquoise water rockets through basalt walls that stopped Gold Rush stampeders dead.
Miles Canyon narrows the Yukon River into a chute of turquoise water between walls of columnar basalt — the rapids that stopped Gold Rush stampeders dead in their tracks. Hundreds of boats were wrecked here in 1898. The canyon's beauty disguises its violence.
Whitehorse Rapids and Miles Canyon sit just outside the Yukon's capital, where the Yukon River forces through a basalt gorge carved during the last Ice Age. During the Klondike Gold Rush, the rapids were so dangerous that the North-West Mounted Police required all boats to be inspected before passage — hundreds were wrecked regardless. A suspension bridge now spans the canyon, offering views straight down into the churning turquoise water. Family-friendly guided float trips and kayak tours run through the canyon's calmer sections in summer. The canyon trail is a 5-kilometre walk through boreal forest along the rim, accessible for all ages.
Family
The suspension bridge, the canyon trail, and the guided float trips make Whitehorse Rapids a family-friendly adventure with real Gold Rush history — children love the story of the stampeders' wrecked boats.
Friends
Kayaking the canyon, crossing the suspension bridge, and learning the Gold Rush history over Yukon-brewed beer afterward — Whitehorse Rapids is a half-day adventure that friends stumble into and never forget.
Solo
Walking the canyon rim alone, watching the turquoise water crash through the basalt narrows, and imagining the 1898 stampeders — Whitehorse Rapids delivers Gold Rush history in a visceral, sensory setting.
- Miles Canyon's walls of columnar basalt channel the Yukon River into turquoise rapids that killed Gold Rush stampeders.
- A suspension bridge spans the canyon, offering views straight down into the churning water and vertical rock walls.
- Family-friendly guided float trips and kayak tours run through the canyon's calmer sections in summer.
- The canyon trail is an easy 5-kilometre walk through boreal forest along the rim — accessible for all ages.
Yukon-brewed beer at Winterlong Brewing beside the river after a day on the water.
Smoked Arctic grayling and elk sausage from the farmers' market in Whitehorse.
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