CANYON MILES

Originally called the "Grand Canyon", a certain Fredrick Schwatka (American explorer) renamed the place "Miles Canyon" in July 1883 in honour of General Nelson Miles. On board the MV Schwatka, two-hour cruises depart in the blue waters of Miles Canyon. Navigation has become much easier since the creation of a dam in 1926 that dammed the Whitehorse Rapids from the Yukon River to form Schwatka Lake. When Jack London, the famous American writer and adventurer, and the tens of thousands of gold diggers descended this gorge, sailing between the pink basalt walls, the adventure was far riskier than it is today, earning Miles Canyon the nickname "5 miles of foaming hell". In 1898, more than 300 boats were wrecked in these rapids. South of Schwatka Lake and this canyon, the ghost town of Canyon City was the starting point of the expedition for only three years and was even connected to the city of Whitehorse by a five-mile tramway to avoid the dangers of navigation. The city fell into disuse with the appearance of the White Pass train in 1899-1900, linking Skagway (Alaska, USA) to Whitehorse, and virtually nothing remains of it today. Many free hikes to Canyon City along Miles Canyon are organized during the summer by the Yukon Conservation Society (302 Hawkins Street, Whitehorse - www.yukonconservation.org).