Yukon is a global magnet for mountain biking amateurs and pros alike. With its easily accessible single track mountain trails, downhill runs, and back-country roads, exploring this wild territory on two wheels is an unforgettable way to connect with the boreale forests and river valleys. Read on for four outstanding mountain bike trails, easily accessible from Yukon’s capital city of Whitehorse.
1. Montana Mountain
This old mining mountain in Carcross, an hour’s drive from Whitehorse, has been converted into a mountain bike park, featuring long single track runs like the Sam McGee Trail, with rock drops, bridges, dirt jumps, and technical runs that go all the way to beautiful Bennett Lake, all lovingly constructed and maintained by local Aboriginal youths under a program designed to help to get them re-connecting with their traditional territory and out “on the land”. Their reward? The trail builders get to take the first run down any trail they create!
2. Whitehorse
The mostly-paved Millennium Walkway and Yukon Loop Trail is an ideal family route, perfect for a relaxed ride. Nearby, Grey Mountain has a network of trails, with gently swooping runs, and epic views of the capital city of Whitehorse and the deep green Yukon River. Ride down to Miles Canyon for beautiful views of the Yukon River and the canyon that gave Whitehorse its name. The rapids, now tamed by a hydro dam, looked like white horses galloping over the rocks to 1898 Klondike gold rushers.
3. Mount McIntyre
Bike through multiple eco systems, from alpine meadows filled with wildflowers to thick forests, as you climb to the top of Mount McIntyre, on the outskirts of Whitehorse. It’s worth the effort for the outstanding views of Whitehorse, Fish Lake, and Lake Laberge.
4. Ridge Road Trail
Historic Dawson City boasts a couple of long biking trails, complete with epic vistas of the town and surrounding mountains. The 32-kilometre Ridge Road Trail winds through the Klondike Gold Rush route, while the 106-kilometre Top of the World Highway is a fantastic long-distance ride, all the way to Alaska.