Grey Mountain has a number of different hiking routes, which makes this is a wonderful area for day hiking, and it’s within the city limits of Whitehorse. I’ve done this hike a few times, and it’s a great way to spend an afternoon and take in some great views. A few weeks ago, my wife and I decided to head out for an afternoon, and hopefully get some wild blueberry picking in along the way. What started as a simple hike turned into a near miss bear encounter, and some chance information about a hidden cave that drew us back for a second hike a few weeks later.
To get to the starting point of this hike, you head through the Riverdale subdivision in Whitehorse and find Grey Mountain Road. Follow this road past the cemetery, biathlon course and firing range for approximately ten kilometres until you ascend the mountain and get to a small parking area below the microwave tower at the top. I’ll forewarn you that the road heading up is an unmaintained access road, with lots of potholes and washboarding, so you need to travel slow and steady. Once you reach the parking lot, you can’t miss the trailhead which takes you along the ridge line towards the first summit.
This is a fairly short hike, along a well worn trail in the sub-alpine. It’s approximately 2.5 kilometres one way, and you’ll only gain about two hundred meters of elevation from the trailhead to the summit peak. There are a few sections of scrambling along a narrow rock outcrop, but overall I would rate this particular trail as easy. Once you reach the first summit, you can continue on to a second and third summit depending on how much time you have, but the further you go, the less worn the trail becomes.
Once my wife and I made the first summit we stopped to have a quick snack, and hydrate the dog, but when we were ready to head out we turned to pick up the trail and right below the peak of the second summit was a mama grizzly with three cubs. Luckily, the distance between the two summits is about a kilometre, so we were far enough away that I don’t think they noticed us; but they were there doing exactly what we were…picking berries! Although they are majestic animals, bear encounters in the Yukon are no joke, and in my previous blog post I provided some bear aware info, but check out the link at the end of this blog to see a short video of the bears from this trip.
This encounter caused us to start heading back early, and on the way we took the time to warn other hikers that the bears were in the area; this resulted in an interesting conversation with some fellow hikers who told us they had just come up the mountain after visiting the hidden cave. In all my years in the Yukon I had never heard about this place, so we were excited to get some directions. After we parted company, me and my wife decided that we would return at our next opportunity to see if we could find it.
A few weeks later we came back and found the trail head about 3 kilometres below the peak where the other hikers told us it would be. From the trailhead it’s a steep uphill climb to reach the cave entrance. Although it’s only a 1.5 kilometre hike to the cave, the elevation gain makes this a moderate hike, and certainly a workout.
Once you’re at the cave entrance there is a homemade rope ladder that you can climb up to get into the cave. Now, this is a “roll the dice, and take your chances” moment. There is a steep slope leading to the ladder, and the first step onto the bottom rung is a bit of a jump, so you are placing all of your faith into the ladder anchor without being able to see where or how it’s anchored within the cave. The rationale part of my mind was screaming this is stupid, but the adventure part of my brain was egging me to go forward…as happens a lot, I shut out rational thought and made an attempt; this required me to totally ignore the fact that if I fell, or the rope broke, it’s a long drop down a jagged rocky slope with nothing to break my fall; but if I don’t go, I can’t say I finished the hike or have proper bragging rights. Seems logical, right?
Luckily, nothing broke, and we made it up and in. The cave interior is only about 8’x10’, but it is big enough to stand up in. Inside there is a small Tupperware container with some journals and a few pens, so those of us who were silly enough to climb the weather beaten rope ladder can sign the book and enshrine the fact the “we were here”. I also suspect it’s a good way for the rescue crew to identify the body if you happen to fall on the descent. Aside from bragging rights, the sights from the mouth of the cave are stunning, you have an unobstructed view of the Yukon River and Chadburn Lake running through the sweeping valley, it’s absolutely spectacular; but take the time to enjoy the peace and serenity of the cave, because the climb down the rope ladder doesn’t get any less scary!
If you’re looking for a few easy access hikes in some picturesque backcountry, this is the place to go. The Grey Mountain Summit Hike, and the Cave Hike are great ways to spend an afternoon without having to go too far out of town. There are a number of great routes up this mountain, and some that descend down further into the valley, but the fact is you can go back to this area over and over again and always find a different place to explore. Just remember to pack you’re hiking poles, and especially, your bear spray.
This was likely my last hike this season, and with summer winding down, fall is going to be my last opportunity to get some more exploring in before the snow flies, so I’m going to be starting a new type of adventuring that’s been on my life bucket list for quite some time, and perfectly suited for travel in the Yukon, and abroad….stay tuned for my next blog to check out my next bigly travels!
Check out the bears! Bears on Grey Mountain