Wildlife in A Guide To Our Natural Areas
1 Lower McIntyre/Point Park T Follow Range Road past Mountainview Place. When the road ak Hwy hi McPherson bends to the left, take the right fork to an unmaintained gravel ni R iver Caution road. Follow the road as long as you would like and then get out e Exploring urban greenspaces is a great way and explore. ik d Sewage to simply and safely enjoy Yukon’s wilderness. n Y lo Treatment u Only a few steps out your door and you can K h k t feel immersed in the boreal forest. 2 Middle McIntyre Creek ALASKA r o o Cousins Whitehorse City Limits n Drive up Yukon College Drive until the unmarked dirt road on N Airstrip Be cautious when hiking the trails on the edge R the left. Follow the road to the pumphouse for parking. RVs of the city. Many ATV tracks, old mining roads, i should continue up College Drive and park in the student v and unofficial trails can head off into Yukon’s e parking lot at Yukon College, where an interpretive panel will r vast wilderness. It’s easy to get turned get you oriented. around, and it could be a long time before someone finds you. Walk with someone who’s familiar with the trails or bring a GPS to ensure 3 Fish Lake HIGHWAY you can find your way back to town. Follow the 15-km long Fish Lake Road to the end.
Crestview 4 McIntyre Marsh Follow the Fish Lake Road for 3.4 km to the junction with the Copper Haul Road. On the left, there is a wide parking area and 0 2 4 Whistlebend gazebo overlooking the wetlands. Porter Legend kilometres Lower McIntyre Creek Easy 1 Point Park 5 Mount McIntyre ski trails Intermediate Take Hamilton Boulevard to Sumanik Drive. Follow it to the large Challenging parking lot. Based on ruggedness, Haeckel accessibility, and risk of getting lost Hill Yukon College 6 Quartz Road Wetlands Middle McIntyre 2 Trail is accessible Park at Walmart and cross Quartz Road to access the riverbank. Creek by public transit The trail connects to the paved riverfront and Millennium Trail to Parking and turnaround the south. The wetlands are a two-minute walk from the end of Marwell possible for large vehicles the trolley line at Spook Creek Station. Quartz Road Long Lake 6 Valleyview Wetland 7 Millennium Trail Free public parking at Rotary Park or the S.S. Klondike. Fish Lake Rd Mt McIntyre Long Lk Rd You can also access the trail from the Whitehorse Fishway Whitehorse City Limits 5 Ski Trails City in Riverdale. 4 McIntyre Centre C Marsh McIntyre o
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p e 8 Bert Law Park r Whitehorse 7 Millennium Trail H Hillcrest Access the island via a short footbridge from the Millennium a International u Trail. Quickest access is from Robert Service Campground, l Airport 3 Fish R Paddy’s Pond 9 o Bert Law following the trails to the island. a Lake d Granger Neighbourhoods 8 Park Copper Riverdale Ridge Robert Service Grey Mountain Rd 9 Paddy’s Pond Campground Whitehorse Fishway 10 Hidden Follow Hillcrest Drive until the end and park at the gate. Lakes Head left and downhill as you enter the greenspace to find the pond. 11 Hidden Lakes City Schwatka 0 2 Lake 10 Whitehorse Fishway Centre In Riverdale, follow Nisutlin Drive to the parking area by the kilometres 12 Grey Mountain fish ladder. 13 Schwatka Lake
Whitehorse G C 11 Hidden Lakes International re h y ad From Riverdale, follow the Chadburn Lake Road for 1.8 km to a Airport Millennium M bur o n L 7 u Miles k R rough, unmarked road on your left. This 300 m access road takes n d Trail ta Canyon 14 Chadburn Lake to you to the parking area for Hidden lakes. in Bert Law Riverdale R Y Chadburn Grey 8 o ALASKA u a Mountain Park d k Lake Robert Service o 12 Grey Mountain Campground n From Riverdale, follow the unpaved Grey Mountain Road for 6 km R to a small view point where the maintained road ends. You can iv continue up the road by foot or mountain bike to better explore e the trails. 10 Whitehorse Fishway r Road ALASKA C Hidden Mount
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o d oa 15 Wolf Creek a R S d e k o Leave downtown via Robert Service Way and take the Alaska a u L 13 t Schwatka Lake l h Hwy south for 11 km. The campground is on your left with day-use a Mary Lake K o lo parking at the entrance. C n d ik e
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lelland C.McC 7 13 1 Millennium Trail Schwatka Lake Lower McIntyre/Point Park This 5-km paved trail makes the outdoors accessible This greenspace completes a wildlife corridor from Schwatka Lake was created by the Whitehorse dam to many people. The trail follows the banks of the Fish Lake to the Yukon River. As a result, you can spot a in the 1950’s which flooded the ‘white horse’ rapids. Yukon River from downtown to the Rotary Centennial variety of animals passing through. Watch for songbirds During spring migration, you can see many different footbridge just below the dam and back to the Robert and waterbirds around the wetlands. The lucky waterbirds here, including grebes, loons, and swans. Campbell Bridge from Riverdale. Watch for Bald Eagles wanderer might spot a caribou, moose, or bear heading The 15-km Yukon River Loop Trail is a great way to fishing in the river or building a nest by the nearby clay down to the river. explore this lake. cliffs. On the east side you can see evidence of a local beaver working on his lodge. 2 Middle McIntyre Creek 14 Chadburn Lake This popular urban greenspace provides a great 8 Bert Law Park Chadburn Lake day-use area has a large parking introduction to Yukon’s wildlife. Explore trails that This small island in the Yukon River is teaming with area, boat launch, hiking trails, and picnic gazebo for wander through a variety of habitats including a still remarkable plant diversity. Enjoy the berries but spending the day outside. Explore the many sheltered pond, a swift creek, and dense spruce and pine forest. beware: bright red clusters of Baneberry are abundant bays of the lake to look for loons and mergansers. The The different trails allow you to go for a quick run or on the island - and poisonous. water is so clear that you can see fish below. At dusk, spend hours exploring. Interpretive panels introduce you watch for Little Brown Bats feeding on insects in the to the plants and animals of the boreal forest. forest and over the lake. 9 Paddy’s Pond Many trails wind through this greenspace. Visit the pond 3 15 Fish Lake and surrounding marsh for a chance to spot wetland Wolf Creek The trails around Fish Lake are popular for hikers and creatures. Wood Frogs can be heard singing in the early Nestled in an old growth spruce forest, Wolf Creek hunters. Follow the main trail on your right to hike up spring, even when ice is still on the water. Moose wander, features a territorial campground and day-use area. At into the alpine. Be sure to practice bear safety; you are muskrats feed, and ducks make their home on the pond. the entrance, visit a small fish ladder and viewing deck further from the city and more likely to run into wildlife 4 McIntyre Marsh to learn about Chinook Salmon that return to the creek such as bear, moose, Dall’s Sheep, and caribou. This is a great place for a quiet lunch and bird watching. to spawn in August. Explore the short trails surrounding A gazebo with interpretive panels will tell you about the 10 the campground for excellent views of the Yukon River wetland and its residents. In the spring, visit in the early Whitehorse Fishway and surrounding forests. The world’s longest wooden fish ladder was built here morning to witness bird banding demonstrations and to YG in the late 1950s. Chinook Salmon use the ladder to learn about migration. YG get around the power dam on their way to spawning grounds. An interpretive centre is open all summer, along with a viewing platform and interpretive panels. 5 Mount McIntyre ski trails This is a haven for small forest animals and an important travel corridor for larger animals such as 11 Hidden Lakes moose, coyote, lynx, and bear. The extensive trail These kettle lakes are a popular walking and fishing network will lead you through a variety of terrain, from spot for locals. The small, quiet lakes are great for old burns to low valleys. Pick up a map or download it spotting waterbirds and shorebirds. Wildflowers can be from www.xcskiwhitehorse.ca. A trail pass is required found on the open slopes, and foxes and Coyotes in the during the ski season. sheltered forests.
6 Quartz Road Wetlands 12 Grey Mountain This series of gravel bars and shallow river channels is Overlooking the city, Grey Mountain provides easy home to numerous fish and bird species. Scan the islands access to alpine trails. Explore the mountaintop to see for nesting gulls and watch for ducks and swans during alpine flowers and song birds, and watch along the migration. Interpretive panels describe the wildlife and edges for Golden Eagles. Sheep and caribou have been history around this important urban wildlife area. spotted on occasion by the adventurous hiker.