Miles Canyon

The most dramatic natural feature near Whitehorse is Miles Canyon, where the Yukon River has cut its way down through a flow of basaltic lava. The lava flowed from a vent approximately 8 km (5 mi) to the south, between Golden Horn and what is now the Mount Sima ski hill, about 8.5 million years ago.

The dramatically constricted flow of the river through the canyon caused fish, salmon in particular, to pool above and below it, and the first people in the area started taking advantage of that thousands of years ago. Tools found nearby have been dated to 2,500 years ago, but people have probably been fishing and hunting there for 8-9,000 years, arriving shortly after the glaciers retreated from the rich valley.