Caribou Mountain is my go to sunset hike that is relatively close to Whitehorse. It overlooks the small town of Carcross the surrounding mountains and lakes, providing a beautiful scale of nature vs civilization. It's continueously steep but quickly offers rewarding views. There are lots of viewpoints along the way so you don't need to go all the way to the summit unless you want to. You can do this hike in winter and summer but it can be quite challenging in the winter depending on the snow pact (which varies year to year). It also possible to find good camp spots in the alpine however you will be pretty exposed to wind and there is no water source. (These photos were from October for reference)

Please don't hike in the area between April 1st - June 16 as the trail is closed for sheep during lambing season.

Total Distance: 8 km Return Time: 4-5 hours Elevation Gain: 1000 m Difficulty: Moderate Traditional Territory: Carcross Tagish First Nation

Directions: The trail head on the side of the road on the South Klondike Highway. If you're travelling in the directions from Whitehorse towards Carcross, the trailhead is a about 3 min/5km after Emerald Lake's Pullout. You will see well used driveway on the left side of the road, pull off here and just park in the ditch beside the driveway, don't block it as people do live in the area.

Hike up the driveway you'll see a sign "Please keep dogs on leash" which means your headed the right way! You will shortly see a trail on the left with a wood carving and trail marker, take this trail. Then you will see another sign that is title "Hikers" turn right here. If you go straight you will end up at a gravel pit. From there you will continue on that trail the rest of the way. If you pass a Yurt in the forest you know you are headed in the right direction. It will quickly bring you to the ridgeline and will be pretty continuously steep from here. Some areas are a bit slippery, especially on the way down, so poles can be pretty helpful. It's a tough one on the knees going down.