Miles Canyon Then & Now

Miles Canyon was a common Alcan stop, (before the newer Alcan bypass brought you into Whitehorse, YT via the upper ridge, bypassing it). The family photo below shows my first look at Miles Canyon in 1971, taken from a bluff above our station wagon:

 Here's the same view with my sister in 71, and then again in '11:

 Looking back toward the walking bridge in 71....

 and below, today.

 Mom and Dad (with his Super-8) at the cliff edge in 1971 below: I didn't realize that Mom's legs were dangling right over the cliff until.....

 I took the same angle at those posing spots today (below).

 Mom had her legs dangling right over the rock pictured above. Brave lady! Many moms would never even get close to the edge, let alone sit on the edge of a cliff.

 Here's a tour boat chugging up against the current at the same spot, (an event we did not witness in '71), but fun for Layli and I, this time !

 BELOW: Here's  Julie doing her own cliff-edge dangle, and a view 40 years later. She'd do it again... I ... think. (I'll have to ask her.....)

For the Alcan, Miles canyon was an iconic stop just short of Whitehorse. Today, you can blow right by Miles on this re-routed portion of the Alcan, and never know it's worth seeing, but in 71, skipping Miles Canyon was not optional. Maybe that's good, because it keeps the area from being trampled. We loved it, and seeing the tourist boat push up through the cliffs was a great treat. If you look at the very first photo closely in this section, you'll notice that Layli photographed me standing very "John Muir-like" at the edge of the cliff framing one of those shots. Guess that edgy stuff does run in my family.....and gravity hasn't claimed any of us yet!