Canada: Multi-day hike to the beautiful Grizzly Lake in Tombstone Territorial Park/Yukon
- Wibke Helfrich
- Aug 7
- 4 min read
Updated: Aug 27
Tombstone Territorial Park in the Yukon is also known as "Canada's Patagonia." Jagged granite peaks, bizarre rock formations, and lakes reflecting the mountain ridges characterize its landscape. A multi-day hike leads to Grizzly Lake, nestled amidst a stunning backdrop. You can find all the information and GPS data here.
Is the campsite at Grizzly Lake in Tombstone Territorial Park the most beautiful in the world?
Adventurous journey
In the Yukon, all the roads have promising names like the Alaska Highway or the Top of the World Highway. Tombstone Territorial Park is 550 kilometers north of White Horse, and we drive the last 80 km north on the gravel road of the infamous Dempster Highway . This road should really be called the Michelin Highway, because blowouts are a daily occurrence here. We chug leisurely along the gravel track, swerving into the ditch every time a large truck blows past us. Big trucks don't have any consideration for small cars anywhere in Canada , and it's a good idea to make way for them.
Safety First - Registration at the Visitor Center
Before every backcountry hike, you have to register at the visitor center. Here, the friendly ranger from Yukon Parks runs us through a long list of questions: Do we know what to do if we see a bear? Do we know where and how to store our food? In the Yukon, you're hiking in the wilderness, so appropriate preparation is required. Even if there are so-called campsites, they consist only of a composting toilet and, if you're lucky, a bear-proof box. After the briefing, we pack food for one night, a tent, sleeping mats, a sleeping bag, a stove, dishes, bear spray, and our water bottles and set off.
Tombstone Yukon Canada Hike Grizzly Lake
Hike to Grizzly Lake
The path initially winds up the mountain along a stream. Lush green ferns and delicate horsetail grow here, but gradually the vegetation gives way, and all we see are mountains – Tombstone is also called Canada's Patagonia.
Jagged granite peaks and bizarre rock formations, as well as lakes in which the mountains are reflected.
Forest fires are raging north of us. Here, too, 80 km further south, smoke fills the air. The mountain peaks are visible only through a veil of mist. The rock formations resemble stacked roof tiles. Thin stone slabs lie on the paths, giving us the feeling of trudging through a huge pile of broken glass.
Green, blue, gray, and brown in all shades are the predominant colors here , if it weren't for my new favorite flower and the Yukon's national flower: the fireweed ! Now, at the beginning of August, it's blooming everywhere in bright pink. The English name is much more fitting than the German one, because it grows even where a forest fire has just caused devastation.
The Grizzly Lake campground boasts a stunning setting. This is where the few hikers camp on the only multi-day trip in Tombstone Territorial Park.
Are Canadians the friendliest people in the world?
Two friends are sitting next to me, just returning from a trek. They ask me if we're going to the other two campsites, Divide and Talus . I reply that unfortunately we didn't get a free spot, but another woman chimes in and says we can use her reservation because her daughter doesn't want to continue hiking. I thank her politely but tell her that we don't have enough food, as we're only planning on staying for one night. The two friends get up and walk from hiker to hiker, asking who has any food left. In the end, Lars and I have enough for two days.
Click on the first image to start the photo gallery
Info
Tombstone Territorial Park
The best place to start exploring the park is the Tombstone Interpretive Centre (open daily from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. from May to September) on the Dempster Highway at kilometer 71.5.
Tombstone is best explored on one of the many hikes, ranging from one hour to three days with backcountry camping. Don't forget your bear spray!
General information about the Yukon, local activities, accommodations and restaurants can be found on the Travelyukon website .
Specific information about camping and hiking in the Yukon can be found here .
Safety note: Canada is a bear country. In my blog post Hiking and Camping Safely in Bear Country Canada, you'll find tips on how to avoid the bear and what to do if you do encounter one.
Arrival
Flights to Whitehorse are available from Germany with airlines such as Air Canada, Lufthansa, or Condor. An electronic travel document (eTA) is required to enter Canada.
The easiest way to continue your journey is by rental car, e.g. via www.billiger-mietwagen.de
Please note: Many rental car companies exclude highways such as the Dempster Highway from their insurance.
If you want, you can offset the CO2 emissions of your flight, for example with Atmosfair.
Sleep
A map of all campsites in the Yukon can be downloaded here :
Backcountry campsites in Tombstone Territorial Park must be reserved (preferably early) on the GoingtoCamp website.
The order of booking campsites for the multi-day tour is Grizzly In, Divide Lake, Talus Lake, Grizzly Out.
We did the entire trip over two overnight stays. The first night, we slept at Grizzly Lake, and the next day, we hiked with our packs to Divide Lake. There, we set up our tent and left our gear in the Bear Box, then hiked the 12 km to Talus Lake and back without any packs. The next day, we hiked all the way back to the trailhead.
Best time
The best time for hiking in the Yukon is from early July to September . Backcountry campsites in Tombstone Territorial Park also open at the end of June. Depending on the elevation, however, snow can occur even in summer.
Here a video from our hike:
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