Keno Hill Mining Road — Keno City to Keno Hill Summit

Keno City is one of those Yukon ghost towns that never fully died — a handful of residents keep it alive, the Keno City Mining Museum still operates, and the dirt streets still smell like silver-rush history. From here the road climbs hard up Keno Hill to a summit that sits above treeline fast, rewarding you with open tundra ridgeline and views that sweep across the Stewart River watershed toward the Ogilvie Mountains. The Keno Hill district produced silver, lead, and zinc for over a century beginning in 1919 — the Silver Trail you drove to get here from Mayo is named after it. The summit road is rocky, rutted in places, and steep enough on switchbacks that descent requires careful throttle management.

Most high-clearance pickups and capable SUVs can handle this route — it’s not extreme, but it’s not pavement either. Mud in early season makes the switchbacks slippery and the soft shoulders disappear. Best months are July and August when the summit road has dried. No permit required. Fuel in Mayo before heading up the Silver Trail — Keno City has no services. The summit is exposed and can go from clear to socked-in cloud in under an hour; pack layers. Short enough to do in half a day, but the alpine scenery and the weight of Keno’s mining history make it worth lingering.