Venus Silver Mine

View of the Venus Mine looking to the south. sonicpix (Atlas Obscura User)

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Located on the east side of the highway, south of Conrad in the Southern Yukon are the remains of an abandoned silver conveyor that was known as the Venus Silver Mine. The wooden structure is in surprisingly good condition though it is still deteriorating. Southern Yukon was known for silver mining and these remains are a spectacular example of this. The setting on the sloping shore of Tagish Lake is an amazing location and lookout.

The mine resulted in the creation of Conrad, a village to the north that housed up to 3,000 people, along with shops and services. The activity from the mine resulted in paddle boat tours to neighboring Carcross. However, dropping silver prices and rising transportation costs resulted in the mine closing. Attempts were made to re-open the mine, but they eventually provide no longer profitable.

Know Before You Go

There are no parking areas immediately near the site. Getting to the site requires parking down the road a bit and hiking up to the location. Traversing the slope down is extremely difficult and not recommended. This is a narrow portion of the highway and parking on the road would block a lane. Caution should be used at the site as the slope to the lake is quite steep.