Cemeteries & Memorial Program
Grey Mountain Cemetery is located in Riverdale on Grey Mountain Road and has been in operation since 1965.
Opening hours are 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. daily. Access is through the pedestrian gate to the right of the main gate.
From October 1 to April 30 the vehicle gate is locked, but can be opened on request for visitors with access difficulties.
On November 10, 11 and December 25 the vehicle gate is open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
From May 1 to September 30, the vehicle gate is open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily.
Grey Mountain Cemetery Map Overview
For inquiries, please contact [email protected] or call us at 867-668-8325, Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Annual Grey Mountain Cemetery Maintenance
Annual maintenance at Grey Mountain Cemetery took place on September 18, 2024. Each year prior to closing the cemetery’s vehicle gates for the season, our Parks crews clean up grave sites in preparation for winter. Residents are asked to please remove any personal items for safekeeping before the annual clean up.
***Note***
The City has reviewed what happened during this year’s annual maintenance of Grey Mountain Cemetery.
The City is in the process of updating policies and procedures related to cemetery maintenance to clarify roles and responsibilities and introduce best practices.
We will also be introducing new training programs for all staff working at the City’s cemeteries to ensure a trauma-informed and culturally respectful approach to maintenance work.
Staff are available to assist individuals with personal items. Residents can contact Parks and Community Development staff at [email protected], or call 668-8325, for assistance.
Unclaimed personal items from this year’s annual maintenance have been catalogued and stored until spring, when further opportunities will be available for individuals to reclaim them.
An online application is available for monuments larger than 8 in height x 30 in width x 12 in depth.
In preparation for the upcoming winter season, staff will be cleaning up grave sites on September 14, 2023, and removing excessive and/or worn out items. Any items that family may want to keep should be removed before this date.
At the time of interment, flowers and wreaths, adornments, standards, plants, artificial or otherwise may be placed on a plot but may be removed by staff when their condition is deemed to be detrimental to the general appearance of the Cemetery. For the safety of maintenance staff and public, all breakable containers (glass, pottery and plastic) will be removed 30 days after an interment. In addition, ornament removal and disposal will be done bi-annually the first 2 weeks of May and last 2 weeks of September weather depending.
For the sake of environmental responsibility, the City encourages the use of natural flowers to reduce the volume of waste going to the landfill.
The City of Whitehorse is looking to expand the Grey Mountain Cemetery in three areas identified in the previously completed 2008 Cemetery Master Plan:
- a Neotraditional section to offer more traditional cemetery features and park-like amenities.
- a Woodland section to accommodate low-impact burial options in a naturalized forest setting.
- a Gathering area for visitors to enjoy.
Thank you to everyone who took the time to fill out the survey. Your comments will assist the project team in preparing design options, which will be presented to the public and stakeholders for further comment and input at a later date.
Phase 1
The City has hired Copperbelt Contracting to construct pathways for Phase 1 of the Grey Mountain Cemetery Expansion project. The work is expected to be completed by November 22, weather dependent. Work will stop before and during funerals. (updated October 17, 2023)
Pioneer Cemetery is located on Sixth Avenue and Wood Street, and was in operation from 1900 to 1965. According to Mrs. Otto Partridge’s diary, the first burial was that of James Brown on October 11, 1900. By 1904 there were 22 burials in the cemetery. The Crown received title to the land in 1901 and the officials of the Territorial Government were in charge of administration. Although the City of Whitehorse was established as a municipality in 1950, the City did not accept responsibility for managing the cemetery until 1965. Unfortunately, no consecutive records of burials were kept, apart from individual churches and the Masonic Lodge. About twenty years ago most of the wooden markers were removed in a misguided cleanup of the area. As a result, there is no complete record of individual gravesites, apart from those with stone monuments. There seemed to be a need for a compilation of as many as possible of the names of those at rest in the cemetery and a book titled “Lost Graves” was compiled.
Lost Graves
The book was originally prepared in 1989 as a compilation of research done by Margaret (Peg) Crook and Helen Horback, who were attempting to fill in some of the gaps in the records of the Pioneer Cemetery. Their information was obtained from the records of various churches and fraternal organizations and from newspaper archives. In 1997 J. Scott Wilson provided an index to assist persons using the book while doing genealogical research.
Lost Graves part 1 (18 MB download)
Lost Graves part 2 (13 MB download)
The Memorial Program provides opportunities for applicants to donate a tree to beautify public spaces in memory of or dedication to an individual, significant historical event or occasion.