Kluane National Park: Where the Mountains Begin

Kluane National Park and Reserve protects one of the most spectacular landscapes in Canada: the largest non-polar icefields in the world, the country's highest peaks, and the front ranges that rise straight off the Alaska Highway in the southwest Yukon. It covers more than 21,000 square kilometres and is the centrepiece of a vast international UNESCO World Heritage Site spanning the Yukon, British Columbia, and Alaska.  ## Mountains and ice The park is dominated by the **St. Elias Mountains**, one of the world's great mountain systems. Hidden behind the front ranges lie the **Icefield Ranges** and the immense icefields that feed dozens of glaciers — among them the **Kaskawulsh** and the **Lowell**. **Mount Logan**, at 5,959 metres, stands here: it is the highest mountain in Canada and the second-highest in North America. This interior world of ice and high peaks is so vast that it generates its own weather, and most of it is seen only by mountaineers and flightseeing pilots. ## What visitors actually see For most travellers, the accessible park is the **Kluane Ranges** — the wall of mountains that rises dramatically from the Alaska Highway and the shore of **Kluane Lake**, the Yukon's largest lake. You don't need mountaineering skills to experience the park; a network of day hikes and multi-day routes climbs into the front ranges and rewards you with spectacular alpine scenery. - **Day hikes:** The **Auriol Trail** (a forest-to-alpine loop) and the climb to **King's Throne** above **Kathleen Lake** are the classic introductions. - **Backcountry:** The **Donjek Route** is one of the finest multi-day wilderness traverses in Canada, for experienced and self-sufficient parties only. - **Flightseeing:** The single best way to grasp the scale of the icefields and Mount Logan is from a small plane out of Haines Junction or Burwash Landing — weather permitting, it is unforgettable. - **Wildlife:** Kluane has one of North America's most significant grizzly populations, along with Dall sheep, moose, and mountain goats.  ## Gateway and culture The hub for the park is **Haines Junction**, where the main Parks Canada visitor centre sits at the foot of the mountains — see our [Haines Junction guide](/blog/haines-junction-gateway-kluane). A second visitor area stands at Tachäl Dhäl (Sheep Mountain) near Kluane Lake, and the [Kluane First Nation](/blog/kluane-first-nation) museum at [Burwash Landing](/blog/burwash-landing-kluane-museum) is well worth a stop. This is the homeland of the Southern Tutchone people — the [Champagne and Aishihik First Nations](/blog/champagne-aishihik-first-nations-history) and the Kluane First Nation — whose stewardship of this land long predates the park, and who help manage it today. Plan your visit with the official [Parks Canada Kluane](https://parks.canada.ca/pn-np/yt/kluane) site, and reach the park along the [Alaska Highway](/blog/alaska-highway-complete-guide). --- ## See Also on TheKlondike.net - [Haines Junction: Gateway to Kluane](/blog/haines-junction-gateway-kluane) - [Burwash Landing and the Kluane Museum](/blog/burwash-landing-kluane-museum) - [The Champagne and Aishihik First Nations](/blog/champagne-aishihik-first-nations-history) — Southern Tutchone people of the region - [The Alaska Highway: A Complete Guide](/blog/alaska-highway-complete-guide) — how to get there