Kluane National Park Guide
22,013 square kilometres of icefields, glaciers, and the highest peaks in Canada. The accessible front ranges — where the hiking is — are genuinely extraordinary even without reaching the interior icefields.
Highlights of Kluane
- Auriol LoopMost popular long day hike — 15 km, 4–6 hours. Climbs through spruce and aspen into subalpine with long views over the Dezadeash Valley. Wildflowers peak in July.
- Kathleen LakeThe centrepiece of the accessible park, 27 km south of Haines Junction. Clear water, mountains rising from the south shore, and the best campground in the Yukon.
- Rock Glacier Trail3.4 km return from the Kathleen Lake lot. Quickest way to grasp the park's scale in under two hours.
- St. Elias Lake Trail8 km return, easy-moderate. Begins 40 km south of Haines Junction and follows a creek to a lake under the first wall of the St. Elias Mountains.
- Sheep Creek Trail10.8 km return, moderate. Leaves from Sheep Mountain kiosk near Kluane Lake — prime Dall sheep habitat.
- Flightseeing the Kaskawulsh GlacierThe only way most visitors see the interior icefields and Mount Logan. Weather-dependent tours from Haines Junction.
Getting There & Practical Info
- Haines Junction is 158 km west of Whitehorse on the Alaska Highway — about 1.5 hours.
- Kathleen Lake is 27 km south of Haines Junction on the Haines Road.
- Stop at the Kluane National Park Visitor Centre in Haines Junction before any hike — trail conditions, bear reports, and permits.
- Kluane has some of the highest grizzly density in the Yukon. Carry bear spray on every trail.
- Kathleen Lake Campground (41 sites) books up in July and August — reserve through Parks Canada.