Top 9 things to do in Kluane National Park

Kluane National Park and Reserve, in the southwest corner of the Yukon, holds the highest mountains in Canada and the largest icefield outside the polar regions, a sea of ice from which great glaciers flow between peaks that rise to more than 19,000 feet (5,800 m). Most of the park is that wilderness of ice and rock, seen only from the air or on mountaineering expeditions. Its front ranges, along the Alaska and Haines highways near Haines Junction, are greener and more welcoming: valleys of spruce and aspen, turquoise lakes, alpine meadows full of Dall sheep and one of the densest populations of grizzly bears in North America. Together with neighbouring parks in Alaska and British Columbia, it is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. These are the nine outings we would put first. The order starts with what the park is known for, then goes by what an outing gives back for the time and effort it takes. Distances are approximate; times are our estimates and do not include stops.

This is grizzly country: carry bear spray, make noise on the trail, hike in groups, and keep food and garbage locked away. Weather in the mountains changes quickly, with wind, rain and snow possible in any month, so carry warm, waterproof layers. Glacial rivers are cold, fast and silty, and dangerous to cross. Overnight trips in the backcountry need registration with the park.

1. Fly over the icefields and Mount Logan

The heart of Kluane can only be seen from the air. Flightseeing trips from Haines Junction and Kluane Lake fly over a vast landscape of ice: glaciers tens of miles long, icefalls, rivers of ice joining like highways, and, rising above it all, Mount Logan, at 19,551 feet (5,959 m) the highest mountain in Canada and one of the most massive mountains on Earth. Some flights land on a glacier, so you can stand on the ice in the middle of the mountains.

Allow: 1 to 2 hours
Start: an air-tour operator in Haines Junction or at Kluane Lake
When: May to September, on clear days
Suits: everyone

2. Spend a day at Kathleen Lake

Off the Haines Highway, Kathleen Lake is a long, glacier-fed lake, turquoise in midsummer, set between steep mountains. It has the park’s only campground on the front ranges, a day-use area and a boardwalk along the shore, and the water is cold, clear and beautiful for a paddle on a calm day. Kokanee salmon and lake trout live in its depths.

Allow: half a day to a day
Start: Kathleen Lake day-use area, on the Haines Highway south of Haines Junction
When: June to September; the wind rises quickly on the lake
Suits: everyone

3. Climb to King’s Throne

Above Kathleen Lake, a steep trail climbs to a great bowl-shaped cirque in the mountainside, the seat of King’s Throne, with a view down over the lake and across the front ranges toward the icefields. Strong hikers continue up the ridge beyond for an even wider view. It is the park’s classic day hike, steep and rocky, and the view repays every step.

Distance: about 6 miles (10 km) round trip to the cirque
Climb: about 3,300 feet (1,000 m)
Allow: 5 to 7 hours
Start: Kathleen Lake day-use area
When: July to September
Suits: fit hikers

4. Watch Dall sheep at Thechàl Dhâl

On the shore of Kluane Lake, the slopes of Thechàl Dhâl (Sheep Mountain) are home to Dall sheep, wild white mountain sheep that can often be seen from the road and the visitor centre, grazing on the grassy slopes or resting on rocky ledges. Bring binoculars. The visitor centre has exhibits on the sheep and the land, and at certain times parts of the mountain are closed to protect the sheep during lambing.

Allow: 1 hour
Start: Thechàl Dhâl Visitor Centre, on the Alaska Highway at Kluane Lake
When: late spring to fall
Suits: everyone

5. Hike the Auriol Trail

Near Haines Junction, this loop climbs through spruce and aspen forest into open subalpine meadows on the flank of the front ranges, with views back over the valley and the Dezadeash River. It is a fine day hike, quieter than King’s Throne, and good for seeing wildflowers in July and the gold of the aspens in late August and September.

Distance: about 9 miles (15 km) loop
Allow: 5 to 6 hours
Start: Auriol trailhead, on the Haines Highway south of Haines Junction
When: June to September
Suits: steady walkers

6. Walk out to Soldier’s Summit

On a hillside above Kluane Lake, a short interpretive trail leads to Soldier’s Summit, where the Alaska Highway was officially opened in 1942, built in just eight months across the wilderness as a wartime supply route. The trail gives a wide view over Kluane Lake, the largest lake in the Yukon, and signs tell the story of the highway’s construction.

Distance: about 0.9 miles (1.5 km) round trip
Allow: 45 minutes
Start: Soldier’s Summit trailhead, on the Alaska Highway at Kluane Lake
When: May to October
Suits: everyone

7. Walk onto a rock glacier

Near Dezadeash Lake, a short trail leads through the forest and up onto a rock glacier, a tongue of broken rock with ice inside it, slowly flowing downhill like a river of stone. Signs explain how it moves. It is a quick, easy walk with a view over the lake from the top.

Distance: about 0.6 miles (1 km) round trip
Allow: 30 minutes
Start: Rock Glacier trailhead, on the Haines Highway near Dezadeash Lake
When: May to October
Suits: everyone

8. Backpack to the Kaskawulsh Glacier

For experienced backpackers, a multi-day trip up the Slims River valley from Kluane Lake leads to Observation Mountain, a steep climb above the Kaskawulsh Glacier, one of the great glaciers flowing from the icefields, with its long ribbons of dark rock stretching away into the mountains. In 2016 the glacier’s retreat sent its meltwater down a different valley, and the Slims River dried almost to nothing within days, one of the fastest river changes ever recorded.

Allow: 3 to 4 days
Start: Slims West trailhead, near the Thechàl Dhâl Visitor Centre; register with the park
When: July to August
Suits: experienced backpackers in grizzly country

9. Raft the Alsek River

The Alsek River flows out of Kluane through the mountains to the Pacific, past glaciers and icebergs, through some of the wildest country on the continent. Guided day trips run its upper stretch near Haines Junction, and longer expeditions, among the great river journeys of the world, carry on for days through the mountains to the coast. Grizzlies, moose and eagles are often seen along the way.

Allow: a day, or 1 to 2 weeks for a full expedition
Start: Haines Junction, with a licensed rafting company
When: June to August
Suits: everyone on a guided day trip; fit adventurers for the expedition

Before you go

This list covers what stays the same from year to year. Closures, wildlife closures, bear warnings and backcountry registration rules change, and Parks Canada posts them on its own site. The link is on our Kluane National Park guide, with the map and how to get there.