Kluane National Park and Reserve

Kluane is a land of superlatives, home to Mount Logan, Canada’s highest peak, and the largest non-polar icefields on Earth, sprawling across the southwest Yukon. Part of the largest internationally protected area in the world, it is a wilderness of towering mountains, vast glaciers and grizzly-rich valleys, where most of the park’s icy heart can only be glimpsed from the air.

Fast facts

• Established: 1972 (reserve); national park 1976
• Size: about 8,499 square miles (22,013 km²) in the southwest Yukon
• High point: Mount Logan, 19,550 feet (5,959 m), the highest in Canada
• Ice: the largest non-polar icefields in the world
• World Heritage: part of a vast transboundary UNESCO site with Alaska’s Wrangell-St. Elias
• Managed by: Parks Canada

The landscape

A green front range of forested valleys and alpine tundra hides an interior of rock and ice, the St. Elias Mountains and their immense icefields, feeding glaciers that grind toward the lowlands. The accessible eastern edge, along the highways, is prime grizzly, Dall sheep and moose country, while the icy core is the realm of mountaineers and flightseeing pilots.

Best time to go

Summer and early fall are the hiking and paddling season, when the valley trails are clear and the weather is at its (still changeable) best; fall adds color and the first snows on the peaks. The mountaineering season on Logan is spring. Winter is long, cold and dark, with limited access.

Getting there and around

The park is reached along the Alaska and Haines highways in the southwest Yukon, with visitor centres at Haines Junction and Tachal Dhal. A vehicle gets you to the trailheads and viewpoints along the highway corridor; the interior icefields are accessed only by flightseeing charter or serious mountaineering expedition.

Things to do

Hike the front-range trails, the King’s Throne and Sheep Creek among them, and watch for Dall sheep and grizzlies. Take a flightseeing tour over Mount Logan and the icefields for the park’s unforgettable centerpiece, raft the Alsek River on a multi-day expedition, or, for the elite, mountaineer in the St. Elias.

Staying safe

This is grizzly country, so carry bear spray, make noise and store food properly. The icefields are glaciated, crevassed terrain for experienced, equipped parties only; weather turns fast and cold, rivers run swift and frigid, and the backcountry is remote. Carry a satellite communicator and register your trip.

Know before you go

A Parks Canada pass is required, overnight and mountaineering trips need registration, and flightseeing should be booked with local operators. This page is a general overview, not a live conditions report; always confirm current conditions, registration and options with Parks Canada before your trip.

Coordinates

60.6685, -139.0060

Magnetic declination

17.2° E (2026)

Set this declination on your compass, then align it to the map's north lines; it is the angle between true north and magnetic north, refreshed each year.

Best seasons

Summer, Early fall

Difficulty

Easy to strenuous

Access / trailheads

In the southwest Yukon along the Alaska and Haines highways; the Haines Junction and Tachal Dhal (Sheep Mountain) centres are the main access points.

Water

Abundant rivers and streams; filter or treat all water.

Cell / satellite coverage

Little to no cell service in the backcountry. Carry a satellite communicator.

Nearest ranger / SAR / emergency

Parks Canada dispatch: 1-877-852-3100; life-threatening emergencies: 911.

Permits & regulations

A Parks Canada pass is required; overnight backcountry trips need registration, and mountaineering on the icefields requires special registration and experience.

Leave No Trace

Use bear-proof storage, stay on durable ground, pack out everything, and follow Leave No Trace.