Photos of Kluane National Park and Reserve in the Yukon, Canada
160 kilometres from the capital of Whitehorse is the base for exploring Kluane National Park and Reserve in the Yukon, Canada. The Alaska Highway is rough, leading to some stomach-dropping moments, but the scenery here is outstanding.
In 2009 I took an air tour of the ice fields, glaciers and epic mountain ranges in the park with Kluane Glacier Air Tours. Flying west, we passed the Kaskawulsh and South Arm Glaciers, Pinnacle Peak, Mount Kennedy, the St. Elias Mountains, the Kennedy and Hubbard massif, Lowell Glacier, and finally around the entirety of Mount Logan (approximately 2 hours).
A few impressive facts:
Kluane National Park and Reserve is the home to 17 of the 20 highest peaks in Canada, including the highest, Mount Logan at 5,959 metres / 19,501 feet.
The park is one of the largest in Canada at 21,980 square kilometres.
This is the largest non-polar ice field in the world, a legacy of the last Ice Age.
The Champagne and Aishihik First Nations and the Kluane First Nation (part of the Southern Tutchone people who have lived in the wider area) have called this area home for thousands of years.
More than half of the landmass is covered in snow and ice permanently, providing a home on the tundra and in the forests for species like grizzly bears, Dall sheep, mountain goats and eagles.
Recommended Yukon books: The Great Northern Canada Bucket List: One-of-a-Kind Travel Experiences by Robin Esrock, The Yukon (photobook) by Pat and Baiba Morrow, and Park Bagger: Adventures in the Canadian National Parks by Marlis Butcher.*
* The above links are to Amazon and are for your reference. I receive a small referral fee if you buy from Amazon. But I encourage you to buy books from any retailer, ideally your local bookstore!
