Kluane National Park and Reserve

Kluane National Park and Reserve, Canada

A reflection of snow-capped mountains in the still waters of Kathleen Lake at sunset.

Glaciers, Canada's highest peak and a vast wild interior, best reached by road from Whitehorse.

The place

Kluane National Park and Reserve occupies the south-west corner of Yukon, the Canadian territory that lies between British Columbia and Alaska. It is two protected areas in one. The eastern portion, about 5,900 square kilometres, became a national park in 1993 after land agreements with the Champagne and Aishihik First Nations, and it is run jointly with Parks Canada. The larger western section was set aside in 1972 and remains a reserve while a final land claim with the Kluane First Nation is settled.

Ice dominates the landscape. Glaciers and mountains cover about 83 per cent of the park, and the Saint Elias Mountains hold Mount Logan, at 5,959 metres the highest peak in Canada. Trees grow only at the lowest elevations, mostly white spruce, balsam poplar and trembling aspen. East of the highest ice the land turns to forest and tundra, which is colder and drier than the western and southern parts.

Most of the interior stays out of reach for ordinary visitors. Access is generally by flightseeing, or by serious mountaineering and ski expeditions. The park is better approached along its edges, through the Haines Junction area, where the Alaska and Haines highways run beside the boundary. Kathleen Lake is the main day-use hub, with a boat launch, picnic ground and campground.

Its story

The story of Kluane is one of land claims as much as ice. The area was set aside in 1972 as a reserve, a holding status meant to become a national park once agreements with the region's Indigenous peoples were in place. Those agreements took time. The Champagne and Aishihik First Nations and the Kluane First Nation both have long ties to this country, and their final agreements with the federal government set out their rights to harvest here. The eastern block became a national park in 1993. The western half still waits on the Kluane claim, which is why the park carries two names in its formal title.

The park later joined a wider conservation story. In 1979 it became part of a bi-national World Heritage listing, grouping Kluane with Wrangell–St. Elias, Glacier Bay and Tatshenshini-Alsek across the Canada and United States border. These parks share their icefields, and the same ranges that shaped the boundary lines also make the area hard to cross on foot.

Public attention has followed at intervals. In 2011 a short film for the National Parks Project was shot here, directed by Louise Archambault. In August 2013 Robert F. Kennedy Jr. visited to see Mount Kennedy, a peak named as a memorial to his uncle, President John F. Kennedy. These are small footnotes, but they show how the park has entered wider public memory.

What to see

Culture

Kluane sits on the traditional lands of the Champagne and Aishihik First Nations and the Kluane First Nation, whose final agreements with the Canadian government set out their rights to harvest here. Those rights are part of everyday life on the land, not only a heritage story, so treat hunting, fishing and gathering by local people as their ordinary work rather than a tourist attraction. Conversations with community members are welcome, but ask before photographing people or their homes. The park is wild, and bears and other wildlife share the valleys with walkers, so guidance asks visitors to keep their distance at all times. Campfire permits and backcountry permits apply in parts of the park, and rules change, so check the official site before you leave. Store food and rubbish out of reach at every camp, and never approach an animal for a photograph.

What to wear

Traditional dress in this part of Yukon belongs to the Champagne and Aishihik and Kluane First Nations. The brief holds no detailed record of their garments or textiles, so this section stays general. Across the subarctic, clothing was traditionally made from animal hides and furs, sewn with sinew and often decorated with beadwork. These pieces were practical as much as ceremonial, and they were worn when the season and the work demanded them. Ask a cultural centre or community member before assuming any particular style is yours to wear.

Today most people in Haines Junction and Whitehorse dress much as people do across northern Canada: waterproof jackets, fleece layers, work trousers and sturdy boots.

For a visit, pack layers. Summer days can be warm, but nights and high ground turn cold quickly, and rain or sleet can arrive in any month. Bring a waterproof shell, a warm mid-layer and a hat. Sturdy boots with good grip handle moraine, scree and wet riverbeds, and sandals are useful at camp. Insect repellent and a head net matter in summer. Modest dress is not required in the park.

What to eat

Plan it

Best time. June to August is the warmest stretch, with the trails and roads open and the days long. May and September are cooler, with snow possible at altitude, and the Kathleen Lake day-use area runs only from mid-May to mid-September. Mountain weather changes quickly in any season, so plan for both sun and cold.

How long. 3–4

Getting there. Fly into Whitehorse, which has daily flights from Vancouver, then drive about 160 km west on the Alaska Highway to Haines Junction. Most of the park is reached on foot, by raft or on skis.

Budget. mid

Tips

Etiquette

Nearby

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