Kluane National Park and Reserve lies about 160 kilometres west of Whitehorse in southwest Yukon, where highways, lakes and small communities meet a vast mountain wilderness. The park protects high peaks, valley glaciers, boreal forest and tundra. Mount Logan, at 5,959 metres, is Canada’s highest mountain. Much of the landscape is remote and difficult to reach, but roadside viewpoints, short trails and the Kathleen Lake area make it possible to experience a portion of Kluane without undertaking a mountaineering expedition.
The park is part of a transboundary UNESCO World Heritage property that also includes Wrangell–St. Elias and Glacier Bay in Alaska and Tatshenshini-Alsek in British Columbia. The connected protected areas contain the world’s largest non-polar icefield and some of its longest glaciers. In Kluane, ice, steep relief and active geological processes shape rivers and valleys. Weather can change quickly with elevation, so a clear view from the highway does not predict conditions on a high trail or in the backcountry.