The World's Largest Non-Polar Icefield is at Kluane National Park, Yukon
One of the Yukon's greatest treasures, Kluane National Park, was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1994. Canada's largest national park, 13,600 square miles, is home to the world's largest non-polar icefield, phenomenal icefield landscapes, spectacular glaciers, pristine forests, glacial lakes, the wondrous St. Elias Mountains, and wildlife including grizzly bears, caribou, moose, wolves and Dall sheep.
Towering at almost 6,000 metres, Mount Logan, Canada's tallest peak, is also found in Kluane National Park, along with five other peaks all over 4,500 metres. The St. Elias Mountains in Kluane National Park are the youngest mountains in Canada and also the highest. There are more than 20 summits over 4,200 meters (14,000 ft.), the largest accumulation on the continent. And these mountains are still growing: a seismograph in the Visitor Reception Centre at Haines Junction records hundreds of small tremors that occur every year, pushing the St. Elias Mountains ever skyward.
Between the rock massifs of the St. Elias Mountains is one of the largest non-polar icefields in the world. Huge valley glaciers fill the gulfs between the peaks; the Hubbard Glacier is 70 miles long, the Lowell Glacier is 45 miles long and these glaciers may be one mile thick in parts. These glaciers make their own weather, scour away tonnes of rock every day, dam rivers and create lakes.
The Steele Glacier in Kluane National Park surged for several months in 1966- 67, moving over 1.5 billion tonnes of ice at a rate of up to 15 metres per day. Surging valley glaciers are not uncommon in Kluane, where the Lowell Glacier has a history of galloping, blocking the Alsek River and forming a lake. There are more than 2,000 glaciers in Kluane National Park including valley glaciers, hanging glaciers, cirque glaciers and rock glaciers.
Interpretive trails and exhibits will introduce visitors to the wonders of one of North America's most awe-inspiring wilderness preserves. There are three ways to visit Kluane National Park. Fly over it to get a sense of the unimaginable scope of its icy, mountainous interior; day hike its perimeter or visitors can load their packs and head on in.
Day hikes abound. They range from an hour to a full day and will take visitors along breathtaking rivers, through forests or up mountains. All hikes have been selected for their unique beauty: an alpine lake, a rock glacier, an alpine cirque, a mountain meadow, views into the 4,500 metre Icefield Ranges, and opportunities to see wildlife.
Longer hikes appeal to many. Take the Cottonwood, for instance. On its 52 miles, hikers can travel through spruce forests, trip over two mountain passes, stroll through open alpine meadows and challenge daunting creeks that require as much imagination as courage to cross.
There are also forays deep into the park where visitors can walk where no one has stepped before. There are licensed guides for these, leaders who have the knowledge and expertise to help understand why Kluane is considered one of the preeminent nature parks on the planet.
About the Yukon:
Situated in the upper Northwest corner of Canada, next to Alaska, the Yukon is Canada's most accessible northern destination. Home to Canada's highest mountain (Mount Logan) and the planet's largest non-polar icefields located in Kluane National Park - a UNESCO World Heritage site. One of North America's most undiscovered destinations; close to 80 percent remains pristine wilderness with 5,000-metre peaks, forested valleys, unspoiled waters and untamed wildlife. Roughly the size of Spain at just over 186,000 square miles, the Yukon is home to more than 160,000 caribou, 70,000 moose, 22,000 mountain sheep, 7,000 grizzly bears, 10,000 black bears and 250 species of birds, with a human population of only 41,000.
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