Overview: Spanning the Alaska–Yukon border, this UNESCO World Heritage site encompasses Kluane National Park & Reserve (Yukon, Canada), Wrangell–St. Elias National Park & Preserve (Alaska, USA), Glacier Bay National Park & Preserve (Alaska, USA) and Tatshenshini-Alsek Provincial Park (British Columbia, Canada). Together they protect about 9.8 million hectares of rugged mountains, icefields and coastal wilderness. The parklands include the largest non-polar icefield on Earth, thousands of glaciers, and some of North America’s highest peaks. The region’s dramatic scenery – from glaciated valleys to rainforested fjords – and rich wildlife (bears, caribou, Dall sheep, salmon, eagles etc.) earned it UNESCO status in 1979 (with later extensions in 1994). It is one of the world’s largest internationally protected areas, preserving intact ecosystems from coast to interior.
Kluane National Park & Reserve (Yukon, Canada):
Kluane protects a spectacular high‑mountain landscape of towering peaks and valley glaciers. It contains 17 of Canada’s 20 tallest mountains, including Mount Logan (5,959 m), the nation’s highest summit. The park also holds the largest non-polar icefields in the world and boreal forests with abundant wildlife: grizzly bears, Dall’s sheep, caribou, wolves and black bears roam here. Kluane is the traditional territory of the Southern Tutchone First Nations (Champagne & Aishihik, Kluane FN), and contains Southern Tutchone cultural sites. (Parks Canada describes Kluane as “a spectacular Canadian landscape…with high mountain peaks, massive glaciers, boreal forests… iconic northern wildlife and Southern Tutchone heritage”.) Today Kluane is accessed via the Alaska Highway through Haines Junction; amenities include a visitor centre and campgrounds, but much of the park is roadless wilderness.
Also Visit :- Everglades National Park: A UNESCO World Heritage Treasure of America
Wrangell–St. Elias NP & Preserve (Alaska, USA):
At 13.2 million acres, Wrangell-St. Elias is by far the largest U.S. national park. It spans multiple mountain ranges (Wrangell, St. Elias, Chugach and Alaska Ranges) and contains 9 of the 16 highest peaks in the U.S., including 18,008‑ft Mt. St. Elias. The park’s glaciers – fed by the massive Bagley Icefield (North America’s largest subpolar icefield) – carve deep valleys and feed the mighty Alsek and Copper Rivers. Wrangell-St. Elias’s scenery is unparalleled: volcano Mt. Wrangell is active, Kennecott Ridge hosts historic copper mines, and vast braided rivers wind among tundra and spruce forests. It is classic Alaskan wilderness. Because only two short roads (the Nabesna and McCarthy Roads) penetrate the park, most travel is by foot, boat or small plane. The park also preserves human history: the Kennecott Mines (a National Historic Landmark) and the subsistence lifestyle of local residents. Indigenous peoples have lived here “since time immemorial” – the Ahtna and Upper Tanana Athabascans, Eyak and Yakutat Tlingit consider Wrangell’s lands their homeland.
Glacier Bay NP & Preserve (Alaska, USA):
In southeast Alaska, Glacier Bay protects an ice-age legacy of fjords and tidewater glaciers. Once filled by a massive inland glacier, today the bay is dotted with icebergs: over 50 named glaciers (and thousands of unnamed crevasses) feed into the bay. Spectacular ice cliffs and calving events occur along this 700+ mile jagged coastline. Wildlife abounds: humpback whales and orcas frequent the waters, and seabirds (puffins, gulls) nest on rocky islets. Temperate rainforest and alder thickets grow on the shorelines around Bartlett Cove (the park’s only road-accessed area), while higher elevations are cool and snowy. Glacier Bay spans about 3.3 million acres – roughly the size of Connecticut. It has no road access beyond the short spur from the town of Gustavus; nearly all visitors arrive by cruise ship or boat (over 430,000 people in 2015), or by flightseeing. Glacier Bay is also rich in human history: the Huna Tlingit people were forced out when the ice advanced in the 1700s, then returned as it retreated, considering Glacier Bay their homeland “since time immemorial”.
Tatshenshini-Alsek Park (British Columbia, Canada):
This remote provincial park lies just west of Kluane and north of Glacier Bay. It protects rugged mountains and the braided Tatshenshini and Alsek rivers, which tumble from the Yukon Rockies into the Gulf of Alaska. The park’s glaciers and wild rivers are its crown jewels. (Aerial tours often fly over neighboring Samuel and Alsek Glaciers.) Tatshenshini-Alsek’s forests and meadows sustain abundant wildlife – grizzly (brown) and black bears, moose, caribou and eagles – and you can often spot a black bear lumbering along riverbanks. Canoeing, kayaking and whitewater rafting on the Tatshenshini and Alsek are world-renowned activities. The park even includes Mount Fairweather (4,633 m), British Columbia’s highest peak (seen at extreme southwest). Formed in 1994 to protect these rivers and glaciers, Tatshenshini-Alsek borders Kluane (Yukon) and Glacier Bay/Wrangell (Alaska), forming a continuous UNESCO reserve – in fact the world’s largest transboundary protected ecosystem. Culturally, the valleys were long used by indigenous peoples: historic Tlingit fishing villages and Southern Tutchone-Chilkat trade routes ran along these rivers, linking interior and coastal peoples.
History and Culture
Indigenous heritage runs deep in this region. Kluane’s soaring mountains are part of the Southern Tutchone Dän Kathän homeland. Wrangell-St. Elias sits in the ancestral lands of the Ahtna and Upper Tanana Athabascans and Yakutat Tlingit. Glacier Bay was originally home to the Huna Tlingit (who call it AyaaYeis) – they were displaced by ice around 1750 and returned later, preserving rich oral histories and place names. And the Tatshenshini-Alsek corridor was used by both Tlingit and Southern Tutchone peoples (Chilkat trade route). In the 20th century, these wild lands gained protection as parks: Kluane Reserve (1972), Wrangell-St. Elias NPS (1980), Glacier Bay NP (1980), Tatshenshini-Alsek PP (1994), etc. In 1979 UNESCO recognized the exceptional values of Kluane and Wrangell-St. Elias as the first international wilderness site. It was later expanded (1994) to include Glacier Bay and Tatshenshini-Alsek. The UNESCO designation highlights the area’s world-class geology and ecology – from tectonic uplift and growing mountains to glacier dynamics and pristine ecosystems.
Visitor Tips
- Getting there: These parks are extremely remote. Kluane is accessed via the Alaska Highway (via Haines Junction, Yukon). Wrangell-St. Elias can be reached by a gravel road south from Chitina to McCarthy (4×4 required) or via Nabesna Road from Glennallen. Glacier Bay has no road into the park; visitors arrive by boat or plane (from Juneau/Gustavus) with the park’s only road near Bartlett Cove. Tatshenshini-Alsek has no internal roads – access is by floatplane or by long river trips, and via the Haines Highway corridor (BC). Plan carefully: distances are vast, and services are few.
- When to go: Summer (June–September) is prime season. Days are long and parks are mostly snow-free, with facilities and boat tours operating. Cruise ships visit Glacier Bay in summer (high season), and rafters run the Tatshenshini/Alsek in summer months. Winter access is extremely limited (deep snow, closed roads).
- Activities: Hiking, wildlife viewing and photography are popular. In Kluane, trails range from easy boardwalks (below the Kaskawulsh Glacier) to multi-day alpine treks. Wrangell-St. Elias offers backpacking, glacier flights, and historic mine tours (Kennecott). Glacier Bay features glacier-boat tours, kayaking, and trails (e.g. Bartlett River Trail). Tatshenshini-Alsek is famed for rafting and kayaking on its wild rivers. Guided river trips usually start at Dalton Post/Yukon and end at Glacier Bay; these require multi-agency permits.
- Permits and Fees: Park entry passes are required (Parks Canada Discovery Pass, U.S. park passes). Backcountry camping normally needs a wilderness permit (especially in Kluane and Glacier Bay). Rafting/river trips on the Alsek/Tatshenshini require permits: Alaska NPS and Parks Canada maintain permit lists for private trips (fee ~$25 plus per-person fee). Check official park websites before planning.
- Safety: Bears are common – practice proper food storage and carry bear spray. Weather can change rapidly; bring layered gear and insect repellent for summer. Fuel and supplies are scarce: carry extra food and gas. Cell service is virtually nonexistent; satellite or VHF radios may be useful.
- Guided Tours: Many visitors opt for guided tours: glacier-boat and cruise excursions in Glacier Bay, flightseeing over the mountains, rafting outfitters on the Alsek, and backcountry lodges or tour companies out of Whitehorse/Anchorage. These can greatly enhance access to remote areas.
Sources: Official and high-quality sources were used throughout (UNESCO World Heritage Centre, Parks Canada, U.S. National Park Service), supplemented by expert travel references.
