Kluane Lake

Kluane Lake, on the Alaska Highway in southwest Yukon at the eastern edge of Kluane National Park and Reserve, is the largest lake entirely within Yukon Territory — approximately 150 kilometres long and 10 kilometres wide, fed primarily by the glacial meltwater of the Kluane Icefield and coloured a deep, opaque glacial blue by the fine rock flour suspended in its waters. The lake sits at 786 metres elevation, backed by the rising slopes of the St. Elias Mountains and the permanent snowfields of the Kluane National Park boundary.

Kluane Lake is the primary operations base for flightseeing and glacier tour operators who fly over the Kluane Icefield and the St. Elias Mountains — the most spectacular glacier and high-mountain landscape in North America accessible by air from a roadside airstrip. The lake itself is excellent for fishing (lake trout and Arctic grayling), wildlife watching (Grizzly bears on the surrounding slopes, Dall sheep above the shoreline), and exploring the dramatic lake-and-mountain landscape of the Alaska Highway corridor.

Late May through September is the primary visitor season — the Alaska Highway is fully open, the lake is ice-free (typically by late May), the flightseeing operators are active (weather-permitting), and the Dall sheep are visible on the Sheep Mountain slopes. June brings the solstice light — the lake glows in the long, low Arctic summer sun until midnight. July and August are peak season; the lake-trout fishing is excellent in the cold summer water. August brings the Grizzly bears to the berry-filled hillsides above the lake and the first hints of fall colour on the tundra. September is spectacular for fall colour and the clearest air for mountain views (the post-monsoon air of September is the clearest of the season for photography). Flightseeing is weather-dependent year-round; book morning departures (the afternoon winds on the lake can ground aircraft).

Kluane Lake’s surrounding terrain supports the full Kluane region large-mammal community — Grizzly bears (regularly visible on the slopes above the Alaska Highway shoreline, particularly at Sheep Mountain and the slopes above Destruction Bay), Dall sheep (visible on the steep limestone slopes of Sheep Mountain at the lake’s north end — one of the most reliable Dall sheep viewing sites in Canada, where the sheep are often visible from the highway with the naked eye), wolves (active in the valley corridors surrounding the lake), moose (in the riparian areas and willow flats), and Arctic ground squirrels (abundant on the slopes). Bald and golden eagles hunt over the lake; common mergansers and osprey fish the shallows. Lake trout and Arctic grayling are the dominant fish species.

Kluane Lake is a large open-water lake subject to severe afternoon windstorms (the lake can go from glassy calm to 1.5-metre whitecaps in 30 minutes when the afternoon katabatic winds come off the St. Elias Mountain icefield; never paddle the open lake without monitoring the weather and knowing the closest safe landing; stay close to shore and always carry a survival kit and personal flotation device). Grizzly bear awareness is required on any walk or hike near the lake (carry bear spray in an accessible holster). Flightseeing: book with licensed operators; weather can cancel or delay tours; mountain flying requires pilot experience with Alaska Highway terrain; the afternoon winds can close the flying window by early afternoon in summer. There is limited cellular service at Destruction Bay and Burwash Landing only.

Kluane Lake has been a central feature of Southern Tutchone traditional territory for thousands of years — the lake provided summer fishing camps, water routes, and a hub of inter-tribal trade between the southern and northern Yukon peoples. The communities of Burwash Landing and Destruction Bay on the Alaska Highway were established during the highway’s construction in 1942 (Destruction Bay is named for the destruction of the construction camp by a severe storm). Kluane Village (now Burwash Landing) was a traditional Southern Tutchone fishing camp before the highway. The Kluane Museum of Natural History in Burwash Landing houses one of the finest collections of Yukon wildlife specimens and Southern Tutchone cultural artifacts in Yukon. The dramatic 2016-2017 Slims River capture event (when the Kaskawulsh Glacier’s retreat caused the river that fed Kluane Lake to reverse its flow to the Pacific watershed) was documented as the first modern case of climate-driven river capture and generated worldwide scientific attention.

Kluane Lake occupies a glacially carved basin along the Denali Fault — one of the largest active strike-slip faults in North America, running along the eastern front of the St. Elias Mountains and responsible for the linear north-south orientation of the lake basin. The lake is fed primarily by glacial meltwater (the opaque blue colour is due to glacial rock flour — finely ground mineral particles suspended in the meltwater). The lake level and the balance of its inflows and outflows were dramatically altered by the 2016 glacier retreat event (the Kaskawulsh Glacier’s retreat rerouted the Slims River’s flow from Kluane Lake to the Pacific — the lake level has dropped and the former delta of the Slims River has become a dust-blowing outwash plain exposed by the lower lake level). The Denali Fault, the glacial basin, the glacial meltwater inputs and the climate-driven changes to the glacier make Kluane Lake an extraordinary natural laboratory.

Kluane Lake’s ecology is defined by its glacial origins and its position at the boundary of the boreal forest and the alpine/glacial zone. The lake’s cold, clear-to-turbid glacial waters support a cold-water fish community (lake trout require cold, well-oxygenated deep water; the lake’s depth and glacial temperature make it ideal trout habitat). The dramatic 2016 river-capture event (a consequence of accelerating glacier retreat) lowered the lake level by approximately one metre and exposed former lake bed as a vast dusty outwash plain — a visible, immediate consequence of climate change on the Kluane landscape. The lake is a critical water source for the surrounding wildlife community and a major link in the regional watershed. Climate-driven glacier retreat is the most significant ecological driver changing the lake’s hydrology and the wider ecosystem.

Kluane Lake is central to Southern Tutchone identity and traditional culture — the lake, its fish, and the surrounding mountains and game animals have sustained the Southern Tutchone people for thousands of years. The Kluane First Nation and the Champagne and Aishihik First Nations’ traditional territories encompass the lake. Burwash Landing (at the lake’s north end on the Alaska Highway) is a Southern Tutchone community with the Kluane Museum of Natural History — one of the finest small natural-history and cultural museums in Yukon, with exceptional taxidermy of Yukon large mammals and Southern Tutchone cultural displays. The lake is an anchor of the Alaska Highway wilderness corridor and a defining landscape of the Kluane region.

Kluane Lake is on the Alaska Highway (Hwy 1), approximately 250 km / 155 miles west of Whitehorse. The highway runs along the lake’s eastern shore for approximately 80 km, passing through Destruction Bay (Km 1083; fuel, limited services, lodging) and Burwash Landing (Km 1093; fuel, the Kluane Museum, lodging, and flightseeing operators). The Sheep Mountain Visitor Centre (Parks Canada; at the lake’s north end, near Km 1707 on the Alaska Highway in historical notation) is open in summer and has trail information and Dall sheep viewing. Whitehorse (250 km east) has full resort services; Haines Junction (100 km east of Destruction Bay) has visitor services and the Kluane National Park Visitor Centre. Flightseeing operators at Burwash Landing should be contacted well in advance in summer.

The lake’s fishery (lake trout and Arctic grayling) is regulated by the Yukon government under the Fisheries Act; a valid Yukon fishing licence is required. The lake-trout population is sensitive to overharvest (lake trout are slow-growing and long-lived; catch-and-release is strongly encouraged for trophy-size lakers). The surrounding shoreline and slopes are managed as part of Kluane National Park and Reserve (the park boundary runs along the western shore of the lake); respect all park regulations in the park-boundary areas. Do not disturb the Dall sheep at Sheep Mountain (maintain at least 100 metres distance; the sheep are habituated to the highway but disturbance can push them off the accessible viewing slopes). The 2016 glacier-retreat event has dramatically altered the lake’s hydrology — ongoing scientific monitoring by Parks Canada and university researchers is documenting the changes.

Yukon fishing licence required for all fishing (available online or in Whitehorse, Destruction Bay, and Burwash Landing). Lake trout and grayling regulations apply (size limits and possession limits; check Yukon fishing regulations for current rules). Kluane National Park regulations apply on the park-boundary portions of the lake and the Sheep Mountain trails (Parks Canada entrance fee; stay on designated trails; no off-trail camping without backcountry registration). Speed limits on the Alaska Highway are posted; reduce speed significantly for wildlife on the road (Grizzly bears, sheep, moose on the highway are common). Pack out all waste from roadside stops and fishing access points.

Haines Junction (100 km east — the Kluane National Park Visitor Centre, the Da Kü Cultural Centre, and the junction with the Haines Road to Skagway, Alaska), the Slim’s River valley (the former major river delta at the north end of the lake, now a dramatic dust-flat outwash plain dramatically altered by the 2016 glacier retreat), Kluane National Park and Reserve (the park boundary runs along the western shore of the lake; Grizzly Lake Trail and icefield flightseeing accessible from the park visitor facilities), and the Alaska Highway continuing west to Beaver Creek (Yukon’s westernmost community) and the Alaska border define the Kluane Lake region.

Book your flightseeing tour for early morning (8-9 AM) — the wind on Kluane Lake and in the St. Elias Mountains is calm in the early hours and builds through the afternoon; morning tours have the highest flight probability and the clearest light for the icefield views. Stop at the Sheep Mountain Visitor Centre when the Parks Canada interpreter is on duty and ask where the sheep are showing on the mountain that day — the interpreter monitors the sheep locations and can point you to the most active viewing area. Fish the Burwash Creek inlet (where the clear creek enters the silty lake) for Arctic grayling on a dry fly in June and July — the grayling rise to a dry fly in the clear-water plume and the backing of the snowy St. Elias peaks is the finest fly-fishing backdrop in Canada.