Kluane National Park and Reserve

"WHAT IS IT? Part of the first bi-national entry on the World Heritage list: Wrangell-St Elias and Glacier Bay are both in Alaska. HOW TO GET THERE: By air to Whitehorse, then by road to Haines Junction. Mount Logan is accessed by ski-equipped aircraft or helicopters. WHEN TO GO: Mid-June to August. NEAREST TOWN: Haines Junction is at the park boundary. YOU SHOULD KNOW: The Park is managed in co-operation with the Champagne and Aishihik First Nations, as it has always been part of their traditional territory. Kluane National Park is situated in the south-western corner of the Yukon, and together with Tatshenshini-Alsek, Wrangell-St Elias and Glacier Bay Parks, was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1979. It is famous as the site of Canada's highest peak, and North America's second highest after Mount McKinley, Mount Logan which stands at 5950m (19,521 ft). High mountains and mighty glaciers cover 80% of the park's territory, some 22,000 sq km (8,490 sq mi). Mount Logan is part of the St Elias Mountains and it is still growing taller due to tectonic activity. Reputedly, it has the largest circumference of any mountain on the planet. A glaciated plateau covers the top of the Logan massif, and Mount Logan is the highest of the twelve other peaks that rise from it. Ridges lead up to the plateau from every direction, but in order to climb here a license must be applied for at least three months in advance. The upper part of the mountain can be hit by severe snowstorms at any time of year because of its proximity to the Gulf of Alaska. Mount Logan is famously cold - in 1991 a temperature of -77.5 °C was recorded. Kluane National Park is much more than Mount Logan, however. It teems with flora and fauna. Some 150 species of birds live here, including rock ptarmigan, peregrine falcons and golden eagles. Grizzly bears, caribou, snowshoe hares and the world's largest population of Dall sheep thrive in a variety of habitats, ranging from ancient coastal and valley forests to alpine tundra and meadows swathed in colourful wildflowers."