Glacier parks
The Kluane/Wrangell-St. Elias/Glacier Bay/Tatshenshini-Alsek National Parks (‘a new, less cumbersome name’ is requested for) in the Yukon and Alaska has spectacular mountainous setting, ongoing geological processes in the over 100 glaciers and is a diverse and abundant habitat for wildlife.
These parks offer combined marine, coastal, wild river and high mountain scenery with minimal extent of human modification. It has the largest protected population of grizzly bears in the world and the single largest group of Dall sheep.
Comparisons can be made to New Zealand’s SW/Fiordland and Chile’s Bernardo O’Higgins/Laguna San Rafael National Parks.
Glacier Bay was added to the original nomination in 1992, and Tatshenshini-Alsek Provincial Wilderness Park in 1994.
Map of Glacier parks
Load mapCommunity Reviews
Cynthia Webb
Glacier Bay--pristine, vast, cold, peaceful, and amazing. The size and scale of the glaciers is astounding. I saw it on a cold, overcast May day from a cruise ship and wished I had the opportunity to see it both in (slightly) warmer weather and from the ground. Definitely worth the trip, and I'll be returning in the future.
Joyce van Soest
These parks are, in my opinion, quite different from each other so I don’t really understand why they are included together, except for the fact that they are beautiful nature areas in the Northwest.
My visit to Kluane was just very short and I’ve only seen a tiny bit of this huge park, but it’s definitely worth the long long drive up north. It’s impossible to capture the true beauty of this immense rugged landscape with high wild mountains so you have to go see for yourself.
The deep forests of the Westcoast of Alaska are worth a visit too, Wrangell-St. Elias is great, but you better make sure you take good rain gear with you because there’s a reason why there is so much RAINforest…
Kelly Henry
This must be one of the largest sites in area in the world. Glacier Bay is best seen from a boat. Even the view from a large cruise ship is unforgettable. An echoing rifle shot crack of the glaciers calving warns you of a giant splash and sea otters and whales can be seen from the waters.
Tatshenshini-Alsek doesn't have many roads but is full of wildlife, wide open spaces without even a power line or a road to spoil the view. Wrangell St. Elias has some of the largest mountains in North America as well as a historic abandoned copper mine.
You need at least 2 weeks to see this site properly. Pack warm!
Site Info
- Full Name
- Kluane/Wrangell-St. Elias/Glacier Bay/Tatshenshini-Alsek
- Unesco ID
- 72
- Country
- Canada USA
- Inscribed
- 1979
- Type
- Natural
- Criteria
-
7 8 9 10
- Categories
- Natural landscape - Glaciation
- Link
- By ID
Site History
2000 Name change
From "Tatshenshini-Alsek/Kluane National Park/Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Reserve and Glacier Bay National Park" to "Kluane/Wrangell-St. Elias/Glacier Bay/Tatshenshini-Alsek"
1994 Extended
To include Tatshenshini-Alsek Provincial Wilderness Park
1992 Extended
Include Glacier Bay
1979 Inscribed
Site Links
Unesco Website
Official Website
Related
Connections
The site has 29 connections
Damaged
Ecology
Geography
Individual People
Timeline
Trivia
WHS on Other Lists
World Heritage Process
Visitors
148 Community Members have visited.