Wild Yukon

Snow-capped mountains, vast lakes and amazing glaciers. If you ever want to escape civilisation and head into the wild, Yukon in Canada’s northwest is the place to go. It’s largely untouched, remote and has a subarctic continental climate. The territory itself is larger than California!

It honestly felt like I was taking a step back in time to the good ol’ days. Everyone on our flight to Yukon was geared up and ready to hunt wildlife and when I arrived, it definitely felt like I had diverted off the main tourist route and into the wilderness – much to my delight though.

The highlight of my trip was exploring the monstrous Kluane National Park, which also houses Canada’s highest peak, Mount Logan standing at almost 6000 metres. To get the most out of the park, you really have to go above and right through and I was lucky enough to do both.

The beauty and scale of the mountains of Kluane National Park are unmatched. I thought we had large mountains in New Zealand, but they’re nothing compared to Canada. I went on an epic flight over many of Canada’s highest peaks, including Mount Logan. The area is surrounded by the world’s largest non-polar ice fields and is also the last legacy of the Ice Age. I would definitely recommend the Grande Mountain Tour with Kluane Glacier Air Tours. The sheer scale of the mountains and colours of the glaciers will blow your mind.

There are plenty of hiking trails in Kluane National Park, both day hikes and overnight ones. One thing you need to remember though is that you’re in grizzly bear country. I set off armed with bear spray, along with my partner Lisa and can happily report that we didn’t end up having to use it. We hiked the popular Sheep Mountain Trail, a steep and tough trek through the Canadian terrains. At one point I came across fresh bear footprints. I told Lisa they were paw prints from a dog, but she didn’t seem quite convinced. Despite her feeling uneasy about potential bear encounters along the way, the stunning scenery we witnessed at the viewpoint made it all worthwhile.

I loved my visit to Yukon and wished I could’ve explored more of the territory. It’s just so untouched and wild compared to the rest of Canada.