Kluane / Wrangell–St. Elias / Glacier Bay / Tatshenshini-Alsek

A transboundary UNESCO World Heritage property linking protected areas in Yukon, British Columbia, and Alaska. It encompasses extensive glaciers, high mountains, and connected ecosystems.

Connect

Kluane National Park and Reserve: A protected area in Yukon encompassing part of the Saint Elias Mountains and the world’s largest non-polar icefield. Its glaciers and peaks form the property’s northeastern Canadian portion.
Malaspina Glacier: A piedmont glacier in Alaska formed where ice from the Saint Elias Mountains spreads onto lowland terrain. It shows how mountain glaciers spread into broad ice lobes within the property.
Transboundary protected area: A conservation area or network whose ecological management crosses an international boundary. The property is a prominent example of conservation coordinated across Canada and the United States.
World Heritage Convention: An international treaty establishing cooperation to identify and protect cultural and natural heritage of outstanding universal value. The convention provides the framework for the property’s UNESCO inscription.
Wrangell–St. Elias National Park and Preserve: A vast national park and preserve in southeastern Alaska, containing the Wrangell Mountains and extensive glaciers. It anchors the property’s largest protected area on the Alaskan side.
Hubbard Glacier: A large tidewater glacier flowing from Yukon into Disenchantment Bay in Alaska. Its advance and calving demonstrate the dynamic behavior of coastal glaciers here.
International Union for Conservation of Nature: An international organization that assesses nature conservation and supports the management of protected areas. Its protected-area standards help frame conservation practice across the linked parks.
Outstanding Universal Value: The standard used by UNESCO to determine whether a property merits inclusion on the World Heritage List. The property’s glaciers, mountains, and ecological processes are recognized under this standard.
Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve: A protected area in southeastern Alaska known for tidewater glaciers, fjords, and rapidly changing postglacial ecosystems. Its coastal glaciers and fjords extend the property’s landscapes to the Pacific.
Glacial isostatic adjustment: The gradual rise or deformation of Earth’s crust as it responds to changes in the weight of glacial ice. Ongoing uplift records the removal of immense ice loads across this region.