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

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

A unique place later high mountain peaks, foothills, glacial systems, lakes, streams, valleys and coastal landscapes. The Wrangell-St Elias region represents the most extensive array of glaciers and ice fields uncovered the polar region. These features and the high mountains of the Wrangell-St Elias, Chugach and Kluane ranges have resulted in the region becoming known as the 'Mountain Kingdom' of North America. Geologically the mountains are included in the Pacific mountain system and insert the 130 km long Bagley ice sports ground, the second-highest depth in the USA (Mount St Elias) and the largest piedmont glacier in the region of the North American continent (Malaspina Glacier). 

Extensive lowlands are found deserted in the center and along north-western fringes of the region. Elsewhere lowlands are sandwiched together together amid mountains and sea or occur as narrow valleys and plateaux grading into upland and serrated peaks. Principal drainages colleague the Copper, Chitina, White, Alsek and Donjek rivers and tributaries. The Malaspina foreland coastal area comprises mainly long, straight piedmont glacial beaches scuff through by numerous often sizeable glacial-melt drainage-ways.

The broad ranges of climatic zones and elevations in the region have resulted in a pleasurable variety of ecosystems representing three major biomes or wide vegetational subdivisions: the coastal coniferous biome; the northern coniferous biome; and the alpine tundra biome. The coastal coniferous biome includes coastal spruce-hemlock forests, high shrub thickets and bogs and marshes.

The northern coniferous biome includes closed high spruce and deciduous forests, reach into, low mixed evergreen and deciduous forests, tall shrub thickets and low shrub thickets.

The alpine tundra biome includes drenched sedge and grass alpine tundra and teetotal alpine tundra: moist sedge and grass alpine tundra at 900-1,500 m roughly the subject of gradual slopes, meadow-when tundra composed of sedges and grasses interspersed taking into account low shrubs such as blueberry and Labrador tea; and ascetic alpine tundra, upon steeper mountain slopes and exposed ridges from 900 m to the height of unchanging ice and snow comprising low, matted alpine birds dominated by mountain avens.

There is a satisfying variety of fauna reflecting the stop diversity. Carnivores adjoin coyote, grey wolf, red fox, rapid-tailed weasel, mink, wolverine, river otter, lynx and the more easily visible brown bear and black bear. A rare bluish colour phase of the black bear, known locally as the glacier bear, is centred in the vicinity of Yakutat. Other mammals adjoin pica and snowshoe hare, arctic showground miser, beaver Castor, muskrat and porcupine. Rodents add together the hoary marmot. Moose and caribou range in demean elevations and mountain goat and Dally sheep keep busy high mountainous areas. Bison were introduced in 1950 and again in 1962. Black-tailed deer may occur along coastal fringes.

The avifauna includes spruce grouse, ruffed grouse, willow ptarmigan, rock ptarmigan, white-tailed ptarmigan, trumpeter swan and many flavor natural world.

All five species of Alaskan Pacific salmon including red salmon, chum, silver salmon, pink salmon and king salmon spawn in park or preserve waters. Freshwater fish species adding together Dolly Virden, lake trout, steelhead, cutthroat trout, arctic grayling, turbot, round whitefish and humpback whitefish.