Suhail loves to hike in the company of K2, the great white Kuvasz, to study nature, and to travel to less known destinations. He blogs on all his interests.
Kluane National Park and Reserve and the Yukon Territory itself is teeming with wildlife. The only good times to observe it are very early in the morning, which, in the summer months, would be 3 – 4 am in the morning and 8-10 pm in the evening. It is highly unlikely that any non-wildlife photographer would be out there in the wild to take photos.
This was a difficult to find bull woodland caribou, something that is not found in the Rocky Mountains.
We were climbing up King’s Throne when this Spruce Grouse came to check us out at the end of the tree line and stayed on this perch for 5 minutes or so.
A close-up of a distant grizzly (Note: cropped image. He was not this close to us. This is not a good shot in any case). Several trails like Soldiers Peak and Dezadeash River Trail had a high Grizzly bear activity. We had bear spray in a ready to use position on every single trail we hiked on.
A bull elk sleeping but still aware of us. This picture shows a cluster of trees in the middle-ground and Kluane Mountain Range in the far-background.
It was difficult to get a shot of this vigilant elk cow with her calf.
A mule deer who was startled by our presence, but soon overcame its fear and started grazing again.
Woodland Caribou cows grazing the lush green summer vegetation.
A rocky mountain goat (image cropped from the one below).
Hard to detect Rocky mountain goats on a hill
A thinhorn sheep/Dall sheep (ram) resting on a rock. These are not found in the Rocky Mountains.
A thinhorn sheep/Dall sheep (ewe) trying to rub off its winter coat against an available tree.
A grey fox got startled by us. The image is blurred as it was an unexpected encounter.
Bank swallows above are one of the three swallows present in Yukon. The other two are barn swallows and tree swallows.
Northern ground squirrels (above and below) kept us captivated by their antics.
Where to stay
Brick and mortar accommodation near Haines Junction is the best bet. However, they can run out of rooms during the peak summer season. The alternate is to book accommodation in Whitehorse about 155 km away and commute every day for adventuring. We availed this latter option to explore Whitehorse, especially the gorgeous Mile Canyon.
Of course, my love of dogs would show up every now and then.
The Airbnb we stayed in was set in forest and was spacious enough to serve our needs. On the premises, we made friends with this furry guard dog.
There are good restaurants of all shapes and sizes in and around Haines Junction and many more in Whitehorse. In fact, Whitehorse is comparable to any major Canadian city in terms of availability of restaurants and other facilities.
Final words
Until our next blog, au revoir! Be outdoorsy, embrace diversity, and support causes for the conservation of nature!
K2, the Kuvasz, and me 