Altitude

Location

NTS Map

Calendar

Parks

Fast Facts

Web Links

By anyone’s standards the scale of the Logan Massif is truly awe-inspiring. Many experienced Himalayan climbers have said that they always thought they had seen truly gigantic peaks in their lives until they had their first glimpse of Logan. It absolutely soars some 3000 m higher than the surrounding glaciers and peaks and many people remark how it completely occupies the horizon even from a great distance.

Logan is the largest ice sheet not part of an ice cap in the world, it has about a dozen peaks that rise from its summit plateau which itself is about 20 km long and 5 km wide and totally dominates the top of the massif. To top this off many of the peaks have their own sub-peaks, and there are dozens of ridgelines, many of which have never been climbed or even attempted. It is the "largest" mountain in the world.

Located in the St. Elias Mountains in the Yukon, at 5,959 metres, Mount Logan is second only to Mount McKinley (6,194 metres) in Alaska, the highest elevation in North America.

In 1890, I.C. Russell of the U.S. Geological Survey, while undertaking a survey in the St. Elias Mountains, named Mount Logan for Sir William Edmond Logan (1798-1875). Born in Montréal and educated in Scotland, Logan founded the Geological Survey of Canada in 1842.

The St. Elias Mountains were named in the late 1800s after Mount St. Elias. Its name was derived from Alaska's Cape St. Elias, which, in turn, had been named by the Danish explorer Vitus Bering on St. Elias Day in 1741. Mount St. Elias is on the western boundary of Canada and, at 5,489 metres, is our second-highest mountain. In fact, the next sixteen highest mountains in Canada are all in the St. Elias Mountains, and all but one are in the Yukon. Fairweather Mountain (at 4,663 metres, the eighth-highest in Canada) straddles the B.C.-Alaska boundary. It was named by Capt. James Cook during his historic voyage along the west coast in 1778.

Measured by its base circumference, it is the most massive mountain in the world. It is twenty-five miles long and rises more than two miles above its surrounding. The mountain was named after Sir William Logan, founder of the Geological Survey of Canada.

History of Sir William Edmond Logan

All expeditions planning to climb Mount Logan in the Kluane National Park & Reserve are required to have an Icefields Permit. All climbers must submit an application to participate in the expedition. All persons intending to guide an Expedition must obtain a license by requesting the Kluane National Park & Reserve Guide License Package. An Aircraft landing permit is required to land on Mount Logan and must be obtained by the Expedition.

Through Canada
Fly out of Silver City on Kluane Lake, north of Haines Junction. Both helicopters and light fixed-wing aircraft on ski-wheels are normally available in the Yukon at Haines Junction, Kluane National Park & Reserve Lake and Burwash Landing.

East Ridge
Fly onto Hubbard Glacier. The East Ridge is the best alpine climb: 4,000 meters (12,000 feet) up a superb narrow ridge. Perfect camp spots show themselves every 300 meters or so. The ridge is never too technical but always interesting.

Kings Trench
Fly onto Quintino Sella Glacier. The King's Trench Route ascends the west side of the mountain and is non-technical: most of the climb is made on skis up a large glacier system. This was the first-ascent route in 1925, which was a major tour-de-force for its time due to how far the climbers had to travel before even reaching the peak.

From Whitehorse fly out of Kluane Lake to Charter from Kluane Lake to Quintino Sella Glacier.

Camp 1		9,000 ft  - King's Trench Quintino-Stella Glacier
Camp 2		11,000 ft  - King's Trench Camp
Camp 3		13,500 ft  - King Col
Camp 4		16,000 ft  - Football Field
Camp 5		17,000 ft  - Windy Camp going up Ion Col
Camp 6		17,600 ft  - Plateau Camp to Summit