🏔️ Overview
Mount Wood is a massive, glacier-covered peak in the Saint Elias Mountains of southwestern Yukon, Canada. Rising to roughly 15,880 feet, it belongs to the extraordinary cluster of high mountains protected within Kluane National Park and Reserve, a landscape dominated by enormous icefields, remote valleys, and some of the highest summits in North America.
Although Mount Wood receives far less attention than nearby giants such as Mount Logan and Mount Steele, it is itself one of Canada’s highest major mountains. Its combination of extreme remoteness, severe weather, extensive glacier travel, and substantial elevation makes it a serious expedition objective rather than a conventional hiking destination.
Published elevations vary slightly. Peakbagger’s topographic record lists the summit at 4,840+ meters (15,879+ feet), while other references commonly give figures ranging from about 4,842 to 4,860 meters. The differences reflect variations in maps, surveys, and rounding rather than a meaningful disagreement about the mountain’s overall size.
⚡ Fast Facts
| Fact | Details |
|---|---|
| Continent | North America |
| Country | Canada |
| State/Province | Yukon |
| County/Region | Southwestern Yukon / Kluane National Park and Reserve |
| Range | Saint Elias Mountains |
| Parent Peak | Mount Steele |
| Elevation | 15,879+ feet / 4,840+ meters |
| Prominence | 3,806 feet / 1,160 meters |
| Isolation | 11.34 miles / 18.25 kilometers |
| NHN | Mount Steele |
| Coordinates | 61.232644° N, 140.512309° W |
| Protected Area | Kluane National Park and Reserve |
| First Ascent | July 25, 1941 |
| First Ascensionists | Walter A. Wood Jr., Anderson Bakewell & Albert H. Jackman |
| First Winter Ascent | March 11, 2019 — Pascale Marceau & Lonnie Dupre |
| Typical Terrain | Glaciers, snow, ice, crevasses & steep alpine slopes |
For consistency, the elevation, prominence, isolation, parent peak, nearest higher neighbor, and coordinates above primarily follow Peakbagger.
🏔️ Field Guide Tip: Mount Wood should not be confused with the much lower Mount Wood in California’s Sierra Nevada. The Yukon peak is a remote expedition mountain surrounded by glaciers and requires technical mountaineering experience.
📍 Location
Mount Wood lies deep within the Saint Elias Mountains of southwestern Yukon. It stands in the northern portion of the Kluane mountain wilderness near the headwaters of the Hodgson and Hazard glacier systems.
This is one of the most inaccessible mountain landscapes in Canada. Roads do not approach Mount Wood, and there is no conventional hiking trail leading to its base. The high Saint Elias icefields separate the mountain from the inhabited valleys and highways farther east.
Mount Steele, Mount Wood’s nearest higher neighbor and line parent, rises to the southeast. The two mountains are separated by less than 20 kilometers, but the intervening landscape consists of rugged ridges, glaciers, and heavily crevassed ice rather than easily traveled terrain.
Kluane National Park and Reserve forms part of one of the greatest protected mountain landscapes on Earth. Together with adjoining protected areas in Alaska and British Columbia, it safeguards an immense region of mountains, glaciers, tundra, forests, and wildlife habitat.
📏 Elevation & Prominence
Peakbagger lists Mount Wood’s elevation as 4,840+ meters, or approximately 15,879+ feet. The “+” reflects the limitations of the underlying topographic mapping: the true summit rises above the highest mapped contour, but an exact modern surveyed elevation is not established in that dataset.
Other commonly published figures include approximately 4,842 meters, 4,850 meters, and 4,860 meters. The American Alpine Journal used 15,912 feet (4,860 meters) when reporting the mountain’s 2019 winter ascent.
Peakbagger gives Mount Wood a clean topographic prominence of 1,160 meters (3,806 feet) and a true isolation of approximately 18.25 kilometers (11.34 miles).
Its line parent and nearest higher neighbor are both Mount Steele, one of the other great high summits of the Saint Elias Mountains.
🪨 Geology
Mount Wood belongs to the Saint Elias Mountains, one of the youngest and most geologically active high mountain systems in North America.
The extraordinary relief of the Saint Elias region is closely connected with the collision of the Yakutat terrane with the North American margin. Compression, faulting, folding, and crustal uplift have helped raise enormous mountains along the Gulf of Alaska and southwestern Yukon.
This mountain building is still occurring. Parks Canada notes that the mountains of Kluane are geologically young compared with many other Yukon ranges and continue to be influenced by active tectonic processes.
At the same time, glaciers are relentlessly cutting into the rising mountains. Glacial erosion, freeze-thaw weathering, avalanches, landslides, and meltwater continually reshape Mount Wood and the surrounding peaks.
🧊 Glaciers & Ice
Ice is one of Mount Wood’s defining features.
Moist Pacific air rises over the Saint Elias Mountains, producing enormous amounts of high-elevation snowfall. That snow feeds the vast Saint Elias icefields and the valley glaciers flowing away from them.
Mount Wood stands near the heads of the Hodgson and Hazard glaciers. During the 2019 winter ascent, climbers Pascale Marceau and Lonnie Dupre landed by ski-equipped aircraft on an arm of the Hodgson Glacier at roughly 9,800 feet before establishing their base camp.
Their ascent involved large crevasse crossings, steep snow and ice, heavily glaciated plateaus, and sustained slopes reaching roughly 60 degrees in places.
The wider Kluane region is particularly famous for glacier activity. Parks Canada describes the Saint Elias Mountains as containing the greatest concentration of surging glaciers in North America.
🌿 Flora & Fauna
The upper slopes of Mount Wood are far too high and harsh to support significant vegetation. Snow, exposed rock, and glacier ice dominate the summit environment.
At lower elevations elsewhere in Kluane, however, the landscape changes dramatically. Alpine tundra generally begins above about 1,400 meters, where short growing seasons favor low-growing plants capable of surviving cold temperatures, wind, and shallow soils. Parks Canada records more than 200 varieties of alpine flora in the park’s tundra environments.
Lower transition zones contain willow, dwarf birch, and alder, while valleys support broader areas of boreal vegetation.
Kluane also protects important wildlife habitat. Dall sheep are among its characteristic large mammals, while grizzly bears, wolves, moose, caribou, mountain goats, and numerous smaller mammals inhabit portions of the larger park ecosystem.
Very little wildlife regularly ventures onto Mount Wood’s highest glacier-covered slopes, but the mountain is part of an enormous intact wilderness ecosystem extending from forested valleys to permanent ice.
📜 Naming & Climbing History
Mount Wood was named in 1900 for Zachary Taylor Wood, an officer of the North-West Mounted Police who served in the Yukon during the era of the Klondike Gold Rush. Surveyor James J. McArthur applied the name during his work in the territory.
An interesting coincidence is that one of the mountain’s eventual first ascensionists was also named Wood—but the mountain was not named for him.
The 1939 Attempt
Walter A. Wood Jr. led an expedition toward the mountain in 1939. The party battled exceptionally poor weather and eventually reached a point roughly 1,800 feet below the summit before high winds and blowing snow forced a retreat.
Rather than ending the effort, the unsuccessful expedition provided valuable experience for another attempt.
First Ascent — 1941
Walter Wood returned in 1941 with a team that included Foresta Wood, Robert Bates, Anderson Bakewell, Albert Jackman, and others.
The expedition was notable not only for climbing but also for its logistics. Supplies were delivered by parachute, an unusually innovative technique for remote mountain expeditions at the time.
On July 25, Walter A. Wood Jr., Anderson Bakewell, and Albert H. Jackman continued toward the summit after Foresta Wood was forced to retreat because of cold feet and Robert Bates accompanied her downward.
After a long climb through deep snow and freezing conditions, the three men reached the summit at approximately 3:15 p.m., completing the first ascent of Mount Wood.
First Winter Ascent — 2019
Nearly eight decades later, Mount Wood became the scene of another significant expedition.
Pascale Marceau and Lonnie Dupre began their climb in March 2019, establishing a base on the Hodgson Glacier before working upward through heavily crevassed terrain on the mountain’s east side.
They established camps at approximately 11,200 and 12,500 feet. An initial summit attempt was disrupted by high winds and snow, but improving weather allowed them to make another push.
On March 11, 2019, Marceau and Dupre reached the summit in extreme cold, completing Mount Wood’s first documented winter ascent.
The American Alpine Journal described their approximately 6,000-foot route on the east-northeast spur as Alaska Grade III, with the major difficulties involving crevasses and steep terrain low on the route.
🥾 Hiking & Climbing Routes
Mount Wood is not a hiking mountain.
There is no maintained trail to the summit, no road-accessible trailhead, and no straightforward trekking route. An ascent requires expedition-level glacier travel and technical mountaineering skills.
The historical 1941 expedition approached the mountain from the southeast, while the 2019 winter team climbed an east-northeast spur after landing on the Hodgson Glacier.
Depending on the route and conditions, climbers may encounter:
- Extensive glacier travel
- Hidden and open crevasses
- Steep snow and ice
- Avalanche hazards
- Extreme cold
- High winds
- Whiteouts
- High-altitude exposure
- Difficult route finding
- Days of weather-related delays
Access to the Icefield Ranges commonly involves ski-equipped aircraft. Parks Canada requires mountaineering permits for expeditions in the area, and aircraft access is regulated. Current permit requirements should always be checked before planning an expedition.
🏔️ Field Guide Tip: Conditions and regulations in Kluane’s icefields can change. Expedition climbers should use current Parks Canada information rather than relying solely on historic climbing reports or older guidebooks.
🌤️ Best Time to Visit
For serious mountaineering expeditions in Kluane’s Icefield Ranges, Parks Canada states that the climbing season generally extends from mid-April through late June.
This period does not mean conditions are mild. Storms, deep snow, intense cold, glacier hazards, and strong winds can occur throughout the season.
Later summer can be an excellent time to explore the more accessible parts of Kluane National Park and Reserve, but Mount Wood itself remains a remote technical expedition objective rather than a summer hiking destination.
🧭 Nearby Mountains & Attractions
Mount Steele
Mount Steele rises southeast of Mount Wood and is its nearest higher neighbor and line parent. At more than 5,000 meters, it is one of Canada’s highest mountains and another major expedition peak of the Saint Elias Mountains.
Mount Slaggard
Mount Slaggard lies south-southwest of Mount Wood. Though slightly lower, it is still an enormous glacier-covered Saint Elias summit rising to more than 4,700 meters.
Together, Wood, Steele, and the surrounding peaks form an exceptionally rugged part of the northern Kluane icefield landscape.
💡 Fun Facts
- Mount Wood is one of Canada’s highest major mountains.
- It was named in 1900 for North-West Mounted Police officer Zachary Taylor Wood.
- Walter A. Wood Jr., who shared the same surname but was not the mountain’s namesake, helped make its first ascent in 1941.
- The 1941 expedition used parachutes to deliver supplies into the remote Saint Elias Mountains.
- Mount Wood’s first successful ascent came only two years after a 1939 expedition was forced back by severe weather.
- The mountain is surrounded by enormous glaciers and has no conventional hiking trail.
- Pascale Marceau and Lonnie Dupre completed the first winter ascent in March 2019.
- Their winter route involved approximately 6,000 vertical feet of climbing and was rated Alaska Grade III.
- Peakbagger identifies Mount Steele as both Mount Wood’s line parent and nearest higher neighbor.
- Published summit elevations vary slightly because of differing topographic sources and measurement conventions.
❓ FAQ
How high is Mount Wood in Yukon?
Peakbagger lists Mount Wood at 4,840+ meters, or approximately 15,879+ feet. Other references commonly list elevations between about 4,842 and 4,860 meters.
Where is Mount Wood?
Mount Wood is in southwestern Yukon, Canada, in the Saint Elias Mountains and within the Kluane National Park and Reserve landscape.
What mountain range is Mount Wood in?
Mount Wood belongs to the Saint Elias Mountains, one of the great mountain systems of Alaska, Yukon, and northwestern British Columbia.
What is Mount Wood’s prominence?
Peakbagger gives Mount Wood a clean topographic prominence of approximately 3,806 feet (1,160 meters).
What is Mount Wood’s isolation?
Its true topographic isolation is approximately 11.34 miles (18.25 kilometers).
What is Mount Wood’s nearest higher neighbor?
The nearest higher neighbor is Mount Steele, located to the southeast.
Who first climbed Mount Wood?
Walter A. Wood Jr., Anderson Bakewell, and Albert H. Jackman completed the first ascent on July 25, 1941.
Has Mount Wood been climbed in winter?
Yes. Pascale Marceau and Lonnie Dupre completed the mountain’s first documented winter ascent in March 2019.
Can you hike Mount Wood?
No conventional hiking route leads to Mount Wood. Reaching the summit requires a remote mountaineering expedition involving glacier travel, snow and ice climbing, crevasse hazards, severe weather, and high altitude.
Do climbers need a permit for Mount Wood?
Mountaineering expeditions within Kluane’s Icefield Ranges are regulated by Parks Canada. Mountaineering and aircraft-access permits may be required, and expedition requirements should be verified directly with Parks Canada before travel.
🔗 Related Articles
📚 Sources
- Peakbagger — Mount Wood, Yukon Territory
- Natural Resources Canada — Mount Wood
- Parks Canada — Kluane National Park and Reserve: Mountaineering
- Parks Canada — Mountaineering Permits
- Parks Canada — Expedition Logistics
- Parks Canada — Geomorphology
- Parks Canada — Surging Glaciers
- Parks Canada — Plants
- Parks Canada — Mammals
- American Alpine Journal — Parachutes in the St. Elias Range
- American Alpine Journal — Naming Alaska’s Mountains: Mount Wood
- American Alpine Journal — Mt. Wood, First Winter Ascent
