Donjek Route — Kluane National Park Wilderness Traverse

The Donjek Route punches northwest from the Alaska Highway near Destruction Bay into one of the least-visited corners of Kluane National Park. You’re tracing old mining and hunting trails along the Donjek River drainage, with the Duke Depression on one side and the White River uplands on the other. The Donjek River crossing itself — a wide, braided, glacier-fed channel — is the crux. Water levels are unpredictable and can change within hours. Get it wrong and you’re stuck for days waiting for the melt cycle to drop. The St. Elias Range looms constantly to the south, and grizzly sign is everywhere.

This is a legitimate wilderness route, not a maintained road — expect downed timber, undefined two-track, and river cobble that’ll punish a light-duty rig. A heavily modified long-travel 4×4 with a snorkel, high-lift jack, and expedition-rated recovery gear is the minimum. Satellite communication is non-negotiable. No cell service, no permit for the approach roads, but backcountry registration with Parks Canada is expected. July through early September is your window — snow can fly in August at elevation. Fuel up in Destruction Bay; no services beyond that point.