The Stikine Icecap (sometimes referred to as the Stikine Icefield) is a large

icefield An ice field (also spelled icefield) is a mass of interconnected valley glaciers (also called mountain glaciers or alpine glaciers) on a mountain mass with protruding rock ridges or summits. They are often found in the colder climates and highe ...

straddled on the

Alaska Alaska ( ; russian: Аляска, Alyaska; ale, Alax̂sxax̂; ; ems, Alas'kaaq; Yup'ik: ''Alaskaq''; tli, Anáaski) is a state located in the Western United States on the northwest extremity of North America. A semi-exclave of the U.S., ...

–

British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...

boundary in the Alaska Panhandle region. It lies in the

Boundary Ranges The Boundary Ranges, also known in the singular and as the Alaska Boundary Range, are the largest and most northerly subrange of the Coast Mountains. They begin at the Nass River, near the southern end of the Alaska Panhandle in the Canadian p ...

of the

Coast Mountains The Coast Mountains (french: La chaîne Côtière) are a major mountain range in the Pacific Coast Ranges of western North America, extending from southwestern Yukon through the Alaska Panhandle and virtually all of the Coast of British Columbia ...

. Within the United States, most of it is under the administration of the

Tongass National Forest The Tongass National Forest () in Southeast Alaska is the largest U.S. National Forest at . Most of its area is temperate rain forest and is remote enough to be home to many species of endangered and rare flora and fauna. The Tongass, which i ...

and is part of MENthe Stikine-LeConte Wilderness within the national forest. A good size icefield, the icecap is a primary source for both the

Taku River The Taku River (Lingít: ''T'aaḵu Héeni'') is a river running from British Columbia, Canada, to the northwestern coast of North America, at Juneau, Alaska. The river basin spreads across . The Taku is a very productive salmon river and its dra ...

, which forms its northern boundary, and the Taku's southern tributaries, and also the

Stikine River The Stikine River is a major river in northern British Columbia (BC), Canada and southeastern Alaska in the United States. It drains a large, remote upland area known as the Stikine Country east of the Coast Mountains. Flowing west and south f ...

and its lower western tributaries, notably the Chutine, which form its southern and southwestern boundary, respectively. The Stikine Icecap is the parent icefield of the LeConte and Sawyer Glaciers on its US side, and the

Great Glacier Great Glacier Provincial Park is a provincial park located in the Stikine Country region of British Columbia, Canada. It was established on January 25, 2001 to protect Great Glacier and the surrounding mountainous terrain. The park lies in the t ...

on its Canadian side. Also on the Canadian side and entering the lower Stikine, like the Great Glacier, are the

Mud A MUD (; originally multi-user dungeon, with later variants multi-user dimension and multi-user domain) is a Multiplayer video game, multiplayer Time-keeping systems in games#Real-time, real-time virtual world, usually Text-based game, text-bas ...

and Flood Glaciers, which form the boundaries of the small Boundary Range, which is an eastern abutment of the range comprising the Stikine Icecap and marks the approximate boundary claimed by the United States prior to the

Alaska Boundary Settlement The Alaska boundary dispute was a territorial dispute between the United States and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, which then controlled Canada's foreign relations. It was resolved by arbitration in 1903. The dispute had existed ...

of 1903. The Stikine Icecap area is also renowned for its technically demanding and dangerous peaks and spires of granite that have garnered comparisons as North America's version of

Patagonia Patagonia () refers to a geographical region that encompasses the southern end of South America, governed by Argentina and Chile. The region comprises the southern section of the Andes Mountains with lakes, fjords, temperate rainforests, and gl ...

. Peaks of particular renown include

Devils Thumb Devils Thumb, or Taalkhunaxhkʼu Shaa in Tlingit language, Tlingit, is a mountain in the Stikine Icecap region of the Alaska–British Columbia border, near Petersburg, Alaska, Petersburg. It is named for its projected thumb-like appearance. Its ...

, Witches Tits, Cat's Ears, and the Burkett Needle.

Cited references

External links

Bivouac.com writeup
Ice fields of Alaska Boundary Ranges Stikine Country Glaciers of Hoonah–Angoon Census Area, Alaska Bodies of ice of Petersburg Borough, Alaska Ice fields of British Columbia Canada–United States border Bodies of ice of Unorganized Borough, Alaska {{canada-glacier-stub

Cited references

See also

External links