Kathleen Lake
Kathleen Lake
4.5
Tours & experiences
Explore different ways to experience this place.
Full view
Revenue impacts the experiences featured on this page, learn more.
Top ways to experience Kathleen Lake and nearby attractions
The area
Address
Reach out directly
Best nearby
We rank these restaurants and attractions by balancing reviews from our members with how close they are to this location.
Restaurants
7 within 5 kms
Attractions
7 within 10 kms
Contribute
Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as waiting time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
Popular mentions
We perform checks on reviews.
Tripadvisor’s approach to reviews
Before posting, each Tripadvisor review goes through an automated tracking system, which collects information, answering the following questions: how, what, where and when. If the system detects something that potentially contradicts our community guidelines, the review is not published.
When the system detects a problem, a review may be automatically rejected, sent to the reviewer for validation, or manually reviewed by our team of content specialists, who work 24/7 to maintain the quality of the reviews on our site.
Our team checks each review posted on the site disputed by our community as not meeting our community guidelines.
Learn more about our review moderation.
4.5
77 reviews
Excellent
49
Very good
23
Average
4
Poor
0
Terrible
1
ExplorerFromToronto
Toronto, Canada396 contributions
Aug 2012 • Couples
We didn't camp here.
As a destination in itself we didn't think it was too much, but it was a perfect place to stop near Kluane National Park.
There is a nice small lake, some mountains and lots of trees. It is nice, don't get me wrong, but we had just come from Kluane which had highly impressed us.
I would return in a blink to the area to spend the night, but I personally wouldn't drive all the way here just for the lake having Kluane a few kilometers away.
As a destination in itself we didn't think it was too much, but it was a perfect place to stop near Kluane National Park.
There is a nice small lake, some mountains and lots of trees. It is nice, don't get me wrong, but we had just come from Kluane which had highly impressed us.
I would return in a blink to the area to spend the night, but I personally wouldn't drive all the way here just for the lake having Kluane a few kilometers away.
Written 14 January 2013
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
driftdiver1
Halifax, Canada990 contributions
July 2017 • Couples
This is a lovely National Parks Canada campground. The fee for camping is $15.70/night, plus $8 for unlimited firewood if want to have a fire. Unlike at other Ntl Parks, they do a terrible job of splitting the firewood. Bring a massive axe or log splitter, because you will have plenty of splitting to do before you will be ready to light a fire – it is ridiculous; pure laziness on the part of Parks Canada staff.
This is an unserviced campground with spacious sites and very good privacy between sites.
There is water from a spigot but it is not threaded nor accessible by RV, so no tank fills are not possible. There is a permanent sign that recommends boiling water for 5 minutes, so the water is not tested regularly. All sites have a picnic table and fire ring. Beautiful Kathleen is a short .6 km walk from the campground. Recycling is of tin cans only. No cell or WiFi reception in the campground but there is at the Visitor Information Ctre. There is no laundry or dump station in the campground. The closest dump stations are at Kluane RV Park ($5, free with fuel fill-up, and Petro 60 - $10, free with fuel fill up). The closest laundries is at Kluane RV Park and AlCan Motor Inn. There are 4 gas stations in town, the best prices I found were at Source Motors (closed Sundays) and Kulane RV Park, both on the AlCan past the junction heading north, where diesel was 8 to 11 cents a litre less than at the other stations in the community.
TIP: As of 2015 there is a small grocery “Little Green Apple” next to the Fast Gas station that carries the basics.
The Village Bakery sells fresh baked goods and has a Salmon Bake with live entertainment on Friday nights ($32).
This is an unserviced campground with spacious sites and very good privacy between sites.
There is water from a spigot but it is not threaded nor accessible by RV, so no tank fills are not possible. There is a permanent sign that recommends boiling water for 5 minutes, so the water is not tested regularly. All sites have a picnic table and fire ring. Beautiful Kathleen is a short .6 km walk from the campground. Recycling is of tin cans only. No cell or WiFi reception in the campground but there is at the Visitor Information Ctre. There is no laundry or dump station in the campground. The closest dump stations are at Kluane RV Park ($5, free with fuel fill-up, and Petro 60 - $10, free with fuel fill up). The closest laundries is at Kluane RV Park and AlCan Motor Inn. There are 4 gas stations in town, the best prices I found were at Source Motors (closed Sundays) and Kulane RV Park, both on the AlCan past the junction heading north, where diesel was 8 to 11 cents a litre less than at the other stations in the community.
TIP: As of 2015 there is a small grocery “Little Green Apple” next to the Fast Gas station that carries the basics.
The Village Bakery sells fresh baked goods and has a Salmon Bake with live entertainment on Friday nights ($32).
Written 2 August 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Grandebbie
Methow, WA460 contributions
May 2017 • Couples
The lake was beautiful...still mostly covered with snow and ice...we did not stay at the campground, but settled on Congdon Creek instead as it fit in better with our road-miles itinerary. Don't travel AK without buying "Milepost"....incredibly helpful.
Written 4 June 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
alaska_rick
Juneau, AK34 contributions
July 2011 • Couples
This is an excellent place to camp. We camped with a pick up camper. No power, hand carry water. Excellent supply of dry firewood for a reasonable price.
It filled up on the weekend so best to get into your spot early in the day on a weekend. During the week there were lots of spaces.
Might be best to bring some sort of a boat if you wanted to fish. We did not have one. Nearby is a river that is easy to fish without a boat though.
The ranger gave an excellent talk on forest fires in the evening. It was held in a cozy building next to the lake. Very safe place for kids.
We drove from Haines, AK north across the Canadian Border to Lake Kathleen. From the border to Lake kathleen we saw 10 bears on the side of the road. 8 bears were Grizzlies and two were black bears. They were eating grass or insects on the side of the road. They looked friendly but we stayed inside the truck to watch them. I would sincerely advise that. We did not see any bears in the campground.
It filled up on the weekend so best to get into your spot early in the day on a weekend. During the week there were lots of spaces.
Might be best to bring some sort of a boat if you wanted to fish. We did not have one. Nearby is a river that is easy to fish without a boat though.
The ranger gave an excellent talk on forest fires in the evening. It was held in a cozy building next to the lake. Very safe place for kids.
We drove from Haines, AK north across the Canadian Border to Lake Kathleen. From the border to Lake kathleen we saw 10 bears on the side of the road. 8 bears were Grizzlies and two were black bears. They were eating grass or insects on the side of the road. They looked friendly but we stayed inside the truck to watch them. I would sincerely advise that. We did not see any bears in the campground.
Written 28 July 2011
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Lee B
Alberta, Canada188 contributions
July 2018 • Family
We spent three nights at the national park campground and walked to the lake from there daily (0.6km each way). The campsite was solid and we enjoyed the nightly campfire talks.
The lake itself is very cold but there is an excellent boardwalk (called Kokanee). Walk it to the end then continue following the beach around the corner to find a set of National Park red chairs and one of the best views in Kulane national park.
The lake itself is very cold but there is an excellent boardwalk (called Kokanee). Walk it to the end then continue following the beach around the corner to find a set of National Park red chairs and one of the best views in Kulane national park.
Written 19 July 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Ashley
Cochrane, Canada437 contributions
June 2017 • Family
The area is absolutely beautiful so if you're looking for scenery alone, it's 5 stars! It got 3 because there's nothing to actually do - no restaurant, rentals, information center, etc. The water is actually quite rough so you can't swim.
Written 23 June 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Justine28
Yellowknife, Canada2,187 contributions
Sept 2016 • Couples
Beautiful lake short drive (approx. 25km) from Haines Junction on the road to Haines, Alaska. Well signposted and easily reachable from the main road, you won't miss it. There's a campground as well a separate day use area located at the very shore of the lake (includes a boat launch and picnic tables). There's couple of trails starting from here, with the most accessible and short one (Kokanee Trail - 1km long) starting just behind the boat launch. It's mainly a boardwalk type walk, so very easy and perfect for those with mobility issues or young kids etc. There's plenty of lovely view points with benches; when boardwalk ends, you can easily walk to the stone beach which will lead you to Parks Canada "red chair" spot - very picturesque! We also went walking along the other shore of the lake (to the left when facing the lake) and it also offered some stunning vistas and same beach full of stones and driftwood.
We visited this lake just this past weekend, on a quiet Sunday, and were lucky enough to time it perfectly and see the lake's turquoise waters turn into what seemed like a mirror, but just for a while. Absolutely breathtaking, would recommend a short visit here (30mins or as long as needed) to anyone!
We visited this lake just this past weekend, on a quiet Sunday, and were lucky enough to time it perfectly and see the lake's turquoise waters turn into what seemed like a mirror, but just for a while. Absolutely breathtaking, would recommend a short visit here (30mins or as long as needed) to anyone!
Written 20 September 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Arthur M
Hamilton, Canada1,621 contributions
Sept 2021 • Family
It is essentially a carbon copy of Lake Louise, but without the glacier, and with mountains that turn red during the fall. And with minimal crowds and no entrance fees. Nothing bad about that!
The lake hosts a campground, a day use area and the Kokanee trail that hugs the shoreline of the lake. Seems pretty well-used relative to the rest of the park where we were often the only parked car in the lot, but not here!
The lake hosts a campground, a day use area and the Kokanee trail that hugs the shoreline of the lake. Seems pretty well-used relative to the rest of the park where we were often the only parked car in the lot, but not here!
Written 30 September 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
J B
Kelowna, Canada108 contributions
Sept 2021
Kathleen Lake is located in Kluane National Park, and has a picnic area, toilets, and a parking lot. Several trails start from the parking lot.
Written 25 September 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Kate M
Ottawa, Canada235 contributions
Aug 2018 • Couples
Kathleen lake is a drive- up national park campground and day use area with a nice accessible boardwalk area (that was being further developed while we were there). It was quite windy while we were there (which is apparently the norm) so several folks we spoke to said they had not completed (or attempted) the King's throne summit hike... there are less vertically demanding walking options in the area, but not a lot of scenic views unless you get up higher! It is lovely, but views from mid way up aren't that different from the 'throne' and after crawling on all fours in the buffeting winds towards the summit ridge, we too eventually abandoned the attempt and scrambled back down. The boardwalk along the beach is worth a walk. Bring a warm jacket! I had read an article recommending site 27 as one of the only ones with a view. We ended up at site 26 which was ok too, meaning you had a bare peek of the lake through the trees. Unfortunately we ended up with a rowdy group beside us, and an additional random camper on our site (each site allows up to 2 vehicles, and it was otherwise full, so we decided to be friendly and let him stay). The sites are quite large (likely to accommodate popular RV traffic). If the 39 self-serve campsites fill up, consider nearby Desadeash lake (where raspberries and lake views abound!), or the RV park in Haines Junction which actually has a quiet tent camping area with the benefit of hot showers, and a peak of Martha Black Mt. over the treetops.
Written 1 September 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Wondering if there are fire pits in the day use area?
Written 18 April 2019
Hello, do we require a special fishing licence other than a Yukon fishing licence to fly fish within the park boundaries? Thank you, Beth Stormont
Dundas Ontario Canada
Written 1 April 2018
I didn't go fishing when I was there but yes you need a special license to fish in Kluane National Park. Google National Parks and you should find out where to go to get the license.
It's a beautiful spot.... enjoy!
Written 2 April 2018
Showing results 1-2 of 2
Revenue impacts the experiences featured on this page, learn more.
Is this your Tripadvisor listing?
Own or manage this property? Claim your listing for free to respond to reviews, update your profile and much more.
Claim your listing