Kusawa Territorial Park

The lake and its names

Kusawa is Whitehorse's backyard big-lake park. The lake itself runs about 75 km long, glacier-fed, and hemmed in by 2,000-metre peaks of the Coast Mountains. It carries two names from the First Nations who call this place home: Nekhᶙ Män, meaning "rafting across lake" in Southern Tutchone, and Kùsawu.â, meaning "narrow lake" in Tlingit. The park is within the traditional territories of the Carcross/Tagish, Champagne and Aishihik, and Kwanlin Dün First Nations, who co-manage it alongside the Government of Yukon. The park received legal protection in 2016, and after 16 years of negotiation first begun in 2009, a formal management plan was finally signed by all parties in July 2025.

That plan matters for visitors to know about. Recreational use here has surged in recent summers, campgrounds full, boat launches packed, and overflow parking along the shore, and the new plan specifically addresses concerns raised by First Nation citizens about protecting traditional fishing sites and brush camps within the park from that growing pressure. Visiting respectfully here means being aware you're sharing the space with active, ongoing cultural use, not just recreational infrastructure.

Camping and access

Two campgrounds sit within the park along Kusawa Lake Road: Takhini River Campground at km 15, and the larger Kusawa Lake Campground at km 23, right on a sand-and-cobble beach with a boat launch and day-use area. Many paddlers begin Takhini River day trips from either the Takhini River Campground or the Kusawa Lake outlet. A separate group-use area beyond the public campgrounds requires a park permit and a key deposit from the Yukon Parks office.

The 23 km gravel access road off the Alaska Highway is manageable for any vehicle in summer but gets rough after rain, dropping tire pressure helps smooth out the washboard sections. Cell service ends at the turnoff. Fill up on gas, groceries, and a fishing licence in Whitehorse; there's nothing between Whitehorse and the campgrounds except the highway junction store at Champagne.

Things to do

Lake trout fishing draws plenty of visitors, as does canoe touring toward the lake's southern arm, a serious multi-day trip along the west shore for experienced paddlers. Fall brings trumpeter swans to the lake. A shorter, easier option is the swim spot right at the Kusawa Lake outlet, about 400 metres north of the boat launch, where the Takhini River begins.