Carcross Desert, located outside

Carcross Carcross, originally known as Caribou Crossing, ( tli, Nadashaa Héeni) is an unincorporated community in Yukon, Canada, on Bennett Lake and Nares Lake. It is home to the Carcross/Tagish First Nation. It is south-southeast by the Alaska Highway ...

Yukon Yukon (; ; formerly called Yukon Territory and also referred to as the Yukon) is the smallest and westernmost of Canada's three territories. It also is the second-least populated province or territory in Canada, with a population of 43,964 as ...

, Canada, is often considered one of the smallest deserts in the world. The Carcross Desert measures approximately , or .

Background information

Carcross Desert is commonly referred to as a desert, but is actually a series of northern sand dunes. The area's climate is too humid to be considered a true desert. The sand was formed during the last glacial period, when large glacial lakes formed and deposited

silt Silt is granular material of a size between sand and clay and composed mostly of broken grains of quartz. Silt may occur as a soil (often mixed with sand or clay) or as sediment mixed in suspension with water. Silt usually has a floury feel ...

. When the lakes dried, the dunes were left behind. Today, sand comes mainly from nearby Bennett Lake, carried by wind. The dunes contain a wide variety of plants, including unusual varieties such as Baikal sedge (''

Carex ''Carex'' is a vast genus of more than 2,000 species of grass-like plants in the family Cyperaceae, commonly known as sedges (or seg, in older books). Other members of the family Cyperaceae are also called sedges, however those of genus ''Carex'' ...

sabulosa'') and Yukon lupine, among others. The

Government of Yukon Yukon (; ; formerly called Yukon Territory and also referred to as the Yukon) is the smallest and westernmost of Canada's three territories. It also is the second-least populated province or territory in Canada, with a population of 43,964 as ...

has made efforts to protect Carcross Desert in 1992, but failed due to opposition from locals who use the dunes for recreational purposes.

Climate

Carcross Desert is significantly drier than the surrounding region, receiving less than of precipitation per year. This is due in part to a rain shadow effect caused by surrounding mountains. As a result, several rare species of plant life have taken hold in the comparatively arid conditions. ''

sabulosa'', or Baikal sedge, is only known to exist in four other sites in North America, mainly existing in Asia. Yukon lupine, also unusual for the surroundings, "grows like a weed." While the vegetation in the area currently locks much of the dune system in place, a large event such as a forest fire could easily clear out the vegetation and return the dunes to an active state.

Recreation

The dunes are used by locals for

sandboarding Sandboarding is a boardsport and extreme sport similar to snowboarding that involves riding across or down a sand dune while standing on a board, either with both feet strapped in or while standing loose, without bindings. Sandboarding can als ...

. Tourist groups also use the area for off-road scenic tours, which is allowed on the fine-grained dunes. Other summer activities include beach volleyball, hiking, skydiving, and

all-terrain vehicle An all-terrain vehicle (ATV), also known as a light utility vehicle (LUV), a quad bike, or simply a quad, as defined by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI); is a vehicle that travels on low-pressure tires, with a seat that is stra ...

s. In the winter, the area is used mainly for cross-country skiing and snowboarding. The nearby

White Pass and Yukon Route The White Pass and Yukon Route (WP&Y, WP&YR) is a Canadian and U.S. Class III narrow-gauge railroad linking the port of Skagway, Alaska, with Whitehorse, the capital of Yukon. An isolated system, it has no direct connection to any other rai ...

is a popular tourist attraction, bringing many tourists each year to the Carcross area. Orienteering competitions are held on a map bearing name Carcross Desert which includes parts of the landmark.

References

{{Deserts Landforms of Yukon Dunes of Canada Carcross, Yukon