Mackenzie Mountains

Northern section of the Rocky Mountains extending for 800 km/500 mi along a large part of the border between the Yukon Territory and Northwest Territories. The highest point in the Mackenzies, and in Northwest Territories, is at Mount Sir James MacBrien (2,762 m/9,062 ft), in the central Backbone Ranges.

The Mackenzie Mountains are comprised of several northwest–southeast trending subranges, and lie between the British Columbia border (in the south) and the Peel River valley (in the north); in the west, the mountains adjoin the Yukon Plateau. The Canyon Ranges are situated to the east of the central Backbones, while the Franklin Mountains (around 500 km/300 mi long) are an eastern outlier. With precipitation blocked by the Selwyn Mountains to the west, the Mackenzies are relatively dry, and have a low timberline. They form a watershed between tributaries of the Mackenzie and Yukon rivers, and are the source for the Pelly River, a headstream of the Yukon. The peaks of the Selwyns are often considered part of the Mackenzies. Lead and zinc were found here in the 1960s.