Which small desert near Carcross lies in Canada's Yukon territory?

The small desert near Carcross in Canada’s Yukon territory is the Carcross Desert.

It is often described as the world’s smallest desert, although that nickname is informal. Geographically, the site is better understood as a northern sand-dune field than as a true climatic desert: the surrounding region receives too much moisture to meet the strict definition of a desert.

The dunes formed from glacial sediments. During the last ice age, glacial lakes accumulated fine sand and silt; when the ice and lakes receded, winds reshaped those deposits into dunes. Much of the modern sand supply comes from nearby Bennett Lake.

The landscape is unusual because it supports plants adapted to shifting sand and cold conditions, including Yukon lupine and Baikal sedge. A common mix-up is to assume that every place called a desert must be hot and nearly rainless. Carcross shows why “desert” can also describe a distinctive sandy landform, while “true desert” refers primarily to long-term dryness.