This ecoregion occupies the rugged slopes of the Coast Ranges, stretching from the Kenai Peninsula of south-central Alaska to Portland Inlet in British Columbia.

[2] At lower elevations this ecoregion has a subarctic climate (Köppen Dfc ) with cool summers and cold winters.

[3][2] The isthmus of the Kenai Peninsula holds special ecological interest as region where species from differing ecoregions intermix.

[2] Human-caused climate change has dramatically increased the rate of glacial retreat within this ecoregion, even with the counterbalance of naturally heavy snowfall.

Threats to wildlife include the loss of land area to sea-level rise, scouring of river beds by heavy snowmelt, saltwater intrusion into bodies of freshwater, and pollinator decline.