Barrow0 I nup1at. H entage. Center Alaska is expansive and diverse. Its magnitude is difficult to compre hend, but its rewards are many and apparent. For climate and topography, "the BEAlFOR T SEA Great Land" constitutes a virtual subcontinent. Seventeen National Park System areas protect representative natural, cultural, and historic features of this immense landscape. Ten were created by the 1980 Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act. This brochure introduces Alaska's national parklands and national wild and scenic rivers administered by the National Park Service, as well as two complementary affiliated areas t o which the National Park Service provides technical aid. Anaktuvuk Pass Travel Tips Cape Krusenstern For More Informat ion Visiting the Alaska National Parklands requires For information about individual areas, contact planning. Alaska's isolation and vastness can them-see the back of this brochure-or visit the make travel to and through the state challenging. National Park Service homepage at www.nps.gov. Just getting to Alaska can be an adventure-by air, Kobuk For information about other public lands in Alaska 8e'tles/EVansW' P. highway, and/or sea. Commercial airlines serve I Valley visit or contact the Alaska Public Lands Informa Juneau, Anchorage, Fairbanks, and other cities. tion Centers in Anchorage, Fairbanks, Ketchikan, Cruise ships ply Alaska's southeastern waters Bering Land Bridge \ and Tok or visit their homepage at www.nps.gov through the Inside Passage. The state ferry sys- /aplic. Contact: Anchorage Alaska Public Lands tem, the Alaska Marine Highway, transports peo- s''" ~~'? Information Center, 605 West Fourth Avenue, Anchorage, AK 99501-2248, 907-271-2737, TDD i.--...... ,p"'l"'e"a"n'-~'=~~:e::~o::::. ~::~t:e:tr:~~~:=------.., Z r,;,"-. °?'-______.,_ _,....:;_~------~-.....:.- . lic--l..
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Superimposing Alaska Kodiak 0 Sitka the Great Land -on the 0 Lower 48 states shows Sitka how vast it is. Travelers Port Heiden must plan accordingly. 0 Aniakchak
Ketchikan National Park Service and affiliated areas 0 r---1 National Park o r National W ild and 1.-..-..J Na1 iona1 Monument • Scenic Rivers Alaska Public Lands ~ Cold Bay 1 Alag nak Information Center 0 2 Alatna l"'/FIC OC A i=.J National Preserve 3 Aniakchak 4 Charley National Historical 5 Chili kadrotna Park 6 John 7 Kobuk u na1aska 8 Mulchatna 0 0 Affiliated area 9 Noatak Aleutian World War II 10 Koyukuk (North Fork) National Hist oric Area 11 Salmon 12 Ti nayguk 13 Tlikakila
0 200 Kilometers D 200Mi/es Our Lasting Frontier Entering the American scene in 1867 as "Seward's Folly" did little to reveal the awe Claims to land by Alaska's Native people were similarly settled by Congress in 1971. After statehood and the settlement of Native land claims, the push to preserve more some character of a place early people called Alyeshka-the Great Land. The rush for Nearly 44 million acres of federal land and m-o-re-..th,_a_n...... ,.""9.;.6,_2,_m-i'"ll""io_n_w,,_e_r_e_a""w~a-r-d'e-d'i~n""'f.... in-a-;1 ,---.1-a-n-d..--c-o-n""ti,-n-u-e...,d"'", ...;c"-u-'1m~inc::.a::,.t.::in..cg..::;:.in"-1:.;.,9;.;8;,0;:....:wc;it~h-"p.::.a.:.;;s"'s"-a..:.g::.e;.;..;::.o_f;:;;tti;;,:.e~A:;.:la:....s:::.k:..:a~N,:::a.;ti;..:.o:..:n:.::a.,.cl ~ln:..;t:..:e:..: rec::.s..:.,t;:...L..:.a:..:n.::.d.:..:s=---- gold that follow ed created its own colorful images of derring-do and fortunes won and settlement of all Native c laims to land. Amid such rapid change our Last Frontier could Conservation Act. It established 10 new units of the National Park System and expand lost by scalawags. But the haunting beauty of the Far North at times overshadowed the easily slip away, as did our first. But the national interests in Alaska go beyond raw ed Glacier Bay, Katmai, and Mount McKinley (renamed " Denali"). The act more than miner's quest for gold. Dreams of quick riches often gave way to making peace with materials for industry and settlements of land claims. Vast unblemished landscapes doubled the size of the National Park System, which, in Alaska, now contains more than the land and settling in. and tumbling rivers fresh as creation are also treasures of our collective heritage. 54 million acres, or 13 percent of the state's 375 million acres. Ancient hearths, gravesites, and delicate stone tools of chert and jade tell of early The chronicles of explorers and naturalists are a strangely appealing mix of impres American peoples and their survival at the outer edge of human habitat. We, like the Alaskan in scale, with towering mountains, vast glaciers, wild rivers, and bountiful sions; a barren arctic wasteland teeming with herds of caribou; uninhabitable terrain pioneer travelers, find the abundant fish, wildlife, matchless scenery, unnamed moun wildlife, these parks also reflect the human values of the Last Frontier. The traditional that proved to be the ancestral homeland of cultures harkening back to the end of the tains, and numberless valleys beyond our wildest expectations. dependence by rural Alaskans on wildlife, fish, and plants continues in many park ice age; and winters of deadening cold giving way to balmy summers that warm vast areas. In addition to these subsistence provisions, national preserves allow the contin nurseries for migratory birds destined for every state and all continents of the world. Alaska abounds with the inspiring landscapes that fired our ancestors' spirits through uation of sport hunting and trapping. Alaska has the biggest moose, biggest bears, tallest spruce, rivers thick with salmon, risk and hardship on their westward trek. It also offers further test to a uniquely yet it is our nation's most fragile environment. Could all these descriptions come from American idea, born at Yellowstone in 1872, that certain places are special, above the The Alaska national parklands also protect a vast sweep of history, from the artifacts one state? The elusive character of Alaska is an important part of its appeal. Alaska marketplace, and worthy of lasting protection. The first national park area in Alaska of the f irst North Americans-found in Bering Land Bridge National Preserve and other recalls an earlier time in our westward expansion when uncharted frontiers helped was established in 1910 at Sitka in commemoration of the Tlingit culture and early northwestern .Alaska national parklands-to the buildings and belongings of turn-of shape the American image. It recalls our sense of adventure and hardiness-in European settlers of Russian America. By the time Klondike Gold Rush National the-century g Id seekers in Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park. For recre response to which progress and change have in fact moved northward to Alaska. Historical Park was established in 1976, such well-known landmarks as Mount Mc ation, scientific research, and as a vast adventuring ground for present and future gen Statehood in 1959 brought an entitlement to the state of 106 million acres of public Kinley (1917), Katmai (1918), and Glacier Bay (1925) had entered the rolls. erations, the Alaska national parklands comprise the finest natural and cultural lands potentially rich in oil and gas, minerals, and coal. The largest oil strike in U.S. his resources in public ownership-an enduring frontier for all the world. tory, at Prudhoe Bay, underscores the state's promising future and its vital role in our nation's economy. Central to Aniakchak National Monument and Pre Bering Land Bridge National Preserve is a remnant of Cape Krusenstern National Monument is a coastal Mount McKinley, at 20,320 feet, is North America's Gates of the Arctic National Park and Preserve lies Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve contains serve is the 30-square-mile volcanic Aniakchak the land bridge connecting Asia with North America plain with big lagoons, backed by gently rolling, lime highest mountain. The Athabascan natives called it entirely north of the Arctic Circle. Its austere beauty some of the world's most impressive tidewater glaci Caldera. It was created when the volcano's center more than 10,000 years ago. During the ice age, stone hills. Archeological sites trace 4,500 years of Denali, "the High One," and in 1980 the national and grandeur defy description. It includes the scenic ers. The bay has experienced at least four major collapsed sometime after the last glaciation. Later vol whenever sea level fell enough, this became part of a human use of its coastline by prehistoric peoples who park's name was changed to Denali. Massive Mount headland of the Brooks Range, the northernmost glacial advances and four major retreats and serves canic activity built a cone, Vent Mountain, inside the migration route - up to 1,000 miles wide-for people, occupied it seasonally to hunt marine mammals, McKinley is the towe ring centerpiece of the glacier extension of the Rocky Mountains. Park and preserve as an outdoor researc h laboratory. Mountains rise caldera. Aniakchak last erupted in 1931. The caldera's animals, and plants. Prehistoric Asian hunters may especially seals. As big storms and regu lar wind and strewn Alaska Range. Under its shadow in Denali combined are four times the size of Yellowstone right from its tidewater up to three vertical miles. Surprise Lake, heated by hot springs, cascades have entered the Americas here. The Chukchi and wave action formed new beach ridges, camps were National Park and Preserve are barren-ground cari National Park. This is the ultimate wilderness that Mount Fairweather is southeastern Alaska's highest through a 1,500-foot rift in the crater wall to become Bering Seas now cover the land bridge. Today made on those close to the water. Oldest sites are on bou, grizzly bears, wolves, moose, Dall sheep, and captured the heart and imagination of Arctic explorer peak. The dramatic variety of plant communities the Aniakchak River. Volcanic lava flows, cinder Eskimos from neighboring villages pursue subsis beach ridges farthest from the ocean. Over centuries other wildlife. Glacier-born ri ve rs laden with silt (or Robert Marshall in the 1930s. ranges from barren terrain just recovering from glacial cones, and explosion pits can be seen here in one of tence lifestyles and manage reindeer herds in and this made a timeline giving a definite, datable outline rock flour) meander across their wide, flat valleys. retreat to lush temperate rain forest. The story of plant Alaska's most remote national park areas. Wildlife near the preserve. More than 112 migratory bird of northwest Alaska's cultural succession and devel Much of the park's scant tree growth lies in the river Barren-ground cari bou and grizzly bears range the succession is nowhere more richly told than at Glacier includes occasional caribou, grizzly bears, eagles, species can be seen here and occasional seals, wal opment. The Cape Krusenstern area is a designated valleys. At higher elevations are large expanses of the spacious, fragile tundra to garner a living based in its Bay. The park and preserve harbors brown and black and sockeye salmon. rus, and whales. Muskoxen, grizzly bears, foxes , Archeological District in the National Register of tundra's fascinating world of dwarfed shrubs and thin veneer of arctic soil. The park straddles the crest bears, mountain goats, moose, whales, seals, plus wolves, and moose also inhabit the preserve. Historic Places and a National Historic Landmark. miniature wildflowers. of the Brooks Range. Its southern flank samples the eagles and more than 200 other species of birds. Access: Scheduled air service puts you within charter boreal forest of Alaska's interior. Its north slope lies at flight distance via King Salmon or Port Heiden, but Access: Usual access to this isolated preserve is by Today, as for centuries, primary human use of Cape Access: By highway, railroad, and scheduled air ser the edge of a polar desert with precipitation compara Together with Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and floatplanes can land on Surprise Lake. Peninsula air service out of Nome and Kotzebue. Approximate Krusenstern is subsistence hunting, fishing, and gath vice. To protect wi ldlife and to preserve opportunities ble to Earth's driest regions. Two distinct cultures are Preserve and the Tatshenshini-Alsek Park in British weather can be severe any time of year. Approximate Size: 2.7 million acres. For Information contact: ering by lnupiaq Eskimos of nearby vi llages. Wildlife to see it, private vehicle use is restricted on the park represented here: the Athabascan peoples of the Columbia, this 24-million-acre wilderness is a World Size: 600,000 acres. For Information contact: Superintendent, Bering Land Bridge National Pre includes caribou, grizzly bears, wolves, red foxes, road. A shuttle bus service operates in Denali along spruce-taiga forests and the Nunamiut Eskimos, who Heritage Site and the world's largest internationally Superintendent, Aniakchak National Monument and serve, P.O. Box 1029, Kotzebue, AK 99752-1029; lynx, and wolverines, with walrus, polar bears, seals, the 85 -mile wilderness road from the park entrance to hu nt caribou in the high valleys. Both cultures contin protected area. Preserve, P.O. Box 7, King Salmon, AK 99613-0007; 907-443-2522; www.nps.gov/bela. and whales found offshore at various times of year. Wonder Lake. Buses will drop you off or pick you up ue trad itional subsistence patterns of life in the park 907-246-3305; www.nps.gov/ania. at points along the park road. Approximate Size: 6 an d preserve. Access: By commercial cruise ship, tour boat, or air Access: Daily jet service from Anchorage to Kotz million acres. For Information contact: Superin craft or by scheduled air or boat service from Juneau ebue; chartered air taxis from Kotzebue to the monu tendent, Denali National Park and Preserve, P. O. Box Access: Scheduled flights from Fairbanks serve and other southeastern Alaska communities. ment. A boat charter is available in summer by 9, Denali Park, AK 99755-0009; 907-683-2294; Bettles/Evans ille and Anaktuvuk Pass. Approximate Approximate Size: 3.3 million acres. For Information advance arrangement. Approximate Size: 660,000 www. nps.gov/den a. Size: 8.4 IOll acres. For Information contact: contact: Superintendent, Glacier Bay National Park acres. For Information contact: Superintendent, Suoenn enden , Gates of the Arctic National Park and and Preserve, Bartlett Cove, Gustavus, Alaska 99826- Cape Krusenstern National Monument, P. O. Box Preserve, 20 Frrst Avenue, Fairbanks, AK 99701- 0140; 907-697-2232;www.nps.gov/glba. 1029, Kotzebue, Alaska 99752-1029; 907-442-3890; 4848; 907-692-5494; www.nps.gov/gaar. www.nps.gov/cakr.
In 1912 a tremendous eruption occurred in the wilder The 700-square-mile Harding lcefield, one of four When an 1897 Seattle Post-Intelligencer reported a Enclosed by the Baird Mountains on the north and the Lake Clark National Park and Preserve, where the Noatak National Preserve, in the western Brooks ness that today is Katmai National Park and Preserve. major ice caps in the United States, crowns Kenai steamer from Alaska putting in at Seattle, Wash Waring Mountains on the south, Kobuk Valley occu Alaska and Aleutian ranges meet, has been called the Range, encompasses over 250 miles of the Noatak One of the most violent ever recorded, the blast col Fjords National Park. The icefield may be a remnant of ington, with a ton of gold aboard, it set off the great pies a broad valley along the Kobuk River in northwest Alaskan Alps. Set in the heart of the Chigmit Moun River and protects the largest untouched mountain lapsed Mount Katmai. Afterwards, in what came to be the Pleistocene ice masses once covering half of gold stampede. At the rush's height John Muir likened Alaska. The boreal forest reaches its northern limit tains along Cook Inlet's western shore, the park ringed river basin in the United States. It provides a called the Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes, fumaroles Alaska. The magnificent coastline of Kenai Fjords is Skagway to "a nest of ants taken into a strange coun here, resulting in an open woodland of small trees in a boasts great geol ogic diversity. Its jagged peaks, benchmark for measuring future environmental health. by the thousands issued steam hot enough to melt steep valleys that were carved by glaciers in retreat. try and stirred up by a stick." Klondike Gold Rush mat of thick tundra. The dry, cold climate of the Kobuk granite spires , glaciers, two active volcanoes, and 50- Recognizing the value of this vast wilderness, the pre zinc. Only a few active vents remain today, and the Active glaciers still calve and crash into the sea as vis National Historical Park preserves historic buildings Val ley still approximates that of late Plei stocene times, mile-long Lake Clark provide a dazzling array of scen serve has been named an International Biosphere crater ho lds a lake. itors \l\ratch from tour b oats here. Sea stacks, islets, from this period in Seattle's Pioneer Square Historic Rurporting a remnant flora once covering the vast ery. Fed by hundreds of waterfalls throughout its rim Reserve . The river basin provides outstand ing oppor and jagged shoreline are remnants of mountains now District and Skagway, Alaska, and portions of the Arctic steppe tundra bridging Alaska and Asia. Sand ming mountains, the lake is part of an important red tunities for scientific research, environmental educa Katmai's scenery boasts lakes, rivers, glaciers, water inching imperceptibly into the sea under the geologi Chilkoot and White Pass Trails in Canda and Alaska. created by the grinding of glaciers has been carried to salmon spawning ground. These features combine to tion, and subsistence and recreational activities. falls, and a coastline of plunging cliffs and islets. Here cal force of the North Pacific tectonic plate. Exit In 1998 the park was designated as a unit of the the Kobuk Valley by winds and water. The Great create a maze of natural river running and hiking the huge brown bear-Earth's largest terrestrial carni Glacier, the park's most accessible area, can be nation's first international historical park, combining Kobuk Sand Dunes - 25 square miles of shifting routes providing spectacular wilderness experiences. Above the Arctic Circle, the Noatak River flows from vore-feasts on migrating salmon in the summer. This reached by car and a short walk. The glacier is a nine with Parks Canada units commemorating the Klon dunes where summer temperatures can exceed glacial melt atop Mount lgikpak in the Brooks Range area is critical for the brown bear's survival on the mile drive off the highway. dike Gold Rush. 90°F-is the largest active dune field in the arctic lati Brown and black bears, caribou, moose, Dall sheep, out to Kotzebue Sound. Along its 425-mile course the Alaska Peninsula. It also boasts some of southwest tudes. salmon, and trout inhabit these scenic environs. river has carved out the Grand Canyon of the Noatak. ern Alaska's best sport-fishing. Moose, bears, and a large population of mountain The park offers interpretive programs from its visitor Within the park and preserve are coastal lowlands of The preserve is in a transition zone between the north goats inhabit the land. Steller sea lions haul out on center in the restored rai lway depot buildings at People have lived in the Kobuk Valley for at least spruce and marshes, alpine meadows, and tundra ern coniferous forests and tundra biomes. The river Brooks Camp Reservations: Advance day-use and rocky islands at the entrances to the fjords. Wi ldlife Broadway and Second Avenue. The visitor center 12,500 years. This human use is best recorded at the plains backed by ever-changing mountain scenes. basin contains most types of arctic habitat, as well as campground reservations are required for trips to includes harbor seals that rest on icebergs, porpoises, offers information about the Chilkoot Trail from Dyea, extensive archeological sites at Onion Portage. The one of the finest arrays of flora and fauna. The Brooks Camp between June 1 and September 17. sea otters, and Killer (area) and other whales. Alaska, to Bennett, British Columbia. Kobuk Valley remains an important area for traditional Access: Air charters from Anchorage, Kenai, or Western Arctic caribou herd, numbering approximate Call the national park reservation service at 800-365- Thousands of sea birds-horned nd tufted puffins, subsistence harvest of caribou, moose, bears, fish, ll iamna. Lodging, from primitive to modern, is offered ly 450,000, migrates to and from its calving grounds 2267 between 6 a.m. and 6 p.m. Alaska time. common murres, and black-legged kittiwakes- rear Access: By ferry, cruiseship, scheduled airline, air waterfowl, and many edible and medicinal plants. The by private operators in the park and preserve. through the broad expanse of the preserve. Other their young on steep cliffs. taxi, or road (South Klondike Highway). Approximate Western Arctic caribou herd, numbering 450,000, Approximate Size: 4 million acres. For Information large mammals include brown bears, moose, wolves, Access: Scheduled jets from Anchorage serve King Size: 13,200 acres. For Chilkoot Trail information, per migrates to and from their calving grounds through contact: Superintendent, Lake Clark National Park lynx, and Dall sheep. More than 150 songbird species Salmon on the park's west boundary year-round. Daily Access: Seward, 130 miles soutti of Anchorage via mits, and reservations visit The Tra il Center at the park every spring and fal I. The gentle Kobuk River and Preserve, 4 ~ 3 0 University Drive, Suite 311, migrating from Asia and the tip of South America commercial flights operate between King Salmon and the Seward Highway, is the gate ay to Kenai Fjords. Broadway and Second Avenue, 907-983-3655 (sea is popular for fishing and canoeing or kayaking. The Anchorage, AK !;11)508-4626; 907-271-3751; www. yearly pass through the preserve, providing spectac the Brooks River area from June through mid Served by scheduled buses, commuter flig hts, and sonal) or 800-661-0486 or 867-667-3910 in White Salmon River is a designated national wild and scenic nps.gov/lacl; or Fi eld Headquarters, Lake Clark ular bird-watching. The Noatak River supports arctic September. Air charters from King Salmon operate railroad, Seward offers charter boats and aircraft ser horse, Yukon Territorry. For Information contact: river. There are excellent opportunities for photogra National Park and Preserve, #1 Park Place, Port char, whitefish, grayling, and salmon. The slow-mov from May through October. Approximate Size: 4 mil vices. The park visitor center is next to the Har Superintendent, Klondike Gold Rush National Histori phy and wilderness backpacking throughout the park. Alsworth, AK 9965:3-9999; 907-781-2218. ing, gentle Noatak River offers excellent fishing, lion acres. For Information contact: Superintendent, bormaster's office in Seward's small boat harbor and cal Park, P.O. Box 517, Skagway, AK 99840-0517; canoeing, and kayaking. Opportunities for wilderness Katmai National Park and Preserve, P.O. Box 7, King offers area information, a slide show, and videos, 907-983-2921; www.nps.gov/ klgo. Access: Daily jet service from Anchorage to backpacking and photography are plentiful. Salmon, AK 99613-0007; 907-246-3305; www.nps. exhibits, and a bookstore. Ranger-led programs are Kotzebue. Scheduled air service to nearby villages, gov/katm. offered in summer. Approximate Size: 669,000 acres. and chartered air taxis for remote landings in the park. Access: Da ily jet service from Anchorage to For Information contact: Superin endent, Kenai In summer, with advance arrangemen , boat charters Kotzebue. Scheduled air service to nearby villages, Fjords National Park, P.O. Box 1727, Seward, AK are available. Approximate Size: .7 m"llion acres. and chartered air taxis for remote landings in the park. 99664-1727; 907-224-3175; www.nps.gov e . For Information con act: Supe m enden • Kobu In summer, with advance arrangement, a boat charter Valley ational Park, P. O. Box 029, Kotzebue, is available. Approximate Size: 6.5 mill ion acres. For 99752-1029; 907-442-3890; ...wwJJps.!JC"· ova Information contact: Superintendent, Noatak Na tional Preserve, P.O. Box 1029, Kotzebue, AK 99752- 1029; 907-442-3890; www.nps.gov/noat.
Sitka is one of Alaska's most scenic and historic cit Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve abuts Yukon-Charley Ri vers National Preserve contains 115 Natural and free-flowing rivers born in cold mountain In 1996 Congress designated the Aleutian World War The lnupiat Heritage Center in Barrow, Alaska, pre ies. Sitka National Historical Park preserves the site of Canada's Kluane National Park. With its neighbors to miles of the historic Yukon River and the entire 88- lakes or nurtured by runoff from remote highlands pro II Nat ional Historic Area to interpret the history of the serves and promotes traditional lnupiat culture and the 1804 fort and battle that marked the last major the south, Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve mile Charley River basin. Old cabins and relics recall vide travel corridors through some of Alaska's most Unangan or Aleut people and the defense of the history through exhibits, collections, research, educa resistance of the Tlingit Indians to Russian coloniza and Tatshenshini-Alsek Park in British Columbia, this the Yukon's importance in the gold rush era. Archeo spectacular geography. Crags and peaks, narrow Aleutians and the United States in World War II and to tion and outreach. As an affiliated area of the New tion. Alaska's economic and cultural capital for half a 24-million-acre wilderness is a World Heritage Site logical and paleontological sites in the preserve pro canyons, rolling tundra-cloaked hi lls, or fo rested educate and inspire present and future generations Bedford Whaling National Historical Park, New Bed century, Sitka was the headquarters for the Russian and the world's largest internationally protected area. vide knowledge of both thousands and mi llions of slopes present constantly changing panoramas on a about it. The 1942 bombing of Unalaska by Japan ford, Massachusetts, the center commemorates the American Company's fur and other trading opera Th is is North America's mountain kingdom. Here the years in the past. float trip. precipitated the internment of 880 Aleuts in derelict contribution of Alaska Natives to the history of com tions. The park displays a fine collection of totem Wrangell , St. Eli as, and Chugach mountain ranges cannery buildings in Southeast Alaska. This area mercial whaling in the United States. The center and poles, and visitor center exhibits illustrate the art and converge. The park and preserve contains North The two rivers are quite different. The broad and swift Congress established the National Wild and Scenic encompasses the nation's highest-elevation coastal the park collaborate on cultural exchange programs traditions of the Tlingit people. The park also contains America's largest assemblage of glaciers and its Yukon flows with glacial silt. The smaller Charley flows Rivers System to preserve in a free-flowing condition defense site. The Ounalashka Corporation privately between Barrow and New Bedford to produce exhib Alaska's premier historic structure, the restored 1842 greatest collection of peaks more than 16,000 feet in crystal clear and is considered one of Alaska's finest ri ve rs of remark able scenic, recreational, geologic, owns this cultural landscape of World War 11 era com its, conferences, and educational materials and to Russian Bishop's House. elevation. One glacier, the Malaspina, is larger than recreational streams. They merge between the early fish and wi ldlife, historic, cultural, or other similar mand centers, bunkers, and trails. The gun mounts sponsor visiting scholars and cultural demonstrators. the state of Rhode Island. Mount St. Elias, at 18,008 day boom towns of Eagle and Circle. Cliffs and bluffs val ue. All or part of the 25 rivers in the system in and lookouts are among the most intact in the nation. The center's exhibits and cu ltural events are open to The Tlingit long ago followed the salmon streams feet, is the second highest peak in the United States. along the two rivers provide nesting habitat for pere Alaska are designated as wild, scenic, or recreational. The Corporation is planning a World War II visitor cen the public. southward to settle on this island-dotted coast at grine and gyrfalcons. Beyond the ri verbanks, grizzly The National Park Service administers 13 of these, all ter with extensive displays of artifacts from the war. "Shee Alika," as they called Sitka. They enjoyed a rich The area abounds in opportunities for wilderness bears, Dall sheep, and moose may be seen. Floating designated "wild." Because of their classifications, Access: Daily jet service from Anchorage and culture, esthetically and spiritually, in a world of natur backpacking, lake fishing, car camping, river running, the Yukon - by raft, canoe, or powerboat - is a popu only minimal development will be allowed along the Access: Daily jet service from Anchorage to Fairbanks to Barrow, which offers lodging, restau al abundance. This was interrupted by the Russian cross-country skiing, and mountain climbing. In both la r way to see wildlife and scenery. The Charley River banks of these rivers. Included are the Alagnak, Unalaska. Ferry service is seasonal. Size: 134 acres. rants, and tours of the town and vicinity. Song and American Company under Alexander Baranov's deter stature and numbers, Dall sheep populations of the demands more advanced river skills. Alatna, An iakchak, Charley, Chilikadrotna, John, For Information contact: Ounalashka Corporation, dance demonstrations are often presented in summer. mined leadership. The 1804 Battle of Sitka ended Wrangells are considered the world's finest. Kobuk, Mulchatna, Noatak, Koyukuk (North Fork), P.O. Box 149. Unalaska, AK 99685-0149; WWW. For Information contact: 907-852-4594; www. when the Tlingit ran out of ammunition and withdrew. Access: By Taylor Highway (summer only) to Eag le or Sal mon, Tinayg uk, and Tlikakila Rivers. nps.gov/akso/aleu. nps.gov/akso/inup. Baranov burned their fort and built a new town he Access: Park headquarters in Copper Center is 210 Steese Highway from Fairbanks to Circle. Scheduled ltGP02000- 460-976/00251 Reprint 2000 named New Archangel. miles east of Anchorage by road. Two primitive roads flights serve both towns from Fairbanks. Approxi Access: See access and other information under the Prinled on recycled paper enter the park. Under normal summer conditions most mate Size: 2.5 million acres. For Information con areas in which these ri vers occur: Alagnak [Katmai]; Access: By ferry, commercial cruiseships, and daily two-wheel-drive vehicles can make the 59-mile trip tact: Superintendent, Yukon-Charley Rivers National Alatna, John, Kobuk, Koyukuk (No rth Fork), and Tin jet service. Size: 106 acres. For Information contact: from Chitina to McCarthy and the historic Kennecott Preserve, P. 0 . Box 167, Eagle, AK 99738-0167; 907- ayguk [Gates of the Arctic]; Aniakchak [Aniakchak]; Superintendent, Sitka National Historical Park, 106 townsite and the first 29 miles of the Slana-to-Nabes 547-2233; www.nps.gov/yuch. Charley [Yukon-Charley Rivers]; Chilikadrotna, Mul Metlakatla Street, Sitka, AK 99835-7665; 907-747- na Road. Air taxis provide access to more than 200 chatna, and Tl ikakila [Lake Clark]; Noatak [Gates of 6281; www.nps.gov/sitk. bush airstrips throughout the park and preserve. the Arctic and Noatak]; and Salmon [Kobuk Valley]. Approximate Size: 13 million acres. For Information Visit www.nps.gov/ rivers/wildriverslist.html#ak on the contact: Superintendent, Wrangell-St. Elias National Internet for more information. Park and Preserve, P.O. Box 439, Copper Center, AK 99573-0439; 907-822-5234; www.nps.gov/ wrst. ·-· -.
All photos NPS except as noted.