Tongass National Forest VISITOR GUIDE TONGASS NATIONAL FOREST • U.S. FOREST SERVICE2016 Starrigavan............................4 Off the Beaten Path...............7 Sustainable Recreation.........12 Welcome to the Tongass elcome to the Tongass National Forest! Nearly 17 million acres in size, this is the largest National Forest in the Unites States, and is the largest contiguous temperate rainforest in the world. The Tongass National Forest is a public treasure. It is a land of beauty, of mystery, and of untold natural riches. Since time immemorial, this forest has nourished and sus- tained rich and unique human cultures. Each year, more than 900,000 visitors travel the Tongass aboard cruise ships, airlines, and ferries. Additionally, approximately 75,000 Alaskans call this area home and are dependent on the Tongass National Forest for their livelihoods whether it is fish, timber, minerals, or a host of other resources. We invite you to Contents enjoy the vast array of recreational opportunities available to you in the Tongass. ACTIVITIES From world-class visitor centers in bustling port towns, Public Use Cabins 5 to secluded cabins on the edges of vast wilderness, to wildlife in their natural habitat, to the opportunity Campgrounds 6 to experience a glacier up close and personal—the Tongass has something for everyone. Explore, renew, Off the Beaten Path 7 refresh among the islands and along the coastline here in the Tongass, and take home exciting memories of Visitor Centers 14 adventures in Alaska. We hope you will choose to return often. INFORMATION Forest Map 8 M. Earl Stewart Annual Rainfall 9 Tongass National Forest Supervisor Bear Viewing 10 Outdoor Viewing Ethics 11 THE TONGASS Learn More 15 Forest Service Coordinator: Many thanks to writers Laurie Lamm, Faith L. Duncan Katie Rooks, and Laurie Craig; and to How to Contact Us 16 photographers Karla Hart and Libby Produced and Designed by Sterling/SeaTrails (Cover, lower vignette, page 13). Printed on recycled paper using STORIES soy-based inks. The Tongass Visitor Guide is published Starrigavan 4 by the Alaska Geographic Association in cooperation with the Tongass National A Simple Act 5 Forest. ©Alaska Geographic Choosing Sustainable Recreation 12 Map: Gregor Wright Photos: All photos are courtesy of USFS unless otherwise noted. 2 Getting the Most Out of Your Visit Listed South to North Welcome to the Tongass KETCHIKAN, REVILLAGIGEDO ISLAND HOONAH, CHICHAGOF ISLAND Orient yourself at the Southeast Alaska Discovery Take an opportunity to see the real Alaska in Center: attend programs, tour the exhibits, and watch this quiet town in a gorgeous setting. Stop by the award-winning movie. Saunter the Ward Creek Trail the Ranger District office in town to find out or hike into the backcountry surrounding town. Explore about available cabins, or for information on Misty Fiords National Monument via watercraft or air. NatureWatch, hunting, and fishing. Events include the Hummingbird Festival in April and the Blueberry Arts Festival the first week of August. JUNEAU, ON THE MAINLAND Located at the foot of the magnificent Mendenhall CRAIG AND THORNE BAY, Glacier, the Mendenhall Glacier Visitor Center has PRINCE OF WALES ISLAND interpretive programs and exhibits, a glacier Explore the island via Interisland Ferry. Day use areas observatory, a series of interconnected trails, and and hiking trails abound; check at the Hollis and Coff- an extensive bookstore (see page 14). man Cove ferry terminals for recreation information. Make a reservation at the Thorne Bay District Office for ANGOON, ADMIRALTY ISLAND a guided tour of El Capitan Cave from late May through Attend traditional dances in town, canoe and early September. portage the backcountry in the Kootznoowoo Wilderness area, or view brown bears at Pack Creek SITKA, BARANOF ISLAND Viewing Site (see page 10). Contact the Ranger Enjoy camping in Starrigavan Creek Cabin, picnicking District office in Juneau for more information. and a self-guided nature walk along Starrigavan Bay, and fish viewing in season within the Starrigavan Recreation YAKUTAT, ON THE MAINLAND Area, located 1/4 mile from the ferry terminal. Attend Explore historic beaches, surf, or try your luck at Sitka Summer Music Festival in June or Alaska Day fishing on the world-class rivers adjacent to town. activities in October. Hike numerous miles of trails from The annual Yakutat Tern Festival in celebration of the Sitka road system. the Aleutian and Arctic tern (seabird) colonies takes place in early June of 2016, and includes field trips, WRANGELL, WRANGELL ISLAND seminars, art exhibits, Native cultural presentations, Attend mid-summer Friday night campfire programs or and children’s events. explore the Rainbow Falls Trail on a self-guided hike. Bring your camera and capture memories at the Anan Wildlife Observatory, a short plane or boat ride away. The Stikine River Bird Festival is held in April each year. PETERSBURG, MITKOF ISLAND The Petersburg Ranger District maintains several scenic recreation sites, including a newly refurbished, accessible picnic/day-use area and Swan Observatory. The Visitor Information Center in downtown Petersburg includes an interpretive bookstore and offers maps and advice on kayaking and camping in the area. The Tongass Rainforest Festival is held the second week in September. Tongass National Forest For more information on where to call to learn more and to obtain a schedule of activities, check out the “Find Out More” listing on the back page of this guide or visit www.fs.usda.gov/tongass 3 Remarkable Recreation at Starrigavan Opportunity, diversity, and accessibility all come together for campfire programs, and the trailhead for the just seven miles north of Sitka on Baranof Island. Here, Mosquito Cove Trail. The recreation area also has a within easy walking distance of the ferry terminal, spectacular, accessible, group cabin site produced visitors and residents alike can discover the Starrigavan from hand-adzed logs harvested from the local young Recreation Area. growth forest. Open year round, this recreation area offers everything Starrigavan Recreation Area borders a lush estuary from tranquil NatureWatch sites to accessible walking and Starrigavan Creek where bird watching and fish trails and campsites, all within a close commute to down- viewing are possible with an occasional deer or bear town Sitka. In prehistoric and historic times, summer fish passing through. Resting benches are provided for those camps occupied the shores around Starrigavan Creek. who wish to spend time relaxing and enjoying the area. Tlingit people call the spot gaja-heen, translated as “land Finally, driving or walking from the ferry terminal in Sitka of water coming up.” During the Russian era, the area was to Starrigavan is easy. Only 3/4 of a mile separates the known as Starry Gavan, meaning “Old Harbor.” terminal from the recreation area. Plus, the three loop Starrigavan began as a small campground originally trails connect to the terminal via a pedestrian walkway, built in the early 1960s to accommodate campers perfect for joggers and walkers alike. Sitka’s star departing the new Alaska Marine Highway vessels. recreation site has amenities to offer everyone. For more The Starrigavan Recreation Area now offers a variety of information about the Starrigavan experience contact at barrier-free recreation opportunities. There are three Sitka Ranger District at 907-747-4216. separate loop trails for visitor use: The Estuary Loop contains twenty-four individual campsites for tenters with vehicles or RVs. There are two group tent sites for up to twenty persons each. A popular artesian well located in this loop draws locals and visitors. The Back- packer Loop has six campsites complete with a cooking shelter for hikers and bikers. The Bayside Loop offers campsites overlooking Starrigavan Bay and easy water access for kayakers. Some of the campsites may be reserved in advance. The Bayside Loop also offers six picnic sites, two with shelters, an outdoor amphitheater 4 A Simple Act Equals Big Changes Have you washed your hands today? Every day, millions of people wash their hands and dry them on paper towels. Those paper towels are then discarded in the trash, bound for a landfill or possibly an incinerator. It this use of paper towels really necessary? In September 2014, USDA Forest Service staff at Mendenhall Glacier Visitor Center conducted a waste audit to see what goes into our trash. We discovered paper towels encompassed the largest volume of our trash! We resolved, as part of our Net Zero efforts, to dramatically reduce or eliminate paper towels from our trash. In summer 2015, paper towels were removed from our restrooms. We installed combination water faucet/ hand dryers in the restrooms by our information kiosk. These combination faucet/dryers not only dry hands quite well, but they have the added benefit of allowing than we produce. Watch for more changes at the visitor people to dry their hands where they wash them— center as we strive for Net Zero. We’ve installed water without adding paper towels to waste bins or dripping bottle fill stations to reduce plastic bottle waste and water on the floor. encouraged biking by adding bike racks. We are in the This simple act of removing paper towels reduced our process of swapping out lighting for more efficient volume of trash by twenty-six percent. We are saving the LED bulbs and are encouraging the use of electric energy it takes to create and transport paper towels while transit. Working towards balance between people and also saving space in the landfill. This is just one step on planet is essential to ensuring sufficient resources for our journey toward Net Zero. Net Zero is a goal to reach future generations. What steps can you take with us in the point where our business operations are in balance this journey towards balance? It can be as simple as with our environment.