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Information 

For information about individual parks, contact them directly 

(see back of this brochure) or visit the National Park Service 

website at www.nps.gov/akso/index.cfm. For information 

about national parks or other public lands in Alaska, visit or 

contact the Alaska Public Lands Information Centers in 

Anchorage, Fairbanks, Ketchikan, and Tok, or visit their 

homepage at www.AlaskaCenters.gov. 

• Anchorage: 605 West Fourth Avenue, Anchorage, AK 99501-

2248, 907-644-3661 or 866-869-6887

• Fairbanks: Morris Thompson Cultural and Visitors Center,

101 Dunkel Street, Suite 110, Fairbanks, AK 99701-4848,

907-459-3730 or 866-869-6887

• Ketchikan: Southeast Alaska Discovery Center,

50 Main Street, Ketchikan, AK 99901-6659, 907-228-6220

• Tok: P.O. Box 359, Tok, AK 99780-0359, 907-883-5667

or 888-256-6784.

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Tourist information is available from the Department of 

Commerce, Community and Economic Development, 

P.O. Box 110804, Juneau, AK 99811-0804, 

www.travelalaska.com. For information about ferry or railroad 

travel in Alaska, contact: 

• Alaska Marine Highway System, P.O. Box 112505,

Juneau, AK 99811-2505, 800-642-0066,

www.dot.state.ak.us/amhs

• Alaska Railroad Corporation Passenger Services,

P.O. Box 107500, Anchorage, AK 99510-7500,

800-544-0552, www.alaskarailroad.com.

Travel Tips 

Alaska’s immense size can make travel to and through the 

state challenging. Some planning is necessary. Just getting to 

Alaska can be an adventure involving travel by air, highway, and 

sea. Commercial airlines serve Anchorage, Fairbanks, Juneau, 

and other towns, while cruise ships ply Alaska’s southeastern 

waters through the Inside Passage. The Alaska Marine Highway 

transports people and vehicles on ferries from the Lower 48 to 

towns in Southeast Alaska and between points in Southcentral 

Alaska. The Alaska Highway, paved in Alaska and most of Canada, 

is open and maintained year-round. It extends 1500 miles from 

Dawson Creek, British Columbia, to Fairbanks, Alaska, and 

provides a land link with roads to the south. 

Once in Alaska, you may have several options for travel to the 

park lands. Unlike most National Park Service areas in the Lower 

48, most in Alaska are not accessible by road. Scheduled air service 

to towns and villages will put you within air-taxi distance of most 

of these hard-to-reach parks. Experiencing Alaska’s more remote 

treasures can require signifcant time, effort, and money and may 

involve air or boat charters, rafts, kayaks, and hiking. See the back 

of this brochure for access information for individual parks. 

Barrow Inupiat Heritage Center 

B E A U F O R T S E A Private Lands: Privately owned lands are located 

within and next to park boundaries throughout Alaska. 

These private lands are not open to public use or travel 

without permission from the owners. Check with park 

staff to determine the location of private lands and 

public easements. Unauthorized use or travel across 

private lands could be deemed criminal trespass. 

Uses of Park Lands: Many national park lands in

Alaska are designated as national preserves.This

designation allows for uses not typical in national

parks or national monuments in the continental

United States. Within these preserves, sport hunting

and trapping are permitted subject to state fsh and 

game laws, seasons, and bag limits; and to federal 

laws and regulations. 

Subsistence hunting, fshing and gathering by rural

Alaskans continues on many park lands here. These

customary and traditional uses of wild renewable

resources are for direct personal or family

consumption. Local residency and customary reliance

on these uses determines eligibility for continued 

subsistence uses on national park lands. 

Noatak Anaktuvuk

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Cape Krusenstern 9 Gates of the Arctic 11 2 12 10 KOTZEBUE obuk

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Information Center 2

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Denali Information Center 4

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Alaska Public Lands 1

Information Center Chitina McCarthy Palmer 

Eagle River Wrangell- Valdez 4 Bethel Anchorage Saint Elias 8 1

Prince Mt. St. Elias 

Kenai 18008ft

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Sound Cordova 5489m Klondike Lake 

Clark 

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Gold Rush Skagway 1 Seward Haines Iliamna 

Yakutat 

Kenai Fjords 1 Dillingham Juneau Glacier Bay Gustavus King Salmon G U L F O F A L A S K A Hoonah

Sitka Sitka 

Katmai

Kodiak Petersburg

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Wrangell 

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Aniakchak 

Ketchikan National Park Service and affiliated areas 

National Park or National Wild and 

Upper Noatak Valley, Gates of the Arctic National Park and Preserve

National Parks in Alaska Alaska National Parks National Park Service 

Alaska U.S. Department of the Interior

Upper Noatak Valley, Gates of the Arctic National Park and Preserve 

Cold Bay 

Unalaska 

Aleutian World War II 

National Historic Area 

P A C I F I C O C E A N 

National Monument 

National Preserve 

National Historical 

Park 

Affiliated area 

Scenic Rivers 

1 Alagnak 2 Alatna 3 Aniakchak 4 Charley 5 Chilikadrotna 6 John 7 Kobuk 8 Mulchatna 9 Noatak 10 Koyukuk (North Fork) 11 Salmon 12 Tinayguk 13 Tlikakila 

Alaska Public Lands 

Information Center 

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Our Lasting Frontier 

The United States purchased Alyeshka—the Great Land—in 1867 

in a transaction known as Seward’s Folly, doing little to reveal the 

awesome character of this place. The rush for gold that followed 

created its own colorful images of heroic daring and fortunes 

won and lost by scalawags. At times, the haunting beauty of the 

Far North overshadowed the miner’s quest for gold. Dreams of 

quick riches often gave way to making peace with the land and 

settling in. 

The chronicles of explorers and naturalists provide a contrasting 

mix of impressions: a barren arctic wasteland teeming with herds 

of caribou; uninhabitable terrain that proved to be the ancestral 

homeland of cultures harkening back to the end of the last ice 

age; and winters of deadening cold giving way to balmy summers 

that draw migratory birds from every state and continent of the 

world. Alaska has the biggest moose, biggest bears, tallest spruce, 

and rivers thick with salmon, yet it is our nations’ most fragile 

environment. Could all these descriptions come from one state? 

Alaska recalls our sense of adventure reminiscent of an earlier 

time in our westward expansion when uncharted frontiers helped 

shape the American image. The inspiring landscapes of Alaska 

fred our ancestors’ spirits through risk and hardship. Alaska 

also offers further proof of a uniquely American idea, born at 

Yellowstone in 1872, that certain places are special, above the 

marketplace, and worthy of lasting protection. The frst national 

park area in Alaska was established in 1910 at Sitka in commemoration of the Tlingit culture and early European settlers of Russian 

America. By the time Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park 

was established in 1976, such well-known landmarks as Mount 

McKinley (1917), Katmai (1918), and Glacier Bay (1925) had 

entered the rolls. 

Statehood in 1959 brought an entitlement to the state of 106 Alaskan in scale, with towering mountains, vast glaciers, wild rivers, 

million acres of public lands potentially rich in oil and gas, minerals, and bountiful wildlife, these parks also refect the human values 

and coal. Congress settled similar claims from Alaska’s Native of the Last Frontier. Many of the new parks were created, in part, 

people in 1971 by awarding them nearly 44 million acres of to protect lands used traditionally by Alaska Natives. Consequently, 

federal land and more than $962 million. Amid such rapid rural Alaskans continue to engage in hunting, fshing, and gathering 

change, our Last Frontier could have easily slipped away, as did within these park areas. National preserves were established to 

our frst. The push to preserve more land continued. allow for the continuation of sport hunting and trapping. 

After years of intense debate and pressure from President Alaska’s National Parks also protect a vast sweep of history, from 

Carter, Congress fnally passed the Alaska National Interest Lands the artifacts of the frst North Americans found in Bering Land 

Conservation Act in 1980. The act more than doubled the size Bridge National Preserve and other northwestern parks to the 

of the National Park System nationwide. It established 10 new buildings and belongings of the turn-of-the-century gold seekers 

units of the National Park System in Alaska and expanded Glacier in Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park. For present and 

Bay, Katmai, and Mount McKinley (renamed Denali). Alaska future generations, the National Parks in Alaska comprise the 

now contains more than 54 million acres in national parks, or 13 fnest natural and cultural resources in public ownership—an 

percent of the state’s 375 million acres. enduring frontier for all the world. 
Alaska Public Lands Information Aleutian World War II Aniakchak Bering Land Bridge Cape Krusenstern Denali 

Enclosed by the Baird Mountains on the north and Lake Clark National Park and Preserve, where the Noatak National Preserve, in the western Brooks Sitka is one of Alaska’s most scenic and historic cities. Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve abuts Yukon-Charley Rivers National Preserve contains 

the Waring Mountains on the south, Kobuk Valley Alaska and Aleutian ranges meet, is a landscape shaped Range, encompasses over 280 miles of the Noatak Sitka National Historical Park preserves the site of the Canada’s Kluane National Park. With its neighbors 115 miles of the historic Yukon River and the entire 

National Park occupies a broad valley along the by the dynamic forces of fre and ice. Set in the heart River and protects the largest untouched mountain- Battle of 1804, which marked a major resistance of to the south, Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve 106-mile Charley River basin. Old cabins and relics 

Kobuk River in northwest Alaska. The boreal forest of the Chigmit Mountains along the Cook Inlet coast, ringed river basin in the United States. It provides the Tlingit Indians to Russian colonization. The park and Tatshenshini-Alsek Park in British Columbia, this recall the Yukon’s importance in the gold rush era. 

reaches its northern limit here, resulting in an open the park encompasses great geologic diversity created a benchmark for measuring future environmental displays a fne collection of totem poles, and visitor 24-million acre wilderness is a World Heritage Site Archeological and paleontological sites in the 

woodland of small trees in a mat of thick tundra. by explosive volcanic eruptions, uplifts of the Earth’s health. Recognizing the value of this vast wilderness, center exhibits illustrate the art and traditions of the and the world’s largest internationally protected area. preserve provide knowledge of both thousands and 

The dry, cold climate still approximates that of late crust and the relentless grinding and gouging of the preserve has been named an International Bio- Tlingit and Haida people. The park also preserves the This is North America’s mountain kingdom. Here the millions of years in the past. 

Pleistocene times, supporting a remnant fora once glaciers. These contrasting forces are at work today as sphere Reserve. The river basin provides outstanding 1842 Russian Bishop’s House. Wrangell, St. Elias, and the Chugach mountain ranges The two rivers are quite different. The broad and covering the vast Arctic steppe bridging Alaska and glaciers and snowfelds envelop the park’s imposing opportunities for scientifc research, environmental converge. The park and preserve contains North The Tlingit Kiks.ádi clan settled at Sheey swift Yukon fows with glacial silt. The smaller Charley Asia. Sand created by the grinding of glaciers has and periodically active volcanoes, Redoubt (10,197 ft) education, and subsistence and recreational activities. America’s largest assemblage of glaciers and its At’iká, as they called Sitka, on an fows crystal clear and is considered one of Alaska’s been carried to the Kobuk Valley by winds and water. and Iliamna (10,016 ft.), and feed the tributaries that greatest collection of peaks more than 16,000 The Noatak River fows from glacial melt atop Mount island surrounded by abundant fnest recreational streams. They merge between the The Great Kobuk Sand Dunes—25 square miles fow into Lake Clark, the sixth largest lake in Alaska. feet in elevation. One glacier, the Malaspina, is Igikpak in the Brooks Range out to Kotzebue Sound. natural resources. For thousands early-day boom towns of Eagle and Circle. Cliffs and of shifting dunes where summer temperatures can larger than the state of Rhode Island. Mount St. At over 40 miles in length, Lake Clark provides critical Along its 425-mile course the river has carved out of years they enjoyed a rich culture bluffs along the two rivers provide nesting habitat exceed 90oF—is the largest active dune feld in the Elias, at 18,008 feet, is the second highest spawning and rearing habitats for one of the world’s the Grand Canyon on the Noatak. The river basin esthetically and spiritually. This was for peregrine and gyrfalcons. Beyond the riverbanks, arctic latitudes. peak in the United States. largest sockeye salmon fsheries and is home to a contains most types of arctic habitat, as well as one interrupted by the arrival of the grizzly bears, Dall sheep, and moose may be seen. 

People have lived in the Kobuk Valley for at least variety of other fsh including Arctic grayling, pike and of the fnest arrays of fora and fauna. The Western Russian-American Company. Alex- The area abounds in opportunities for Floating the Yukon—by raft, canoe, or powerboat— 

12,500 years. This human use is best recorded at the lake trout. The vast undeveloped areas of the park Arctic caribou herd, numbering over 340,000 ander Baranov established Sitka as wilderness backpacking, lake fshing, car is a popular way to see wildlife and scenery. The 

extensive archeological sites at Onion Portage. The and preserve also support brown and black bears, animals, migrates to and from its calving grounds the headquarters for the company’s camping, river running, cross-country skiing, Charley River demands more advanced river skills. 

Kobuk Valley remains an important area for traditional caribou, moose, Dall sheep, wolves, bald eagles and through the broad expanse of the preserve. Other fur and trading operations. This new and mountain climbing. Access: By Taylor Highway (summer only) to Eagle subsistence harvest of caribou, moose, bears, fsh, numerous other bird species. large mammals include brown bears, moose, wolves, town, called New Archangel, would Access: Park headquarters in Copper Center or Steese Highway from Fairbanks to Circle. waterfowl, and many edible and medicinal plants. lynx, and Dall sheep. More than 150 songbirds serve as Alaska’s economic and Access: Scheduled commercial fights from is 210 miles east of Anchorage by road. Two Scheduled fights serve both towns from Fairbanks. The Western Arctic caribou herd, numbering 340,000 species migrating from Asia and the tip of South cultural center for half a century. Anchorage and chartered air service from Anchorage, primitive roads enter the park. Under normal Approximate Size: 2.5 million acres. More migrates to and from their calving grounds through America yearly pass through the preserve, providing Kenai, Homer, Iliamna and Port Alsworth. Lodging Access: By ferry, commercial cruise summer conditions most two-wheel-drive Information: P.O. Box 167, Eagle, AK 99738-0167; the park every spring and fall. The gentle Kobuk River spectacular bird watching. The slow-moving, gentle is offered by private operators in the park and ships, and daily airline service vehicles can make the 59-mile trip from Chitina 907-547-2233; www.nps.gov/yuch. is popular for fshing, canoeing, and kayaking. The Noatak River offers excellent fshing, canoeing, and 

preserve. Flightseeing, wildlife viewing and guided Size: 113 acres. More to McCarthy and the historic Kennecott Salmon River is a designated national wild river. kayaking. Opportunities for wilderness backpacking fshing and hunting services are also available in Information: 103 Monastery townsite and the frst 29 miles of the Slana-to- and photography are plentiful. Access: Daily jet service from Anchorage to Kotzebue. Anchorage, Kenai, Homer, Iliamna and Port Alsworth. Street, Sitka, AK 99835-7665; Nabesna Road. Air taxis provide access to more 

Scheduled air service to nearby villages, and chartered Approximate size: 4 million acres. More Access: Daily jet service from Anchorage to Kotzebue. 907-747-0110; www.nps.gov/sitk. than 200 bush airstrips throughout the park 

air taxis for remote landings in the park. In summer, Information: 240 West 5th Avenue, Suite 236, Scheduled air service to nearby villages, and and preserve. Approximate Size: 13 million 

with advance arrangement, boat charters may be Anchorage, AK 99501; 907-644-3626 or the Port chartered air taxis for remote landings in the park. acres. More Information: P.O. Box 439, 

available. Approximate Size: 1.7 million acres. Alsworth Field Headquarters, Lake Clark National Approximate Size: 6.5 million acres. More Copper Center, AK 99573-0439; 

More Information: P.O. Box 1029, Kotzebue, AK Park and Preserve, General Delivery, Port Alsworth, AK Information: P.O. Box 1029, Kotzebue, AK 99752; 907-822-5234; www.nps.gov/wrst.

99752; 907-442-3890; www.nps.gov/kova. 99653; 907-781-2218; www.nps.gov/lacl. 907-442-3890; www.nps.gov/noat.

2011. Printed in the U.S.A. on recycled paper 

National Parks in Alaska 

The Alaska Public Lands Information Centers are In 1996, Congress designated the Aleutian World Midway down the wild, remote, and mostly roadless Set aside to provide opportunities for the study of the Cape Krusenstern National Monument is a coastal As North America’s highest mountain at 20,320 feet, 

interagency visitor centers providing information, War II National Historic Area to interpret the history Alaska Peninsula lies one of the nation’s most fascinat- former land bridge that connected Eastern Asia with plain with big lagoons, backed by gently rolling, massive Mount McKinley is the centerpiece of the 

education, and trip-planning assistance on behalf of the Unangan or Aleut people, the defense of the ing recent volcanic features. One of the least-visited North America, Bering Land Bridge National Preserve limestone hills. Archeological sites trace 5000 years glacierstrewn Alaska Range. The Athabascan people 

of nine state and federal agencies. Through this Aleutians and the United States in World War II, and national parks, Aniakchak National Monument and is a little known national park with a huge story. of human use of its coastline by prehistoric peoples call it Denali, “the High One.” Under its shadow in 

consolidated effort, visitors can learn about how to to educate and inspire present and future generations Preserve surrounds a large caldera formed by the Located on the Seward Peninsula, the preserve is a who occupied it seasonally to hunt marine mammals, Denali National Park and Preserve (known as McKinhave meaningful, safe, and enjoyable experiences about it. The 1942 bombing of Unalaska by Japan collapse of a 7,000-foot volcano. Set inland in a place remnant of the land bridge that was once exposed especially seals. As big storms and regular wind ley until 1980) are barren-ground caribou, grizzly 

on all public lands and how to protect the fragile precipitated the internment of 880 Aleuts in derelict of frequent clouds and ferce storms, Aniakchak was by lowered sea levels more than 13,000 years ago. and wave action formed new beach ridges, camps bears, wolves, moose, Dall sheep, and other wildlife. 

resources they will encounter along the way. Visitors cannery buildings in Southeast Alaska. The Historic unknown to all but area Natives until the 1920s, and Paleontological and archeological resources abound. were made on those close to water. Oldest sites Glacier-born rivers laden with silt meander across 

may also enjoy excellent interpretive programs and Area encompasses the nation’s highest-elevation had its last eruption in 1931. Nestled inside the caldera Ash explosion craters and lava fow, which are rare are on beach ridges farthest from the ocean. Over their wide, fat valleys. Much of the park’s scant tree 

exhibits at each location. coastal defense site. The Ounalashka Corporation is Surprise Lake, a remnant of a much larger lake that in the Arctic, mark the landscape. centuries this made a timeline giving a defnite, growth lies in the river valleys. At higher elevations 

privately owns this cultural landscape of World War catastrophically drained about 2,000 years ago. Warm datable outline of northwest Alaska’s cultural are large expanses of the tundra’s fascinating world Alaska’s public lands account for more than 300 Wildlife species in the region include grizzly bears, II era command centers, bunkers, and trails. The gun springs, melting snow, and glaciers feed Surprise Lake, succession and development. The Cape Krusenstern of dwarfed shrubs and miniature fowers. This alpine million acres—an area almost twice the size of Texas. reindeer, gray wolves, wolverines, muskox, and foxes. 

mounts and lookouts are among the most intact in which in turn gives rise to the Aniakchak Wild River. area is a designated Archeological District in the ecosystem is increasingly threatened by climate Public lands include state and national parks, forests, Seabirds, shorebirds, and waterfowl are abundant in the nation. A Visitor Center in Unalaska contains National Register of Historic Places and a National change, as warmer temperatures allow trees to grow refuges, wild rivers, historical areas, and more. Offering This narrow stretch of the Alaska Peninsula boasts a summer in the preserve, and because of its proximity extensive displays of artifacts from the war. Historic Landmark. higher up the mountainsides, crowding out these stunning landscapes and habitats ranging from south- rich human story. Volcanoes, earthquakes, and tsu- to Asia it is often home to species rare or unknown small, delicate plants. east rainforests to arctic tundra, public lands provide Access: Daily jet service from Anchorage to Unalaska. namis have interrupted the human story, yet the land in the rest of North America. Traditional subsistence Today, as for centuries, primary human use of Cape 

recreational opportunities unsurpassed anywhere else Ferry service is seasonal. Size: 134 acres. More abides as a wild place where humans can sense not activities such as hunting and trapping are permitted Krusenstern is subsistence hunting, fshing, and Access: By highway, railroad and chartered air 

in the world. They protect entire ecosystems as well Information: Ounalashka Corporation, P.O. Box 149, just independence but interdependence—kinship, in the preserve, continuing the traditional use of the gathering by Inupiaq Eskimos of nearby villages. service. To protect wildlife and to preserve the park’s 

as our nation’s unique cultural and historical treasures. Unalaska, AK 99685-0149; Aleutian World War II even—with the whole of the natural world. Life has area as it has been used for generations. Wildlife includes muskox, grizzly bears, wolves, red wilderness character, private vehicle use is restricted 

Visitor Center 907-581-9944 or the National Park persisted here in the face of catastrophic change. foxes, and vast birdlife, with seals and whales found on much of the Denali Park Road. A shuttle bus Four centers are strategically positioned throughout Access: Small aircraft during the summer and snow Service at 907-644-3661; www.nps.gov/aleu. offshore at various times of year. system operates in Denali along the 92-mile road the state to serve visitors and residents alike. Each Access: Scheduled air service puts you within charter mobile in the winter are the best methods for accessing from the park entrance to Kantishna. Approximate center has a regional emphasis but also represents fight distance via King Salmon or Port Heiden. the preserve. Some visitors base themselves at Access: Daily jet service from Anchorage to Size: 6 million acres. More Information: P.O. Box 9, the state as a whole. Visit us in Anchorage, Fairbanks, Peninsula weather can be severe at any time of the Serpentine Hot Springs, where there is an unimproved Kotzebue; chartered air taxis from Kotzebue to the Denali Park, AK 99755-0009; (907) 683-2294; Ketchikan, and Tok. The adventure begins here! year. Approximate Size: 600,000 acres. More airstrip. Approximate Size: 2.7 million acres. monument. Approximate Size: 675,000 acres. www.nps.gov/dena. Information: P.O. Box 245, King Salmon, AK 99613; More Information: P.O. Box 220, Nome, AK, 99762; More Information: P.O. Box 1029, Kotzebue, AK More Information: See front of brochure for 907-246-3305; www.nps.gov/ania. 907-443-2522; www.nps.gov/bela. 99752; 907-442-3890; www.nps.gov/cakr. locations and contact information. 

Gates of the Arctic Glacier Bay Inupiat Heritage Center Katmai Kenai Fjords Klondike Gold Rush 

Lying entirely north of the Arctic Circle, Gates of The extreme topography of Glacier Bay National Park The Inupiat Heritage Center in Barrow, Alaska, On June 6th, 1912 residents of the northern Alaska At the edge of the Kenai Peninsula, Kenai Fjords Like those who braved the unknown over a hundred 

the Arctic National Park and Preserve is the premier and Preserve reveals that it is a landscape driven by preserves and promotes traditional Inupiat culture Peninsula experienced one of the largest volcanic National Park preserves a complex ecosystem where years ago, today’s “gold seekers” arrive in Skagway, 

wilderness park within the National Park system. immense energies. Located along the collision zone and history through exhibits, collections, research, eruptions in recorded history. Thirty times greater mountains, ice, and ocean meet. The 700-square-mile Alaska to fnd riches of rugged landscape and a slice 

Roughly the size of Switzerland, it does not contain between the North American and Pacifc plates, coastal education and outreach. As an affliated area of the than the 1980 eruption of Mount Saint Helens, the Harding Icefeld, a remnant of the last ice age, of North American history—the Klondike gold rush. 

any roads or trails. Visitors traveling through this vast mountains here reach almost 3 miles into the sky, and New Bedford Whaling National Historical Park, New eruption at Novarupta volcano sent ash over 100,000 crowns the Park and is the source of at least 38 Reliving the dreams of gold can be had without the 

landscape discover intact ecosystems where people are still rising. The high summits of the Fairweather Bedford, Massachusetts, the center commemorates feet into the atmosphere, led to the collapse of glaciers that fow over and sculpt the land. Along the discomfort and challenges facing the hardy souls 

have lived with the land for thousands of years. Range feed numerous glaciers, some nourished by the contribution of Alaska Natives to the history of Mount Katmai, and created the Valley of Ten coastline, retreating ice reveals dramatic fjords where who rushed north as gold was discovered in 1897–98. 

The natural rhythms continue. Wild rivers meander enough snowfall to extend all the way to tidewater commercial whaling in the United States. The center Thousand Smokes. active tidewater glaciers calve and crash into the sea. Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park preserves 

through glacier-carved valleys, caribou migrate along and calve icebergs into the sea. Glacier Bay is truly a and the park collaborate on cultural exchange At Exit Glacier—the only part of the park accessible the historic districts of Skagway and Dyea as well as Katmai National Monument was established in age-old trails, endless summer light fades into aurora- place where one can still glimpse the age of ice. programs between Barrow and New Bedford to by road in the summer—you can explore the trails, portions of the Chilkoot Trail and White Pass units. 1918 to protect the volcanically devastated region lit night skies of winter. It remains virtually unchanged produce exhibits, conferences, and educational get close to an active glacier, and learn about life in The National Park Service and Parks Canada together Glacier Bay is known worldwide for its large, surrounding Mount Katmai and the Valley of Ten 

except by the forces of nature. materials and to sponsor visiting scholars and cultural this land of constant change on a ranger-led hike. capture the era in a chain of parks and heritage sites contiguous, intact ecosystems, still dominated by Thousand Smokes. Today, Katmai National Park and demonstrations. The center’s exhibits and cultural that commemorate the event and invite visitors to The park straddles the crest of the Brooks Range, the natural processes. It is a living, thriving wilderness Preserve is still an active volcanic landscape, but it Wildlife abounds here. Moose, bears, mountain 

events are open to the public. fnd their own grand adventure. northernmost extension of the Rocky Mountains. Its home to brown and black bears, mountain goats, also protects 9000 years of human history as well goats, and an array of bird-life occupy the narrow 

southern fank samples the boreal forest of Alaska’s moose, whales, seals, eagles, puffns, and more than Access: Daily jet service from Anchorage and as important habitat for runs of salmon and the band of ice-free coastal land in the park. Offshore, The park offers interpretive programs and town tours 

Interior. Its north slope gives way to low shrubs, 200 other bird species. The bay has experienced Fairbanks to Barrow, which offers lodging, restaurants, thousands of brown bears that feed on them. Steller sea lions, harbor seals, porpoises, sea otters, from the visitor center in the restored White Pass and 

grassy tussocks, and fragile, yet hardy, low-growing at least four major glacial advances and retreats, and tours of the town and vicinity. Song and dance and whales have adapted to life in the chilly waters Yukon Railway buildings at Broadway and Second Katmai is a rugged and diverse land where bears are tundra plants. Two distinct cultures live here today: resulting in an ideal living laboratory providing demonstrations are often presented in summer. of the fjords. Thousands of sea birds, including Avenue. Hikers may obtain orientation and permits at plentiful, salmon leap waterfalls on their journey to the Koyukon Athabascan of the spruce-taiga forests unparalleled opportunities to observe and study life More Information: puffns, murres, cormorants, and black-legged the Trail Center across the street for the international 

spawn, steaming volcanoes serve as a reminder of and the Nunamiut Eskimo who hunt caribou in returning to once barren landscapes. With diverse 907-852-0422; kittiwakes nest on rugged sea cliffs. Chilkoot trail from Dyea, Alaska to Bennett, B.C. the earth’s power, and the stories of past cultures the high valleys. Both cultures continue traditional plant communities ranging from glacial barrens to www.nps.gov/inup. continue to live on. Access: Seward is located 126 road miles south of Access: By ferry, cruise ship, scheduled airline, air subsistence lifestyles within the park and preserve. lush temperate rainforest, nowhere is the story of Anchorage. Regular bus and train services connect taxi or road (South Klondike Highway) Approximate plant succession more richly told than at Glacier Bay. Access: Scheduled jets from Anchorage Access: From the Dalton Highway or Anaktuvuk Anchorage and Seward. Exit Glacier, about 11 miles Size: 13,000 acres. More information: P.O. Box serve King Salmon on the park’s west 

Pass, or via charter fights out of Bettles or Coldfoot. Comprised of 3.3 million acres of rugged mountains, from Seward, can be reached in summer by road or 517, Skagway, AK 99840-0517; 907-983-9213; boundary year-round. Daily commercial Approximate Size: 8.4 million acres. More dynamic glaciers, temperate rainforest, wild coast- in winter by skis, snowshoes, or snowmachine (with www.nps.gov/klgo or Parkscanada.gc.ca/chilkoot. fights operate between King Salmon information: P.O. Box 30, Bettles, AK 99726; lines, and deep sheltered fjords, Glacier Bay National restrictions). Air and boat charters provide access to and the Brooks River area from June 

907-692-5494; www.nps.gov/gaar. Park is a highlight of Alaska’s Inside Passage and part the fjords. Located in Seward’s small boat harbor, the through mid-September. Air charters from of a 25-million acre World Heritage Site—one of the Information Center offers area information, flms, King Salmon, Homer, Kodiak, Anchorage, world’s largest international protected areas. exhibits, and a bookstore. The Nature Center at and other communities operate from May Exit Glacier has maps, books, exhibits, and offers Access: Glacier Bay National Park has no road access, through October. See the park’s website for a ranger-led programs in the summer. Size: 669,983 but a visit can be arranged via commercial cruise complete list of charter operators. acres. More Information: P.O. Box 1727, Seward, ship, tour boat, or by scheduled air or ferry service Approximate Size: 4.1 million acres. More AK 99664-1727; 907-422-0500; www.nps.gov/kefj. from nearby Juneau and other Southeast Alaskan Information: P.O. Box 7, King Salmon, AK 

communities. Approximate Size: 3.3 million acres. 99613-0007; 907-246-3305; www.nps.gov/katm. 

More Information: Bartlett Cove, Gustavus, AK 

99826-0140; 907-697-2232; www.nps.gov/glba. 

Kobuk Valley Lake Clark Noatak Sitka Wrangell-St. Elias Yukon-Charley Rivers