The recreational opportunities are varied and plentiful. Although continuously inhabited since early prehistoric times, the area remains wild and sparsely populated, with aircraft providing the primary means of access. Within the park the mountains of the Alaska and the Aleutian Ranges join. The Chigmits , an awesome, jagged array of mountains, are the result of centuries of uplifting, intrusion, earthquakes, volcanism, and glacial action. The range's eastern flank descends rapidly to Cook Inlet .
Rivers cascade dramatically to the sea through forests of Sitka and white spruce.
The coastal cliffs, holding fossil remnants of 150 million years of sea life, are stark counterpoints to the active volcanoes and glacial streams that are reshaping the landscape. On marshes and outwash plains, swans and other waterfowl nest. The rocky cliffs in and adjacent to the park provide rookeries for puffins, cormorants, kittiwakes, and other seabirds. Seals and whales may occasionally be observed off shore. The western flank of the Chigmit Mountains descends through tundra covered foothills to boreal forest.