Each summer, hundreds of thousands of salmon return to the Alagnak watershed to spawn.
Alagnak
The headwaters of Alagnak Wild River lie within the rugged Aleutian Range of neighboring Katmai National Park and Preserve. Meandering west towards Bristol Bay and the Bering Sea, the Alagnak traverses the beautiful Alaska Peninsula, providing an unp
Hikers on top of Angel Rocks near Fairbanks look out across the landscape of Chena River State Recreation Area
Alaska Public Lands
Alaska’s parks, forests, and refuges are rich and varied. The Alaska Public Lands Information Centers help visitors and residents to have meaningful, safe, enjoyable experiences on public lands, and encourages them to sustain the natural and cultural
In September 2009, Nick Lekanoff, Sr., former Makushin resident, traveled with his daughter and other descendants of Makushin on the Tiglax to visit the village site, which had been left behind in the evacuation of 1942 and never permanently resettled.
Aleutian Islands World War II
During World War II the remote Aleutian Islands, home to the Unangax̂ (Aleut) people for over 8,000 years, became a fiercely contested battleground in the Pacific. This thousand-mile-long archipelago saw invasion by Japanese forces, the occupation of
A lone raft floats the Aniakchak Wild River as it flows through the "Gates"
Aniakchak
Given its remote location and challenging weather conditions, Aniakchak is one of the most wild and least visited places in the National Park System. This landscape is a vibrant reminder of Alaska's location in the volcanically active "Ring of Fire,"
Three wet muskox.
Bering Land Bridge
Bering Land Bridge National Preserve lies at the continental crossroad that greatly influenced the distribution of life in the Western Hemisphere during the Pleistocene Epoch. It is a vital landscape for Indigenous communities who depend on the land
Muskox and Greater White-fronted Geese on vegetated beach ridges in front of the Igichuk Hills.
Cape Krusenstern
North of the Arctic Circle, the monument forms 70 miles of shoreline on the Chukchi Sea. More than 114 beach ridges provide evidence of human use for 5,000 years. The Inupiat continue to use the area today. Vast wetlands provide habitat for shorebird
Congress originally created Denali National Park (called Mount McKinley National Park, at the time) to protect wildlife, particularly Dall sheep
Denali
Denali is six million acres of wild land, bisected by one ribbon of road. Travelers along it see the relatively low-elevation taiga forest give way to high alpine tundra and snowy mountains, culminating in North America's tallest peak, 20,310' Denali
Aerial view of the Alatna River as it winds through a valley
Gates Of The Arctic
This vast landscape does not contain any roads or trails. Visitors discover intact ecosystems where people have lived with the land for over ten thousand years. Wild rivers meander through glacier-carved valleys, caribou migrate along age-old trails,
Passengers line the deck to enjoy the icy scene at Margerie Glacier
Glacier Bay
Covering 3.3 million acres of rugged mountains, dynamic glaciers, temperate rainforest, wild coastlines and deep sheltered fjords, Glacier Bay National Park is a highlight of Alaska's Inside Passage and part of a 25-million acre World Heritage Site—o
Traditional clothing of the Inupiaq on exhibit at the Center
Iñupiat Heritage Center
On the rooftop of the world, the Iñupiat Heritage Center in Barrow, Alaska, tells the story of the Iñupiat people. They have thrived for thousands of years in one of the most extreme climates on Earth, hunting the bowhead, or "Agviq." In the 19th cen
Each year, 200,000 to 400,000 sockeye salmon jump Brooks Falls.
Katmai
A landscape is alive underneath our feet, filled with creatures that remind us what it is to be wild. Katmai was established in 1918 to protect the volcanically devastated region surrounding Novarupta and the Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes. Today, Kat
Bear Glacier is the largest of nearly 40 glaciers that flow from the Harding Icefield.
Kenai Fjords
At the edge of the Kenai Peninsula lies a land where the ice age lingers. Nearly 40 glaciers flow from the Harding Icefield, Kenai Fjords' crowning feature. Wildlife thrives in icy waters and lush forests along the fjords once carved by the vast expa
The historic district in Skagway, Alaska is one of three units of the park in Alaska.
Klondike Gold Rush
Headlines screamed "Gold!" The dream of a better life catapulted thousands of people to Alaska and the Yukon Territory. Their journey shaped them, and changed the people they encountered and the north forever. Today, the park remembers the trails, bo
The setting sun casts shadows of black spruce on the dunes and colors the water of Ahnewetut Creek a deep blue.
Kobuk Valley
Caribou, sand dunes, the Kobuk River, Onion Portage - just some of the facets of Kobuk Valley National Park. Thousands of caribou migrate through, their tracks crisscrossing sculpted dunes. The Kobuk River is an ancient and current corridor for peopl
The park's namesake lake is the largest lake by volume in the National Park Service.
Lake Clark
Lake Clark National Park and Preserve is a land of stunning beauty. Volcanoes steam, salmon run, bears forage, and craggy mountains reflect in shimmering turquoise lakes. Here, too, local people and culture still depend on the land and water. Venture
A huge spray of northern lights is reflected in a tiny sliver of water in the Noatak River. This image was captured in early September at 2:30 in the morning.
Noatak
As one of North America's largest mountain-ringed river basins with an intact ecosystem, the Noatak River environs feature some of the Arctic's finest arrays of plants and animals. The river is classified as a national wild and scenic river. It offer
The Visitor Center contains exhibits, a 15 minute park video, and Tlingit and Haida art.
Sitka
On an island amid towering spruce and hemlock, Sitka National Historical Park preserves the site of a battle between invading Russian traders and indigenous Kiks.ádi Tlingit. Totem poles from Tlingit and Haida areas line the park’s scenic coastal tra
Wrangell-St. Elias National Park contains a diversity of natural features. Landscapes unique to the North American continent are common here.
Wrangell - St Elias
Wrangell-St. Elias is a vast national park that rises from the ocean all the way up to 18,008 ft. At 13.2 million acres, the park is the same size as Yellowstone National Park, Yosemite National Park, and Switzerland combined! Within this wild landsc
The Yukon River is a vast body of water that has carved its path into the landscape over millions of years.
Yukon - Charley Rivers
Located in Interior Alaska, Yukon-Charley Rivers offers exploration in a largely untouched landscape. Whether you float the mighty Yukon River or paddle the Charley River's whitewater, your memories will last a lifetime. Geology, cultural history, go