Parks, Refuges & Forests

Identified in 1892 as one of the nation's first conservation areas, Afognak Island was originally designated as the Afognak Forest and Fish Culture Reserve because of its outstanding wildlife and salmon habitat value. Today the park is known for its rugged topography, dense old-growth Sitka spruce forests, and salmon spawning habitat. Kodiak brown bear, Sitka black-tailed deer, Roosevelt elk, and the endangered marbled murrelet inhabit the park. Visitors can fish, hunt, hike, or just enjoy the pristine, natural environment.

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 unparalleled opportunity to experience the unique wilderness, wildlife, and the cultural heritage of southwest Alaska.

The preserve was established to protect and perpetuate the world's largest concentration of Bald Eagles and their critical habitat. It also sustains and protects the natural salmon runs and allows for traditional uses; provided such uses do not adversely affect preserve resources. The Preserve consists of 48,000 acres of river bottom land of the Chilkat, Kleheni, and Tsirku Rivers. The boundaries were designated to include only areas important to eagle habitation. Virtually every portion of the preserve is used by eagles at some time during the year.

Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge was established to conserve marine mammals, seabirds and other migratory birds, and the marine resources upon which they rely. The Refuge's 3.4 million acres include the spectacular volcanic islands of the Aleutian chain, the seabird cliffs of the remote Pribilofs, and icebound lands washed by the Chukchi Sea, providing essential habitat for some 40 million seabirds, of more than 30 species.

Sandwiched between Becharof National Wildlife Refuge to the north and Izembek NWR to the south, Alaska Peninsula National Wildlife Refuge presents a breathtakingly dramatic landscape made up of active volcanoes, towering mountain peaks, rolling tundra and rugged, wave-battered coastlines. As is the case with most of Alaska's coastal refuges, salmon provide the principal "nutrient engine" for Alaska Peninsula, supporting the species that prey upon them and enriching the rivers and surrounding lands after they spawn and die.

During World War II the remote Aleutian Islands became a fiercely contested battleground in the Pacific Theater. This thousand-mile-long archipelago saw the mass relocation of Alaska Native civilians, the bombing of U.S. bases, invasion and occupation of two islands by Japanese forces, and one of the deadliest battles in the Pacific. Some sites still remain, standing the test of time in this harsh, exposed environment.

In the heart of the southern Kenai Peninsula, spanning the Anchor River and Fritz Creek drainages, lies the Anchor River/Fritz Creek Critical Habitat Area. Created in 1985 to protect natural habitat critical to perpetuation of fish and wildlife, especially moose, the area is one of the only major moose overwintering areas on the southern Kenai Peninsula.

Anchorage Coastal Wildlife Refuge, with its extensive tidal flats, marsh communities, and alder-bog forest, supports some of the greatest numbers and diversity of birds in the Anchorage area. At least 130 bird species have been sighted in the refuge. Moose and muskrats are commonly found on the refuge and moose are sometimes seen feeding on aquatic or shrubby vegetation in Potter Marsh. Coyotes, least weasels, mink, snowshoe hares, red squirrels, voles, and shrews are also residents of the refuge. Rabbit Creek, Little Rabbit Creek, and Little Survival Creek, which flow into Potter Marsh, all support populations of pink, coho, and chinook salmon and Dolly Varden char. An ideal mix of fresh and salt water combined with a nutrient-rich environment contribute to the importance of Potter Marsh as a juvenile fish-rearing area.

Given its remote location and challenging weather conditions, Aniakchak is one of the most wild and least visited in places in the National Park System. This landscape is a vibrant reminder of Alaska's location in the volcanically active "Ring of Fire" as it is home to an impressive six mile wide, 2,500 ft deep caldera formed during a massive volcanic eruption 3,500 years ago.

The visitor center is a partnership between three federal agencies that manage the public lands along the Dalton Highway: the Bureau of Land Management, the National Park Service, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Open only during the summer, the center provides Dalton Highway road conditions, visitor services, exhibits and films, trip planning, hunting and fishing information, bear barrel loans, backcountry registration for Gates of the Arctic National Park visitors, a bookstore, and more.

Arctic National Wildlife Range was established in 1960 to preserve unique wildlife, wilderness and recreational values. In 1980, the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act (ANILCA) re-designated the Range as part of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, and provided four purposes that guide management of the entire Refuge: to conserve animals and plants in their natural diversity, ensure a place for hunting and gathering activities, protect water quality and quantity, and fulfill international wildlife treaty obligations.

Beaver Creek Wild and Scenic River has its headwaters in the White Mountains, approximately 50 miles north of Fairbanks, Alaska. The river flows west past the jagged limestone ridges of the White Mountains before flowing to the north and east, where it enters the Yukon Flats and joins the Yukon River. The first 127 miles of Beaver Creek, most of it within the White Mountains National Recreation Area, were designated a National Wild River by the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act in 1980. The last 16 miles of designated wild river lie within the Yukon Flats National Wildlife Refuge.

Becharof National Wildlife Refuge embraces the largest lake in the National Wildlife Refuge System. Becharof Lake nurtures one of Bristol Bay’s largest sockeye salmon runs, part of the foundation for the regional economy. The Refuge, protecting 1,157,000 acres, also includes an active volcano, unusual geological features, historically significant landmarks, and a federally designated Wilderness.

Imagine a place of whimsical beauty and larger-than-life landscapes, an ancestral home to ice-age giants, and turbulent volcanic activity, a land that holds secrets to the intriguing history of human migration, sustains people that have lived here for generations, and continues to be part of a wide breadth of traditions. Bering Land Bridge is unlike any other place on earth.

This site was an important crossroad for travelers, traders, and the military during the early days of the 20th century. Rika's Roadhouse is the centerpiece of the park. The house served travelers on the historic Valdez-to-Fairbanks Trail from 1913 to 1947. John Hajdukovich had the north-south section of this log structure built in 1913. The Valdez-to-Fairbanks Trail was being improved at this time and the roadhouse was a center of activity for gold stampeders, local hunters, traders, and freighters.

Birch Creek Wild and Scenic River flows from the windswept ridges and alpine tundra of the Steese National Conservation Area into the broad expanse of the Yukon Flats in central Alaska. The river offers one-week float trips notable not only for scenery and remoteness but for convenience -- floaters can access both ends of the Wild River segment from BLM recreation sites along the Steese Highway. The Bureau of Land Management manages 110 miles of upper Birch Creek as a wild river under the National Wild and Scenic Rivers Act. The river continues through state, private and Yukon Flats National Wildlife Refuge land for a total of 344 miles before emptying into the Yukon River about halfway between Fort Yukon and Beaver.

Caines Head State Recreation Area, the scenic site of an abandoned World War II fort, can be reached by boat or foot from Seward. The massive headland rises 650 feet above Resurrection Bay, against a back drop of rolling alpine meadows and sharp peaks, giving way to a sweeping view of the North Pacific Ocean. Visitors are invited to explore the remains of Fort McGilvray, the South Beach Garrison and the many natural attractions of this 6,000 acre state recreation area.

The 730-acre Campbell Tract serves as a forested recreation site in the heart of Anchorage. With its 12 miles of trails, the tract offers four-season outdoor recreation opportunities. The area's diverse plants, wildlife, and habitats also serve as a wonderful outdoor classroom for the Anchorage community. The Campbell Tract is also home to the BLM Campbell Creek Science Center, a unique outdoor education center that promotes appreciation, understanding, and stewardship of the natural world.

North of the Arctic Circle, the Cape Krusenstern National Monument holds 70 miles of shoreline on the Chukchi Sea. It’s more than 114 beach ridges have been used by humans for 5,000 years. Vast wetlands provide habitat for shorebirds from as far away as South America. Hikers and boaters can see carpets of wildflowers among shrubs containing wisps of qiviut from muskoxen.

Each spring and fall, hundreds of thousands of ducks, geese, and shorebirds stop at Chagvan Bay to rest and feed on their way to and from nesting grounds located further north. The bay is especially critical to black brant that stop in the spring to feed on eelgrass. Large numbers of emperor geese, Taverner's Canada geese, and northern pintails also stop over during migration. Sea lions, harbor seals, and walrus frequent the waters of Chagvan Bay, as well as gray and beluga whales. Brown bears scavenge the beaches and, occasionally, caribou seek wind-cleared grazing along the breezy coast in winter. Smaller mammals, including river otters, mink, red fox, and wolverine can often be spotted hunting along the coast.

Chena River State Recreation Area is a park for all seasons. Are you interested in a day of hiking and rock-climbing at Granite Tors? Or would you prefer to harness up the dog team and escape into the snowy horizon, or perhaps ride a 4-wheeler along a forest trail? With 397 square miles of forests, rivers, and alpine tundra, the recreation area has something to offer everyone. The variety of activities draws more than 150,000 people to the Chena River State Recreation Area every year.

At the confluence of the Chilkat and Tsirku rivers 18 miles north of Haines on the Haines Highway, is the site of the largest known concentration of bald eagles in the world, the “Bald Eagle Council Grounds,” designated as both a state critical habitat area and the Alaska Chilkat Bald Eagle Preserve for the protection of bald eagles and their habitat. The area attracts visitors from around the world for its unparalleled bald eagle viewing opportunities.

Chilkat State Park offers a log cabin contact/information center, 35-site campground, picnic area, boat launch, and multi-use trails. The campground sits in a mixed forest of evergreens and deciduous trees at the edge of Chilkat Inlet. The boat launch provides access to the inlet and the run of king salmon in early June. The contact/information centers offers incredible views of Chilkat Inlet, including Rainbow and Davidson glaciers. The center also has wildlife spotting scopes so you can spot the inlet wildlife, such as seals, porpoises, and whales. Visitors have even been able to spy on bears and mountain goats on the other side of the inlet.

The Chugach National Forest is located in southcentral Alaska and is the farthest north and west of all national forests in the National Forest System. One of two national forests in Alaska and one of the largest in the National Forest System, the Chugach National Forest is approximately 5.4 million acres. From the Kenai Peninsula to Prince William Sound to the eastern shores of the Copper River Delta, the forest is full of special places. Thirty percent of the Chugach National Forest is covered in ice, including 20 tidewater glaciers. Stretching across 700,000 acres of the national forest, the Copper River Delta is the largest contiguous wetlands complex on North America’s Pacific Coast. The Chugach National Forest includes more than 1,800 miles of anadromous fish streams and 48,100 acres of anadromous fish lakes. Hike along Resurrection Pass Trail, kayak to a public use cabin, go fishing in Russian River, or take a cruise to see tidewater glaciers. There is something for everyone in the Chugach National Forest!

Chugach State Park is located in Southcentral Alaska mostly within the Municipality of Anchorage. The park contains approximately 495,000 acres of land and is one of the four largest state parks in the United States. The park’s westernmost boundary lies in the western foothills of the Chugach Mountain Range and is a mere seven miles to the east of downtown Anchorage. The park is further defined by the Knik Arm on the north, Turnagain Arm on the south, and Upper and Lower Lake George and Chugach National Forest on the east. It is the backyard and playground for locals, with endless hiking possibilities!

The Cinder River Critical Habitat Area is an important area for cackling Canada geese, tundra swans, marbled godwits, and other abundant species such as rock sandpipers, dunlin, bartailed godwits, and western sandpipers. No public access to the areas has been developed, and public use facilities do not exist in these critical habitat areas. Access is by small plane or boat.

Extending along the eastern shores of Cook Inlet from Cape Kasilof south to Happy Valley, Clam Gulch Critical Habitat Area was established in 1976 to ensure that the public continues to have the opportunity to enjoy its prolific razor clam beds. The condition of the beach is critical to the success of each year's clam population. A healthy, unpolluted beach is essential to ensure a continuing abundance of razor clams.

East of Cordova, in the productive interface between the marine environment and the coastal rain forest of the North Gulf Coast, the Copper River Delta Critical Habitat Area's vast 35-mile wide wetland complex is a critical stop for millions of migratory birds on the Pacific Flyway. A great diversity of bird species during spring migration makes the delta popular for wildlife watching in May. Fall waterfowl hunting, moose and bear hunting, trapping, salmon fishing, and clamming are popular pursuits.

During the gold rush at the turn of the century, Belle and Charles Hinckley brought three cows and some horses from Nome up the Yukon and Tanana Rivers to the small outpost of Fairbanks to operate a dairy. As the dairy grew over the years, migratory waterfowl congregated at Creamer's Field in increasing numbers. The grain and large open fields provided prime habitat to feed and rest on the journey north and west. When the dairy went up for sale in 1966, the community raised money to ensure the farm fields were preserved so the birds would continue to stopover along their migratory route. Creamer's Refuge protects and enhances quality habitat for a diversity of wildlife, especially waterfowl and other migratory birds, while also providing for compatible public uses, such as wildlife viewing, research, and nature education.

The Dalton Highway stretches 414 miles across northern Alaska from Livengood (84 miles north of Fairbanks) to Deadhorse and the oilfields of Prudhoe Bay. Built during construction of the trans-Alaska oil pipeline in the 1970s, this mostly gravel highway travels through rolling, forested hills, across the Yukon River and Arctic Circle, through the rugged Brooks Range, and over the North Slope to the Arctic Ocean. Along most of its length, you'll see no strip malls, no gift shops, no service stations—just forest, tundra, and mountains, crossed by a double ribbon of road and pipe.

In 1979, the Alaska Legislature established the 90,000-acre Delta Junction State Bison Range. The purpose of the bison range was to perpetuate free-ranging bison by providing adequate winter range and to alter seasonal movements of bison to reduce damage to agriculture. The Delta Junction State Bison Range is open to most public uses provided the activity does not damage the range’s resources, disturb wildlife or disrupt existing public uses. Allowed activities generally include hunting, trapping, fishing, wildlife watching, hiking, boating, snow machining, and camping

Delta River is one of a few easily accessible wild and scenic rivers in the state of Alaska, providing both day use and overnight boating opportunities. A wide range of outstanding recreational opportunities attract people of all ages and abilities for river-related solitude and undisturbed environment as well as wildlife viewing, fishing, hunting, trapping, camping, hiking, snowmachining, skiing and photography. Boating opportunities include both lake and river paddling on clear and glacial water stretches, challenging whitewater, and exceptional opportunities for both day use and extended overnight backcountry excursions.

The Denali Highway is 135 miles long, of which only 24 miles are paved, and it connects the towns of Paxson on the Richardson Highway with the Cantwell on the Parks Highway. A loop trip originating and returning to Fairbanks is about 435 miles. A loop trip from Anchorage is close to 600 miles. Allow several days travel for either of these trips and plan for remote, dirt road, limited services driving conditions as you travel the Denali Highway. The highway is generally open from mid-May to October 1. Opportunities for hunting, fishing, hiking, wildlife viewing, and enjoying scenic vistas are abundant!

Denali is six million acres of wild land, bisected by one ribbon of road. Travelers can see the relatively low-elevation taiga forest give way to high alpine tundra and snowy mountains, culminating in North America's tallest peak, the 20,310 foot high Denali. Wild animals large and small roam un-fenced lands, living as they have for ages. Solitude, tranquility and wilderness await.

Denali State Park is an integral part of one of North America's most spectacularly beautiful regions. The park's 325,240 acres, almost one-half the size of Rhode Island, provide the visitor with a great variety of recreational opportunities, ranging from roadside camping to wilderness exploration. The park is about 100 air miles north of Anchorage and is divided roughly in half by the George Parks Highway, the major road link between Anchorage and Fairbanks. Situated between the Talkeetna Mountains to the east and the Alaska Range to the west, the landscape varies from meandering lowland streams to alpine tundra. Dominating this diverse terrain are Curry and Kesugi Ridges, a 35 mile-long north/south alpine ridge, the backbone of the eastern half of the park.

The Dude Creek Critical Habitat Area in northern southeast Alaska, adjacent to the community of Gustavus and next door to Glacier Bay National Park, encompasses the largest expanse of undisturbed wet meadow habitat in the region. The area is enjoyed in the fall as a sandhill crane viewing area by residents and visitors alike, while local residents use it for recreation year-round.

The Egegik Critical Habitat Area is one of five critical habitats in the Bristol Bay area. These critical habitat areas protect habitat for hundreds of thousands of migratory birds, as well as sea and land mammal habitat. No public access to the areas has been developed, and public use facilities do not exist in these critical habitat areas. Access is by small plane or boat.

This is the site of the territorial Governor Ernest Gruening’s rustic summer home near Dotson’s Landing/Amalga Harbor. The park is a beautiful setting showing off Alaska’s political and natural history. Territorial Governor Ernest Gruening wrote much of the manifesto for statehood called “The State of Alaska” in 1953 at this site. Today visitors can fish, view wildlife, and walk along interpretive trails.

Few other units of the Alaska State Park System, that are comparable in size, possess the cultural and natural resources found in Fort Abercrombie. The historic ruins of a World War II coastal defense installation coupled with the steep surf-pounded cliffs, deep spruce forests, wildflower-laden meadows, and a lake containing trout, offer visitors a unique opportunity to learn of the events of World War II while enjoying the natural beauty of the park.

Located west of the Sitka airport runway, Fort Rousseau Causeway State Historical Park provides a unique opportunity for visitors to discover Sitka’s WWII history. Although undeveloped with no visitor facilities or no land access to the park, a short boat ride or kayak is worth the effort. Visitors to the park can explore numerous WWII features including ammunition magazines, lookouts, gun emplacements, and the headquarters command center.