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Bering Land Bridge National Park
Most archaeologists agree that it was across the Bering Land Bridge that humans first passed from Asia to populate the Americas. The distance across the Bering Strait from Siberia to Alaska's Seward Peninsula is
approximately 55 miles, and for several periods during the Ice Ages the trip could be made entirely on land. During additional periods the passage could have been made by small watercraft bumping along coastlines.
Similar languages, spiritual practices, hunting tools and dwellings are just a few examples of the cultural practices shared by Native Alaskan and Siberian populations.
Special Park features: There are limited
federal facilities within the Preserve. Visitor center is located at 240 Front Street in Nome, Alaska. Six shelter cabins, and a bunkhouse style cabin at Serpentine Hot Springs.
Where to contact for information: National Park Service, PO Box 220, Nome, Alaska 99762; 907-443-2522
www.nps.gov/bela
Chugach National Forest
The Chugach was formally designated as a National Forest in 1907. It was one of the first reserves to be withdrawn after the National Forest System was established in 1891. This land of multiple uses extends to the
recreationist a chance to sightsee, bird watch, fish, hunt, boat, camp, hike, ski, snowmachine or hunt for ice worms.
Where to write: Persons intending to use Forest trails and who would like specific details should phone offices in Girdwood 783-3242 (for Girdwood to Turnagain Pass); Seward, 224-3374 (Seward to Russian River areas); and Cordova, 424-7661 (Prince William Sound and Copper River Delta areas).
General backcountry information can be obtained from the Chugach National Forest, 3301 C Street, Anchorage, AK 99503; 907-743-9500. Cabin information from any of the district offices or the
supervisor's office, cabin reservations can be made with a credit card by calling 1-877-444-6777.
www.reserveusa.com
The Chugach National
Forest map which gives general background information on wildlife in the Forest environment, also lists outlying cabins, campgrounds, and other facilities offering recreational opportunities for those seeking
to experience the joys of the great outdoors.
www.fs.fed.us/r10/chugach
Gates of the Arctic
Created to ensure the integrity of the arctic environment, Gates of the Arctic contains major portions of the Brooks Range and habitat of the western arctic caribou herd. Grizzly and black bear, wolf, moose, Dall
sheep, wolverine, and fox are also found in the park. At spring breakup, migratory species from Europe, South America, Asia, tropical archipelagos, and the continental United States join the few resident bird
species. Despite the variety, wildlife is widely dispersed because large areas are required to sustain life in the Arctic.
Special Park features: The Anaktuvuk Pass Ranger Station, Bettles Ranger Station, and
Coldfoot Visitor Center each have backcountry orientation displays. While in Coldfoot check out the ruins and cemetery of "Old Coldfoot" or visit the historic village of Wiseman just 13 miles north on the Dalton
Highway.
Where to contact for information: Gates of the Arctic National Park & Preserve, Fairbanks Office (Headquarters), 4175 Geist Rd, Fairbanks, AK 99709; 907-457-5752
www.nps.gov/gaar
Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve
Enter Glacier Bay and you cruise along shorelines completely covered by ice just 200 years ago.
Explorer Capt. George Vancouver found Icy Strait choked with ice in 1794, and Glacier Bay was a barely indented glacier. That glacier was more than 4,000 feet thick, up to 20 miles or more wide, and extended more than 100 miles to the St. Elias Range. But by 1879 naturalist John Muir found that the ice had retreated 48 miles up the bay. By 1916 the Grand Pacific Glacier headed Tarr Inlet 65 miles from Glacier Bay's mouth. Such rapid retreat is known nowhere else. Scientists have documented it, hoping to learn how glacial activity relates to climate changes.
The park has snow-capped mountain ranges rising to over 15,000 feet, coastal beaches with protected coves, deep fjords, tidewater glaciers, coastal and estuarine waters, and freshwater lakes. These diverse land
and seascapes host a mosaic of plant communities ranging from pioneer species in areas recently exposed by receding glaciers, to climax communities in older coastal and alpine ecosystems. These habitats support a
variety of life including seabirds, marine and terrestrial mammals that provide ideal conditions for wildlife viewing and for research as we endeavor to learn more about the world around us.
Special Park features: It is 65 miles from the forests of Bartlett Cove to the tidewater glaciers. A boat trip is undertaken by most visitors and is a highlight of Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve
Where to contact for information: Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve, PO Box 140, Gustavus, Alaska 99826-140; Headquarters: 907-697-2230, fax: 907-697-2654
www.nps.gov/glba
Katmai National Park and Preserve
6400 square miles in size, Katmai is home to some of the largest
brown bear populations in the world. Because of its roadless and
pristine wilderness nature, Katmai is a critical habitat for may
wildlife and bird species. Katmai encompasses more than four
million acres of pristine wilderness, with wild rivers and streams,
rugged coastlines, broad green glacial hewn valleys, active glaciers
and volcanoes, and Naknek Lake, the largest lake within a National
Park.
Katmai was declared a National Monument in 1918 to preserve the
famed Valley of the 10,000 Smokes. This spectacular forty square
mile, 100 to 700 foot deep, pyroclastic ash flow was deposited during
the June 6-9, 1912 eruption of Novarupta, the most explosive and
volumnous volcanic event of the Twentieth Century. Concerns for
the protection of brown bear habitat, the boundaries were extended,
and in 1980 the area received Wilderness designation and became
a National Park and Preserve.
Special Park features: Coastal Brown
Bear Viewing: Brooks Camp, Hallo Bay Wilderness Camp. Flightseeing
tours of the Valley of 10,000 Smokes and of the Katmai Coast are
available from commercial tour providers, including Brooks Lodge.
Several commercial fishing lodges are in or near Katmai National
Park & Preserve.
Where to contact for information: Katmai
National Park and Preserve, PO Box 7, #1 King Salmon Mall, King
Salmon, Alaska 99613.
www.nps.gov/katm
www.hallobay.com
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