|
Kluane National Park
This 8,500-square mile area (22,000 square km.) in the southwestern corner of the Yukon Territory contains Mt. Logan (19,545 ft/5959 m.), Canada's highest peak, a part (along with Wrangell St. Elias, Glacier Bay,
Tatshenshini) one of the world's largest non-polar ice fields, and some of North America's finest wildlife population.
Some of the park's geological features include glacier-created sand dunes and dust storms,
and a large delta in Kluane Lake*, created by glacial silt deposits from the Kaskawulsh Glacier.
*Note: Kluane Lake is not in the park but the Kaskawalsh Glacier is.
Forests of white spruce fill the river valleys, and tundra, characterized by lichens, dwarf birch, and low shrub, covers the northern portion of the park at altitudes of 4,000 to 6,000 ft. Colorful Arctic flowers
grow in the crevices and along the rocky ledges of the park's mountains.
In 1980, Kluane National Park, along with the Wrangell-St. Elias National Monument, was added to UNESCO's roster of World Heritage
Sites.
Where to Write. Kluane National Park, Parks Canada, Box 5495, Haines Junction, Yukon Territory YOB 1LO. 867-634-2329
Noatak National Park
As one of North America's largest mountain-ringed river basins with an intact, unaltered ecosystem, the Noatak River environs features some of the Arctic's finest arrays of plants and animals. The river is classified
as a national wild and scenic river, and offers surperlative wilderness float-trip opportunities - from deep in the Brooks Range to tidewater of the Chukchi Sea. Noatak National Preserve lies almost completely
enclosed by the Baird and De Long mountains of the Brooks Range. In the lower river valley, the northern coniferous forest thins out and gradually gives way to the tundra that stretches northward to the Beaufort
Sea.
The Noatak basin is internationally recognized as a Biosphere Reserve. Under this United Nations scientific program, the area's ecological and genetic components are monitored to establish baseline data for
measuring changes in other ecosystems worldwide.
Humans can also gather information here on sustainable uses of natural resources. The Inupiat and other Native peoples who have lived off the land of northwest
Alaska for many thousands of years exemplify sustainability.
Special Park features: Motor boats, canoes, rafts are used on rivers; kayaks used along coast; primitive camping, back country hiking, beach walking, general wildlife observation, photography; local residents pursue hunting, fishing, trapping and other subsistence activities.
Where to contact for information: Northwest Alaska Areas, PO Box 1029, Kotzebue, Alaska 99752; 907-442-8300 Headquarters.
www.nps.gov/noaa
Sitka National Historic Park
Alaska's oldest federally designated park, Sitka National Historic Park was established in 1910 to commemorate the Battle of Sitka, which took place in 1804 on the point of land where the Indian River flows into
Sitka Sound. All that remains of the Kiksadi fort is its outline, marked by posts, but the surroundings are largely unchanged. Today, visitors to the scenic 107-acre park can view demonstrations of Native arts in
the Southeast Alaska Cultural Center, several totem poles along a short series of trails, and the Russian Bishop's House, one of four surviving examples of Russian colonial architecture in North America. This
original 1843 log structure conveys the legacy of Russian America through exhibits, refurbished living quarters and the Chapel of the Annunciation.
A classic combination of Northwest Coast totem poles and
temperate rain forest are combined on the scenic coastal trail within Sitka National Historical Park.
Special Park features: Interpretive talks, exhibits, slide program at the visitor center; native artisans demonstrate traditional arts in the Indian Cultural Center; bird watching, picnicking, plant identification and beach combing; exhibits and ranger tours at the Russian Bishop's House.
Where to contact for information: Sitka National Historical Park, 106 Metlakatla Street, PO Box 738, Sitka, AK 99835; 907-747-6281.
www.nps.gov/sitk
Wrangell-St. Elias National Park & Preserve
The Chugach, Wrangell, and St. Elias mountain ranges converge here at Wrangell St. Elias National Monument. The total acreage makes this the largest U.S. national park, the size of six Yellowstones. Four major
mountain ranges meet here, and include 9 of the 16 highest peaks in the United States. The high country is covered with snow year round, resulting in extensive ice fields and glaciers. The Bagley Ice field is the
largest subpolar icefield in North America. Together, Wrangell-St. Elias and the adjoining Kluane National Park in Canada form the premier mountain wilderness in North America.
Special Park features: Two roads lead into the park, one from the west ending at McCarthy, and one from the north, ending at Nabesna. These are the main visitor jumping off points for major activities including backpacking, hiking, camping, hunting, fishing, mountaineering, river running, sea kayaking in protected bays, and cross country skiing.
Where to contact for information: Headquarters: Mile 105.5 Old Richardson Highway, PO Box 439, Copper Center, AK 99573; Headquarters: 907-822-5234.
www.nps.gov/wrst
Yukon-Charley Rivers National Preserve
The great Yukon River enters Alaska from Canada through the Yukon-Charley Rivers National Preserve before making its way westward across the State and flowing out to the Bering Sea. Here the riverbed follows a great
geologic fault, and the flows are swift. A heavy silt load causes channel braiding in large sections of the river.
Side-streams tumble from the hinterlands; chief among these are the 100-mile long wild river Charley, the Kandik, and the Nation. The preserve includes all 106-river miles of the Charley River and its entire 1.1 million-acre watershed.
The preserve protects 115 miles of the 1,800-mile Yukon River and the entire Charley River basin. Numerous rustic cabins and historic sites are reminders of the importance of the Yukon River during the 1898 gold
rush. Paleontological and archeological sites here add much to our knowledge of the environment thousands of years ago.
Special Park features: The historic Coal Creek dredge and camp offers a view of life in an Alaskan bush gold operation. Cabins along the route depict the lifestyles of the trappers, miners, and woodcutters of a bygone era.
Where to contact for information: Yukon-Charlie Rivers National Preserve, 201 First Avenue, Fairbanks, Alaska 99701; 907-456-0593.
www.nps.gov/yuch
|
