Located at the northern end of Wrangell Island in Southeast Alaska, the community of Wrangell has a rich and complex history shaped by thousands of years of Indigenous occupation, maritime trade, European exploration, and the development of Alaska’s fishing, mining, and timber industries.
Long before the arrival of Russian, British, or American settlers, the region was home to the Shtax’héen Kwáan Tlinigit of Southeast Alaska, whose deep connections to the land, waterways, and surrounding islands continue to shape the community’s cultural identity today.
Wrangell is particularly significant because it stands at the intersection of Indigenous history and several periods of colonial expansion. It is often recognized as one of Alaska’s oldest continuously inhabited communities and is distinguished by its history under Tlingit sovereignty and successive Russian, British, and American colonial administrations.
Wrangell offers visitors a friendly taste of a frontier community in the midst of some of the most unique and pristine wilderness in Alaska. Visitors can walk among petroglyphs, visit chief Shakes Tribal House, Totem Park and the Wrangell Museum for a glimpse in to the Tlingit Native’ way of life or take a Hike up to Rainbow Falls.
Many visitors to Wrangell come to explore the Stikine River Delta by jet boat, fly over majestic snowcapped mountains, soak in natural hot springs, or explore the Tongass National Forest. The Stikine River, a designated wilderness area is abundant with the wildlife that lured the Hudson Bay Company to establish a settlement here. During July and August The Anan Bear and Wildlife Observatory is a favorite spot to view brown and black bears feasting on salmon.
Wrangell is part of the Southbound and Northbound mainline routes of the Alaska State Ferry, making it easy to travel between communities throughout the Inside Passage.
