NATIONAL PARKS OVERVIEW 1.indd

Transcription

Alaska’s National Parks – Media Information
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Table of Contents
Welcome Letter
Media contact information
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Alaska’s National Parks Overview
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10 Icons of Alaska’s National Parks
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10 Activities Not to Miss
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Regulations and Safety
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National Park Service Highlights & Events
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The Big Picture: Alaska’s National Parks
ANILCA: 25 Years of Land Protection and Management
Experience Parks of “Outstanding Universal Value”
Public Use Cabins Offer Your Own Piece of the Wilderness
Uncovering History in Alaska’s National Parks
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11
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Affiliated Attractions: Aleutian World War II National Historic Area
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Up Close with Alaska’s National Parks
Kenai Fjords National Park
Wrangell-St. Elias National Park & Preserve
Glacier Bay National Park & Preserve
Klondike Gold Rush National Park
Lake Clark National Park & Preserve
Sitka National Historic Park
Denali National Park & Preserve
Gates of the Arctic National Park & Preserve
Katmai National Park & Preserve
Western Arctic National Parklands
Yukon-Charley Rivers National Preserve
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Welcome to Alaska’s National Parks
Welcome to Alaska and her incredible national parks!
Alaska’s parks are as varied as they are vast, and each is worthy of exploration -- and a story. This press kit
will help you plan a visit, tell a compelling story, find dramatic images and locate services.
The parks in Alaska are part of America’s nearly 400-unit National Park System that, collectively, honors
and defines our heritage. In Alaska, the parks represent both the great sweep of American history and
natural abundance: artifacts of the earliest North Americans; the Russian colonial period; the quest for
gold; bears, salmon, caribou and eagles; and the awe-inspiring mountains and tundra.
You’ll meet colorful people and find countless stories in Alaska’s parks. For travel journalists, think about
easy walks to a glacier at Kenai Fjords or a tour of what was once America’s richest copper mine in
Wrangell-St. Elias. Sporting stories might find you hooking a salmon or trout, viewing caribou, bears,
wolves or moose, or kayaking in calm waters at Glacier Bay. On the news side, Alaska’s parks continue
to work through thorny issues, 25 years after Congress established 10 new parks and doubled the size of
the America’s national park system. Front page issues like wilderness management, snowmachines, roads,
visitation growth, and visitor facilities are present in many parks.
We appreciate the opportunity to help you write about Alaska, smooth the logistics and provide leads to
the people with whom you need to connect. Thanks for your interest in Alaska, and we hope to see you in
a park.
Sincerely,
John Quinley
Assistant Regional Director of Communications, Alaska Region
Media contact info –
Alaska Travel Industry
Association
www.travelalaska.com/media
(800) 327-9372
atiamedia@gci.net
National Park Service –
Alaska Region
www.nps.gov/akso
John Quinley
240 West 5th Ave.
Anchorage, AK 99501
(907) 644-3512
john_quinley@nps.gov
Alaska’s National Parks Overview
Alaska’s
National Parks
Wild River
Alaska is home to 13 federally designated wild rivers, one national historic area, one national monument and preserve,
one national monument, two national parks, two national historical parks, three national preserves, and six national parks
and preserves. These include:
• Alagnak Wild River
• Alatna Wild River
• Aniakchak Wild River
• Charley Wild River
• Chilikadrotna Wild River
• John Wild River
• Kobuk Wild River
• Mulchatna Wild River
• Noatak Wild River
• Koyukuk Wild River (North Fork)
• Salmon Wild River
• Tinayguk Wild River
• Tlikakila Wild River
National Historic Area
• Aleutian World War II National Historic Area
National Monument and Preserve
• Aniakchak National Monument and Preserve
National Preserves
National Monument
National Parks and Preserves
National Parks
National Historical Parks
Affiliated Areas
• Bering Land Bridge National Preserve (part of the Western Arctic National Parklands)
• Noatak National Preserve (part of the Western Arctic National Parklands)
• Yukon - Charley Rivers National Preserve
• Cape Krusenstern National Monumentt (part of the Western Arctic National Parklands)
• Denali National Park and Preserve
• Gates Of The Arctic National Park and Preserve
• Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve
• Katmai National Park and Preserve
• Lake Clark National Park and Preserve
• Wrangell - St Elias National Park and Preserve
• Kenai Fjords National Park
• Kobuk Valley National Parkk (part of the Western Arctic National Parklands)
• Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park
• Sitka National Historical Park
• Inupiat Heritage Center (associated with New Bedford Whaling National Historical Park in Massachusets)
• Aleutian World War II National Historic Area
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Alaska’s National Park Lands
Barrow
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Visitors to Alaska’s National Parks
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KC
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Inupiat Heritage Center
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BEAUFORT
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Cape Krusenstern
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2
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ve
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RI
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S S AT E
RU ST
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CA NA DA
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UN ITE D ST
The most popular park was the
Klondike Gold Rush National
Historical Park in Skagway, which
saw more than 843,000 visitors.
Also in the top five most-visited
parks were Denali National Park
and Preserve, Glacier Bay National
Park, Sitka National Historical Park
and Kenai Fjords National Park.
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r
KOTZEBUE
Nearly 2.3 million visitors enjoyed
Alaska’s 17 national parks in 2004,
setting a new visitation record
for Alaska.
SEA
U
4
Fairbanks
2
NORTON SOUND
Ta
McKinley Park
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The least-visited park in 2004 was
the remote, beautiful Aniakchak
National Monument, located on
the Alaska Peninsula southwest of
Katmai National Park.
Alaska Public Lands
Information Center
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Klondike
Gold Rush
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Haines
SEA
K
W
Kenai Fjords
1
GULF OF ALASKA
DA ES
NA TAT
CA D S
E
IT
BERING
KO
UN
S
KU
IM
BR
3
National Park Service and affiliated areas
National Park or
National Monument
PA C I F I C O C E A N
National Preserve
National Historical
Park
Unalaska
Affiliated area
Aleutian World War II
National Historic Area
0
0
National Wild and
Scenic Rivers
1 Alagnak
2 Alatna
3 Aniakchak
4 Charley
5 Chilikadrotna
6 John
7 Kobuk
8 Mulchatna
9 Noatak
10 Koyukuk (North Fork)
11 Salmon
12 Tinayguk
13 Tlikakila
200 Kilometers
200 Miles
Alaska Public Lands
Information Center
10 Icons of Alaska’s National Parks
1. Glacier Bay
Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve, located in Southeast Alaska,
started as a small indent in the Grand Pacific Glacier. Today, the glacier
has retreated and the bay has grown into a beautiful area popular for
fishing, boat tours, kayaking, whale and glacier watching and wildlife
viewing.
Due to Alaska’s
vast and unique
environment, it
is impossible to
see and appreciate
everything this
great state offers.
However, these 10
must-see icons are
a good place to
start.
2. Mount McKinley
Whether you’re gazing from a flightseeing tour, up close on a
mountaineering expedition, or standing in awe at the side of the
highway, you can’t miss Mount McKinley, located in Denali National
Park and Preserve. Mount McKinley, also known as Denali, stands at
20,320 feet, making it North America’s tallest mountain.
3. Chilkoot Trail
The Chilkoot Trail begins in the Klondike Gold Rush National Historic
Park, located in the town of Skagway in Southeast Alaska. The 33-mile
trail is famous for the tens of thousands of hopeful gold prospectors
traveling with a year’s worth of supplies from Alaska to the Yukon
goldfields in hopes of making their fortune in the Klondike Gold Rush
of 1897.
4. Kennecott Mine town site
The Kennecott Mine town site, located in Wrangell-St. Elias National
Park and Preserve, thrived from 1911, when the railroad to Kennecott
was completed, to 1938, when the high grade copper veins were
depleted. After that, the area became a ghost town, but today thrives
with many outfitters and guides that will help visitors explore the mine
site and surrounding areas in the park. Many of the original mine
structures still stand and are considered the best remaining example of
early 20th century copper mining.
5. Yukon River
The Yukon-Charley Rivers National Preserve protects 115 miles of the
great, 1,800-mile Yukon River. The river, which stretches from Canada
and across Alaska, was a major transportation route and played a key
role in the gold rushes of the late 1800s. Today, the river is popular for
rafting, kayaking and canoeing.
6. Great Kobuk Sand Dunes
You might not want to sunbathe on the sand dunes in Kobuk Valley
National Park in Northwest Alaska, but they are still worth a visit. The
25-square-mile Great Kobuk Sand Dunes were created by the grinding
action of ancient glaciers and stabilized by the area’s vegetation. Along
with the Little Kobuk and Hunt River dunes, sand dunes cover most of
the southern Kobuk Valley.
7. Bering Land Bridge National Monument
When you visit Bering Land Bridge National Monument, located on
the Seward Peninsula in northwest Alaska, you will be standing on the
remains of the land bridge that first brought humans from Asia to the
Americas more than 13,000 years ago. Once thousands of miles wide,
the majority of the bridge now lies beneath the sea.
8. Harding Icefield
The 700-square-mile Harding Icefield, located in Kenai Fjords National
Park in Southcentral Alaska, is one of only four remaining icefields in
the U.S. It is also the largest icefield entirely within U.S. borders. Icefield
crossings, which take successful mountaineers up to two weeks to
complete, or the eight-mile Harding Icefield Trail, are popular options
for visitors.
9. Tlingit Totem Poles
Get an insightful look into Tlingit culture in Sitka National Historical
Park, Alaska’s oldest federally designated park. There, you can view
totem poles collected from villages all over Southeast Alaska, as well as
meet and watch traditional Tlingit artists at work.
10. Bears of Katmai
More than 2,000 brown bears make their home in Katmai National
Park and Preserve on the Alaska Peninsula. Many congregate in Brooks
Camp, along the Brooks River, drawn there by the sockeye salmon
runs. However, bears are common all along the 480-mile Katmai coast.
Visitors to the park can watch while bears feed on the salmon runs and
play with their young.
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10 Activities Not to Miss
1. Fish in Resurrection Bay
Hop on one of the many fishing charter boats in Seward, near
Kenai Fjords National Park, and head out into the Kenai Fjords or
Resurrection Bay – hotspots for Alaska’s renowned salmon, halibut,
rockfish and lingcod.
Whether you crave
extreme adventure
or are more of an
armchair traveler,
you will find
activities to enjoy in
Alaska. Here is just
a snapshot of the
possibilities.
2. Find “The Big Five”
Thousands of caribou, herds of dall sheep, thousand-pound moose,
grizzly bears, and 14 packs of wolves make their home in Denali
National Park and Preserve. Pull out your camera and see if you can
capture “the big five” on your trip.
3. Hike the Chilkoot Trail
Follow in the footsteps of the tens of thousands of hopeful gold
prospectors as you trek up the 33-mile Chilkoot Trail in Klondike Gold
Rush National Historic Park.
4. Raft the Yukon River
Load up your raft with provisions and float down the Yukon River in
Yukon-Charley Rivers National Preserve. Pack a tent, stay in one of the
seven public use cabins or sleep under the stars along the way. Many
visitors start at the town of Eagle and end at Circle, though longer trips
can take you all the way to the Bering Sea.
5. Explore the Backcountry
If the idea of no trails, no roads and no people appeals to you, then slip
on your backpack, lace up your hiking boots and start exploring Alaska’s
backcountry. Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve, Lake Clark
National Park and Preserve and Gates of the Arctic National Park and
Preserve offer stunning – and challenging – terrain.
6. Kayak Glacier Bay
In your kayak, slide past the islands and glaciers of Glacier Bay National
Park and Preserve. Admire the snow-capped mountain ranges, coastal
beaches, protected coves, deep fjords and calving glaciers as you paddle
among the abundant marine life, including whales, porpoises, sea lions,
sea otters and harbor seals.
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7. Get a Bird’s Eye View
Seeing Alaska by air is an experience not to miss. Get an “overview”
of the countless glaciers, rivers, lakes, wildlife and mountain ranges
by taking a flightseeing tour over Denali National Park and Preserve,
Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve or Kenai Fjords National
Park.
8. Bike to a Ghost Town
Climb onto a mountain bike and pedal your way from the small town
of McCarthy to the mining ghost town of Kennecott in Wrangell-St.
Elias National Park and Preserve. While the going can be rough, the
scenery makes it all worth it.
9. Ski to a Glacier
The falling snow is just the beginning of adventure in Alaska. Strap on
your cross-country skis and head toward Exit Glacier in Kenai Fjords
National Park. At the end of the day, enjoy the view as you sip a mug of
hot chocolate in your own public use cabin.
10. Drive a Dog Team
Travel Alaska-style – on the back of a dog sled! Hold onto your sled
while you race through the snow, pulled by a team of dogs. Popular
dog sledding destinations are in Denali National Park and Preserve and
Kenai Fjords National Park.
Regulations and Safety
Traveling in vast,
remote Alaska
has its risks and
challenges,but
most can be
avoided by
planning,
knowledge and
common sense.
Here are some
tips for safe,
enjoyable
adventures.
• Have proper clothing
Always dress appropriately and be prepared for changing conditions.
The key to staying warm, dry and comfortable in Alaska is layering.
Consider your base layer, which keeps you dry, your middle layer,
which offers insulation, and your outer layer, which protects you from
wind and water. Proper footwear is also essential.
• Stay hydrated
Even if you’re going for a short walk, be sure to take water with you.
Dehydration is a major contributor to outdoor recreation injuries, so
drink often and know where to find more water if you need it. And
always treat water before drinking – the water source may look pristine,
but may still contain contaminants.
• Plan ahead
Before starting out on any adventure, let a friend, family member or
park ranger know where you’re going and when you plan to return.
Always carry some sort of survival kit, including a first aid kit,
waterproof matches and extra food and water. Check conditions, such
as weather, trail conditions, bear sightings and river crossings, before
heading out.
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• Know bear safety
There are bears in most parks, but encounters with them are quite rare.
Following some basic safety precautions, such as keeping your distance,
making noise when moving through bear country, storing food
properly and making a smart campsite will help keep you safe.
• Don’t feed the animals
Feeding wild animals can cause them to lose their natural fear of
humans and suffer negative health effects. Please do not feed the
animals and always dispose of trash properly.
• Firearms
Some parks allow firearms – others don’t. Always check with the park
you’re visiting for specific rules.
• Private property
Respect private property in or around the parks.
• Pets
Pets are allowed in most parks, but usually must be leashed. Always
check with the park you’re visiting for specific rules.
• Get permits
In Alaska, you must have a state fishing license if you’d like to fish our
waters. Plus, some parks require a permit for backcountry travel. So be
sure to get the permits you need.
• “Leave no trace”
Follow the “leave no trace” camping etiquette to ensure our parks
are healthy for future generations. Some key points – avoid walking
on fragile vegetation, don’t alter the landscape (cutting down trees,
building structures, etc.), and pack out everything you brought with
you.
Visitors peer into the treetops at one of the many species
of birds in Alaska’s national parks.
National Park Service Highlights & Events
2006
February 24-25
Winterfest celebration at Denali National Park and Preserve. Special park programs and
movies, winter skill teaching such as skiing, snowshoe use and dog mushing, guided trips
on trails leading out of the headquarters area. Community programs in nearby Healy
and McKinley Village.
Visit www.nps.gov/denaa for more information.
April 17-23
National Park Week. Special programs planned at the Alaska Public Lands Information
Centers, at parks and at local schools.
Visit www.nps.gov/akso for more information.
June 3
National Trails Day. NPS helps sponsor improvement projects on local community and park trails.
Visit www.nps.gov/akso for more information.
Sept. 12-14, 2006
A three-day Alaska Park Science Symposium, the second in a planned biennial series, will be held at the Murie Science
and Learning Center, Denali National Park, from Tuesday, September 12, through Thursday, September 14, 2006. The
symposium will provide the opportunity for leading biological, physical, cultural, and social scientists to present papers
summarizing the latest research, resource inventories and monitoring results, from national parks and preserves in Central
Alaska (focusing on Denali, Wrangell-St. Elias and Yukon-Charley Rivers) and the adjacent areas of the Yukon Territories
through oral presentations.
Press contact is Kris Fister, (907) 683-9583.
September 15-18
Denali Park Road Lottery (weather permitting).
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When the Alaska National Interests Lands Conservation Act (ANILCA) was signed into law by President Jimmy Carter 25
years ago, it not only protected millions of acres, it also changed the management of Alaska lands forever.
For the National Park Service (NPS), ANILCA expanded three existing parks, Glacier Bay, Katmai and Denali national
parks and preserves. It also established 10 new areas, including:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Aniakchak National Monument
Bering Land Bridge National Preserve
Cape Krusenstern National Monument
Gates of the Arctic National Park and Preserve
Kobuk Valley National Preserve
Lake Clark National Park and Preserve
Noatak National Preserve
Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve
“ANILCA was early recognition that Alaska is a very special and unique
place,” said Cam Toohey, special assistant to the U.S. Secretary of the Interior.
ANILCA: 25
Years of Land
Protection and
Management
By Rachel M. Grenier
ANILCA set aside more than 100 million acres of federal lands in Alaska,
doubling the size of the national park and refuge systems and tripling
designated wilderness lands.
The expansions and additions established millions of acres of beautiful,
valuable areas, such as the archaeological remains at Cape Krusenstern,
the glaciers and icefield in Kenai Fjords, the untouched wilderness at
Gates of the Arctic, bears in their natural habitat at Katmai and the old
mining cabins in Yukon-Charley Rivers area, to name a few.
ANILCA’s history begins in 1959 when the new state of Alaska was
granted the right to select 104 million acres of land from within its
borders. The state’s selections stirred the Alaska Native community to
action, as traditional lands were being identified by Alaska’s first residents.
Those concerns eventually resulted in the Alaska Native Claims
Settlement Act (ANCSA), enacted in 1971. Among other things,
ANCSA authorized newly created Alaska Native corporations to
select 44 million acres of federal lands in Alaska.
IF YOU GO
National Park Service – Alaska Region
240 West 5th Avenue, Room 114
Anchorage Alaska, 99501
907-644-3513
www.nps.gov/akso
Alaska Conservation Foundation
441 West Fifth Avenue, Suite 402
Anchorage, AK 99501-2340
907-276-1917
www.akcf.org
U.S. Department of the Interior
1849 C Street, NW
Washington, DC 20240
www.doi.gov
Alaska Travel Industry Association
800-862-5275 (consumer information)
800-327-9372 (media information)
www.travelalaska.com
For general Alaska trip-planning
information, please visit
www.travelalaska.com.
The Big
Picture:
Regulations
and
Safety Alaska’s National Parks
Experience
Parks of
“Outstanding
Universal
Value”
Nestled along the Canadian border with Alaska, four outstanding wild areas form the largest protected land area in the
world. Together, they include the highest mountain peak in
Canada; the second highest peak in the U.S.; more than 2,000
glaciers; dozens of river systems; and, abundant wildlife and
marine mammals.
So outstanding is the combined land area comprised of
Canada’s Kluane National Park and Reserve and TatshenshiniAlsek Park and Alaska’s Wrangell-St. Elias and Glacier Bay
national parks that it has been designated a World Heritage
Site.
The designation comes courtesy of the United Nations
Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO),
which works to identify, protect and preserve sites of
outstanding universal value around the world.
“It gives global recognition of the value of our cultural and
natural resources so we as a planet can work to protect it,”
said Smitty Parratt, chief of interpretation at Wrangell-St. Elias
National Park and Preserve.
Potential sites are nominated by their home countries, and
evaluated by the World Heritage Committee. To become a
site, the area must meet at least one out of ten selection criteria,
such as “exceptional natural beauty” or “ongoing ecological
and biological processes.”
In 1992, Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve, also in
Alaska, was added to the site. British Columbia’s TatshenshiniAlsek Park was added in 1994, increasing the site’s size to 24.3
million acres, making it the world’s largest internationally
protected ecosystem.
Want to experience first-hand why these parks were named a
world heritage site? While it would take a lifetime to explore its
24.3 million acres, here are a few ways to get an overview of the
site’s “outstanding universal value.”
Raft the Alsek River
A 125-mile rafting trip down the Alsek River is one of the best,
most adventurous ways to experience the site.
“It gives you a really great sampling of what the whole area
has to offer,” said Barbara Kelly, director of sales for Alaska
Discovery Wilderness Adventures, a guiding company that
leads Alsek River trips.
The approximately 12-day trip offers views of Kluane National
Park and Reserve, the St. Elias and Fairweather mountain
ranges, Tweedsmuir Glacier, the Alsek-Tatshenshini river
confluences and exciting class III and IV whitewater. Near the
end of the journey, visitors float the iceberg-laden waters of
Alsek Bay, on the outskirts of Glacier Bay National Park and
Preserve, before arriving in Dry Bay.
Currently, there are 788 world heritage sites, with 20 sites in
the U.S.
When Alaska’s Wrangell-St. Elias National Monument and
Kluane National Park and Reserve in the Yukon were inscribed
as a World Heritage Site in 1979, it became the first bi-national
world heritage site. Wrangell-St. Elias became a national park
and preserve the following year.
A couple enjoys rafting on the Alsek River.
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IF YOU GO
The Wrangell Mountains are among the most rugged in Alaska.
Soar over mountains
Mountains are a major feature in the site’s landscape,
boasting the 19,950-foot Mount Logan, Canada’s
highest peak, and the 18,008-foot Mount St. Elias, the
second highest peak in the U.S.
While adventurous climbers undertake mountaineering
expeditions on these peaks, less experienced visitors
can have their own up-close experience from a seat of a
flightseeing tour.
Dozens of local companies take to the skies above the
parks, offering bird’s eye views of the ranges, glaciers,
rivers and wildlife below.
Get on a glacier
With more than 2,000 glaciers in the site, a glacial
experience is not to be missed.
Visitors looking for adventure can go ice climbing in
Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve, paddle
a kayak through the icy waters of Glacier Bay National
Park and Preserve, or spend several days camping,
hiking and exploring the parks’ backcountry glaciers.
Other visitors may choose to take a flightseeing tour
that lands on a glacier, or hop aboard one of the many
tour boats in Glacier Bay for a leisurely sightseeing trip.
World Heritage Centre UNESCO
7, place de Fontenoy
75352 Paris 07 SP, France
33-1-45 68 15 71
33-1-45 68 55 70 (fax)
http://whc.unesco.org
PO Box 439
Copper Center, AK 99573-0439
907-822-5234 (headquarters)
907-822-5238 (Slana Ranger Station)
907-823-2205 (Chitina Ranger Station)
907-784-3295 (Yakutat Ranger Station)
907-822-7216 (fax)
www.nps.gov/wrst
Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve
P.O. Box 140
Gustavus, AK 99826-0140
907-784-3295(Yakutat Ranger District)
907-784-3370 (Alsek River hotline)
907-697-2654 (fax)
www.nps.gov/glba
Kluane National Park and Preserve
P.O. Box 5495
Haines Junction, Yukon
Canada
Y0B 1L0
867-634-7250
867-634-7208 (fax)
www.pc.gc.ca/pn-np/yt/kluane/index_e.asp
Tatshenshini-Alsek Park
http://wlapwww.gov.bc.ca/bcparks/explore/
parkpgs/tatshen.htm
Alaska Discovery Wilderness Adventures
5310 Glacier Highway
Juneau, AK 99801
800-586-1911
907-780-6226
907-780-4220 (fax)
www.akdiscovery.com
For general Alaska trip-planning information,
please visit www.travelalaska.com.
Imagine – after a strenuous hike, a leisurely float down a river, or a day
kayaking along the shoreline, you arrive at your own private cabin in the
middle of the wilderness. No people, no sounds except for the whistling of
the birds and the whispering of the breeze.
Public Use
Cabins Offer
Your Own
Piece of the
Wilderness
This experience could be yours by staying at one of the public use cabins in
Alaska’s national parks.
The National Park Service maintains several public use cabins in Alaska’s
Bering Land Bridge National Preserve, Kenai Fjords National Park, YukonCharley Rivers National Preserve and Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and
Preserve.
The cabins function both as recreational destinations and as shelter for
travelers through the backcountry. Often they are a much-needed escape
from the pace of urban life.
In the summer of 2003, Andromeda Romano-Lax, her husband and her
children, aged five and eight, spent three days at the Aialikk public use cabin
in Kenai Fjords National Park.
“Overnighting in the Fjords allows you to soak up the atmosphere longer,”
said Romano-Lax, author of several Alaska guidebooks.
After being dropped off by a water taxi, the family spent their days kayaking
along the shore, fishing the waters, watching for wildlife and, when the
weather was poor, playing board games in the comfortable, heated cabin.
Weather often plays a factor for cabin users. Before her successful trip in
2003, Romano-Lax had reserved the Aialik cabin but was unable to reach it
due to bad weather.
“Expect variable weather,” Romano-Lax said. “Make a
multi-day reservation, since you may not be able to get
to – or back from – your cabin according to any preplanned schedule.”
While weather can be an inconvenience to recreational
users trying to reach a remote cabin, it is, in some cases,
the very reason other cabins exist. In the more remote reaches of YukonCharley Rivers National Park and Preserve, for instance, several cabins
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are open in the winter for any dog musher, snowmobiler or cross-country
skier that may need a place to warm up and escape from a snowstorm, or
temperatures that can plummet well below zero.
“When you’re soaked, you can dry off and it’s pretty wonderful,”
said Steve Ulvi, management assistant at Yukon-Charley Rivers National
Preserve and Gates of the Arctic National Park and Preserve. “And the
cabins can be a savior in winter.”
While cabin use is highest in the summer, when visitor activity peaks, some
cabins see a buzz of activity during the winter, too. For example, Slaven’s
Roadhouse, in Yukon-Charley Rivers National Preserve, is used as an
unofficial checkpoint for the Yukon Quest International Sled Dog Race.
And the Willow cabin, in Kenai Fjords National Park, is available only
during the winter months, when users can cross country ski, dog mush,
snowshoe or snowmobile to reach it.
“The cabins can add to the visitor experience,” Ulvi said.
In general, the cabins’ amenities are basic, but can seem luxurious after
a long day in the wilderness. Although the cabins are all different, each
usually offers sleeping platforms, a heat source and, most importantly, a roof
overhead. Many of the cabins also have log books in which visitors can pen
details about their trip and the weather they encountered, wildlife spotted
or anything else, for that matter. Reading the log books is entertaining and
offers an interesting perspective on the area and the history of the cabin.
In addition to providing visitor shelter, opening the cabins up to the public
also helps preserve them. This is especially true in Yukon-Charley Rivers
National Preserve, where many of the public use cabins are historic mining
cabins along the Yukon River.
“People using the cabins help us to preserve the cabins,” Ulvi said. While
park rangers do general maintenance, such as brush cutting, minor repairs
and stove upkeep, it is the users who let in the fresh air, keep the cabin clean
and alert rangers of any problems.
The park just asks one thing of cabin users. “We hope you’ll leave it in the
same condition for others to enjoy,” Ulvi said.
12
IF YOU GO
Making arrangements to stay in a cabin is different at each of the
parks. The highly popular cabins in Kenai Fjords National Park
require reservations, charge a fee and fill up early. The more remote
cabins, in Bering Land Bridge National Preserve and Yukon-Charley
Rivers National Preserve, for example, are first-come, first served.
Below are resources to help you find out more about reservations,
cost, occupancy, amenities, maps and other information on public
use cabins in Alaska’s National Parks.
PO Box 1727
Seward, AK 99664
907-224-2132 (recorded message)
907-224-7505 (fax)
www.nps.gov/kefj
P.O. Box 220
Nome, AK 99762
907-443-2522 (visitor information)
907-443-6139 (fax)
www.nps.gov/bela
Seward Chamber of Commerce
P.O. Box 79
Seward, AK 99664
907-224-5563
www.sewardak.org
Wrangell-St. Elias
National Park and Preserve
PO Box 439
907-822-7216 (fax)
www.nps.gov/wrst
Yukon-Charley Rivers
National Preserve
P.O. Box 167
Eagle, AK 99738
907-547-2233 (Eagle Ranger Station)
907-457-5752(Fairbanks headquarters)
907-547-2247 (fax)
www.nps.gov/yuch
Alaska Public Lands
Information Center
(four locations statewide):
www.nps.gov/aplic
Anchorage
605 W 4th Avenue Suite 105
Anchorage, AK 99501
907-271-2737
Fairbanks
250 Cushman Street Suite 1A
Fairbanks, AK 99701
907-456-0527
For general Alaska trip-planning information, please visit www.travelalaska.com.
Tok
PO Box 359
Tok, AK 99780
907-883-5667
Ketchikan
50 Main Street
Ketchikan, AK 99901
In summer, the beach ridges at Cape Krusenstern National
Monument in Alaska’s high arctic are dotted with thousands
of colorful wildflowers.
Uncovering
History
in Alaska’s
National Parks
But to the more experienced eye, these beach ridges, which
number more than 100 and stand up to 12 feet high, also
hold the clues that explain the human history of the area.
“It’s a pretty significant place,” said Robert Gal, archeologist
for the Western Arctic National Parklands. “It’s the place we
were able to work out the pre-history of Northwest Alaska in
good detail.”
J. Louis Giddings began exploration in the area in 1958.
Giddings, an Arctic archaeologist, was drawn to the area by
the unique series of beach ridges, created by the changing
shorelines of the Chukchi Sea over thousands of years. He
reasoned each ridge would hold traces of the culture and
people who lived there when it was a shoreline, and the oldest
remains would be furthest from the current shoreline.
He was right, and the work he completed with his students
between 1958 and 1960 uncovered hundreds of houses,
campsites and artifacts.
“His work was the foundation. From that, we were able to
outline more than 4,000 years of pre-history,” Gal said.
Since the area became a national monument in 1978, the
National Park Service (NPS) has undertaken several projects
with partners including Brown University and the University
of California, Davis. Next summer, NPS staff will begin an
extensive surveying and mapping project of the area.
“The Park Service is in the business of stewardship,” Gal said.
“Most of our actions are evaluating and locating sites, so we
can keep an eye on them. We provide the framework for
future researchers.”
The Cape Krusenstern beach ridges are just one example of
the many important archaeological areas in Alaska’s national
parks. At Katmai National Park and Preserve, located on the
Alaska Peninsula in Southwest Alaska, archaeologists are also
piecing together the human history of the area.
The park is home to many prehistoric sites, which include
villages, camps, artifacts, hunting blinds, stone rings and
graves, dating from 9,000 years ago up to 1820, when Russian
explorers arrived in the area.
The historic sites, including hunting and trapping cabins,
mining camps, reindeer corrals, canneries, shipwrecks, trading
posts and early lodges, paint a picture of more recent human
activity in the park.
Two significant areas are Brooks River and Amalik Bay, which
are both designated as archaeological districts and national
historic landmarks on the National Register of Historic Places.
The sites in these areas hold long and detailed records of
hunting, fishing and marine cultures present here since the
close of the last ice age. Brooks River National Historic
Landmark contains North America’s highest concentration
of prehistoric dwellings spanning the last 4,500 years.
The beach ridges at Cape Krusentstern National Monument
contain thousands of years of human history.
13
14
IF YOU GO
And sites at Amalik Bay provide information on the maritime hunters who lived
there over the last 7,600 years. There, Park Service efforts have uncovered human
bones, stone tools, remains of houses, and evidence of all kinds of food, including clams,
fish, birds and maybe even a polar bear foot.
Archaeologists from the University of the Oregon began explorations in the area in 1953. Today,
archaeologists, cultural anthropologists, historians and museum curators in the park’s cultural
resources program continue to conduct research.
Preservation efforts – required because of looters or environmental factors – are also an important
part of the job.
“If we don’t protect them then the information preserved in them will be lost,” said Dale Vinson,
historic preservation coordinator for Lake Clark and Katmai national parks and preserves.
P.O. Box 1029
Kotzebue, AK 99752
907-442-8316 (fax)
www.nps.gov/cakr
Katmai National Park and Preserve
P.O. Box 7
King Salmon, AK 99613
907-246-2116 (fax)
www.nps.gov/katm
This diagram
shows how
historic dwellings
were originally
constructed
partially
underground.
An Alaska Native visits a historic site where a traditional dwelling once stood.
Affiliated Attractions: Aleutian World War II National Historic Area 15
On June 3, 1942, six months after the attack on Pearl Harbor,
Japanese aircraft bombed Dutch Harbor in the Aleutian Island
Chain, starting the Aleutian Campaign.
During the campaign, the Japanese invaded and occupied Attu and
Kiska islands. Aleuts, the indigenous residents of the Aleutian Islands,
were evacuated from their homes and housed in Southeast Alaska
“duration villages.” The Battle of Attu was fought in May 1943, and
the Allies invaded Kiska on August 15, 1943.
The Aleutian World War II National Historic Area was designated in
1996 to honor the troops who served there, recognize the Aleuts who
lost their homes and share the history of an area critical to the defense
of the U.S. during World War II.
The area includes the remains of Fort Schwatka, a now-shuttered
U.S. Army base that was one of four coastal defense posts built to
protect Dutch Harbor during World War II. More than one hundred
buildings were constructed at Fort Schwatka, and many of the
structures were built to withstand earthquakes and 100 mile-per-hour
winds.
Today, many of the fort’s structures have collapsed, but the gun
mounts and lookouts are some of the most intact in the country. In
fact, the area has been called one of the 10 best places in the U.S. to
experience World War II history.
The Aerology Building Visitor Center, located at the Unalaska
airport, is another place to experience the region’s military history.
The building, which served as the central weather monitoring station,
is one of the most intact and architecturally significant World War
II buildings in the Aleutian Islands. Today, the visitor center features
World War II exhibits, films and a reconstructed radio room.
The Aleutian World War II National Historic Area is located in
Unalaska, on Amaknak Island in the Aleutian Island Chain. Unalaska
is accessible by plane from Anchorage or by the Alaska Marine
Highway System.
The facilities are owned and managed by the Ounalashka
Corporation, with technical assistance from the National Park
Service. A land use permit must be purchased from either the visitor
center or Ounalashka Corporation office prior to visiting Fort
Schwatka.
IF YOU GO
Ounalashka Corporation
P.O. Box 149
400 Salmon Way
Unalaska, AK 99685
907-581-1276
www.ounalashka.com
National Park Service – Aleutian World
War II National Historic Area
www.nps.gov/aleu
Unalaska/Port of Dutch Harbor
Convention and Visitors Bureau
P.O. Box 545
Unalaska, Alaska 99685
907-581-2612
877-581-2612
www.unalaska.info
Up Close with
Alaska’s National Parks
16
FACILITIES:
Up Close with Alaska’s National Parks: Kenai Fjords National Park
Size and Location: Kenai Fjords National Park is comprised of 669,983 acres on the
southeast coast of Kenai Peninsula, near the town of Seward in Southcentral Alaska.
Accessibility: Seward is accessible by the Seward Highway, Alaska Railroad service,
Alaska Marine Highway ferries and charter air flights.
History: Kenai Fjords National Park was established as a national monument in 1978.
It became a national park in 1980 to preserve the fjord and rainforest ecosystems,
Harding Icefield, abundant wildlife and historical and archeological remains, as well as
providing visitor access.
Unique features: Kenai Fjords National Park includes three main areas – Exit Glacier,
Harding Icefield and the coast. Exit Glacier, a half-mile wide river of ice, is the easiest
section of the park to access. The 700-square-mile Harding Ice Field is one of only four
remaining ice fields in U.S. It is also the largest ice field entirely within U.S. borders. The
park’s rugged coastline includes beautiful tidewater glaciers and abundant marine wildlife.
Visitor count: 244,111 visitors in 2004
Temperature: Summer temperatures range from the mid 40s to the low 70s. Winter
temperatures range from the low 30s to 20 below zero.
Activities and attractions: Both the roadside and backcountry visitor can find enjoyable
activities in Kenai Fjords National Park. Activities include kayaking, camping, public use
cabins, fishing, beach combing, bicycling, hiking, cross-country skiing, snow mobiling,
dog sledding, boat tours, ranger programs, flight seeing and mountaineering.
Fees: There are no fees for entrance to Kenai Fjords National Park.
What’s new: This year marks the first full year of operation of the Kenai Fjords Nature
Center at Exit Glacier. In addition to visitor services, the center is also home to a unique
project – the center’s electricity is generated by a propane-powered fuel cell, resulting in a
quiet, low-emission power and heat source.
Seward Information Center
Located on Seward’s small boat harbor
Open May 7 - May 26
from 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.
May 27 - September 5
September 6 - 12
Exit Glacier Nature Center
Located nine miles down
Exit Glacier Road
Open Memorial Day Weekend
to Labor Day
from 9 a.m. - 8:30 p.m.
FOR MORE INFORMATION:
PO Box 1727
Seward, AK 99664
907-224-2132 (recorded message)
907-224-7505 (fax)
www.nps.gov/kefj
Seward Chamber of Commerce
P.O. Box 79
Seward, AK 99664
907-224-5563
www.sewardak.org
Up Close with
17
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Up Close with
18
FACILITIES:
Size and Location: The nation’s largest national park, Wrangell-St. Elias National Park
and Preserve is made up of 13 million acres in the eastern portion of Interior Alaska,
along the Canadian border. Nearby communities include Glennallen, McCarthy, Copper
Center and Chitina.
Accessibility: The park headquarters and visitor center in Copper Center is about a fourhour drive from Anchorage. Two gravel roads provide access to this massive park. The 42mile Nabesna Road reaches the northern portion of the park, and the 60-mile McCarthy
Road leads directly into the heart of the park. Local air taxis and flightseeing tours can also
provide transportation in the park.
History: Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve was proclaimed a national
monument in 1978 and a world heritage site in 1979. In 1980, it was established as a
national park and preserve.
The area was once an important center for copper mining. The first copper discovery
was in 1899, though the mines did not go into full production until the railroad line to
Kennecott was completed in 1911. The Kennecott Mine town site thrived until 1938,
when the high-grade copper veins were depleted. After that, the area became a ghost town,
though people still live in nearby McCarthy year-round.
Gold was also discovered in 1899, and Alaska’s last big gold rush was stimulated by finds
in the area in 1913.
Unique features: Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve is often called the
“mountain kingdom of North America,” as the Chugach, Wrangell and St. Elias ranges
converge here. The park’s Mount St. Elias, standing at 18,008 feet, is the second highest
peak in the United States.
Another noteworthy park feature is the now-deserted Kennecott Mine town site, a
national historic landmark. With several structures still standing, the area is considered the
best remaining example of early 20th century copper mining. Visitors can get an up-close
look at the mines by taking a guided tour from the Kennecott Visitor Center, located at
the national historic site.
Chitina Ranger Station
Located at mile 33 Edgerton
Highway in Chitina
Open Memorial Day through
Labor Day
Slana Ranger Station
Located at mile .5 Nabesna Road
in Slana
Open year-round,
8 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. in summer,
by appointment in winter
Yakutat Ranger Station
Located on Mallott Avenue in Yakutat
Open year-round,
8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.,
Monday - Friday
Kennecott Visitor Center
Located in the Kennecott
National Historic Site
Open Memorial Day to Labor Day,
9 a.m. – 5:30 p.m. daily
Wrangell-St. Elias Visitor Center
Located at mile 106.8 Richardson
Highway
Open year-round,
8 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.,
Monday - Friday
19
IF YOU GO
Temperature: Summer temperatures can reach nearly 80 degrees Fahrenheit, while winter
temperatures can range anywhere from 10 degrees above zero to 50 below.
Activities and attractions: Popular activities in the park include exploring the old mining town
of Kennecott, taking a scenic drive along the Nabesna and McCarthy roads, mountain biking,
bird and wildlife viewing, rock climbing, ice climbing, fishing, horseback riding, hiking, camping
and river rafting. Winter visitors can enjoy cross country skiing, snowmobiling, dog mushing and
snowshoeing.
Fees: There are no entrance fees in Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve.
What’s new: Construction plans are underway for the Ahtna Museum, the latest addition to the
park’s headquarters in Copper Center. The museum, which will be operated by the Ahtna Heritage
Foundation, will focus on the Native communities and history in the Ahtna region, which is located
in Southcentral Alaska, encompassing the Copper River Basin and the Wrangell Mountains.
National Park Service – Alaska Region
240 West 5th Avenue, Room 114
Anchorage Alaska, 99501
907-644-3513
www.nps.gov/akso
Alaska Conservation Foundation
441 West Fifth Avenue, Suite 402
907-276-1917
www.akcf.org
U.S. Department of the Interior
1849 C Street, NW
Washington, DC 20240
www.doi.gov
A ranger addresses a group of visitors to
Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve.
20
Big Fun in
the Nation’s
Biggest Park
It makes sense that the largest national park would offer a large
range of recreational opportunities. And that’s exactly what
visitors will find in Alaska’s Wrangell-St. Elias National Park
and Preserve.
On the other hand, backpacking is one activity overlooked by
many visitors. Well marked and maintained trails offer hikers
the opportunity to get deeper into the park and see more of
the untouched landscape.
“This park is such a special place,” said Wayne Marrs, owner of
St. Elias Alpine Guides, a guiding service located in McCarthy,
one of the communities in the park. “It’s huge, enormous,
magnificent. We’ve been trudging around this place for 26
years.”
“A lot of people are intimidated by the Alaskan backcountry,”
Marrs said. “You should be cautious and safe, but I’d like to see
more faces out there.”
Within the park’s 13.2 million acres lies an incredibly diverse
landscape, with the continent’s largest collection of glaciers,
three mountain ranges, wild rivers, coastal shores and historical
landmarks.
The activities in the southern park of the park, near the
community of Yakutat, are more water-focused, due to its
location on the Gulf of Alaska.
Kayaking in Icy Bay, rafting and fishing the many rivers – even
surfing the waves – are popular options.
Visitors can splash down the rivers in a raft. Kayak through
calm bay waters. Soar over millions of acres of wilderness on a
flightseeing trip. Scale cliffs of ice and mountain peaks. Make
long backcountry treks. Appreciate the scenery from the saddle
of a horse or a mountain bike. And even ride the ocean waves!
Surfing in Alaska sounds impossible to many people, but the
Yakutat area actually boasts about 90 miles of sandy beaches
and waves of six to 12 feet. And with a dry suit, dedicated
surfers can ride year-round. In fact, Outside Magazine recently
named Yakutat as on of the U.S.’s top five surfing destinations.
Touring the now-deserted Kennecott Mine town site, a
national historic landmark, is also a popular activity. The town
site, located in the central part of the park near the community
of McCarthy, includes the remains of an important, early 20th
century copper mine.
“Our sand has been compared to beaches in Oregon and
California,” said Amanda Bremner, visitor use assistant at the
Yakutat ranger station.
Flightseeing is one of the park’s must-do activities.
Yakutat is also the jumping off point for mountaineering
expeditions of Mount St. Elias, which stands at 18,008 feet
and is the second highest peak in the United States.
“Flightseeing is pretty much the only way to get an idea of how
big the park is,” said Natalie Bay, of Wrangell Mountain Air,
a charter air and flightseeing company located in McCarthy.
“You have to get up high to see how big it is.”
Compared to other parks, Wrangell-St. Elias sees a small
number of visitors. For example, 404,265 visitors made their
way to Denali National Park and Preserve last year, while only
57,221 visited Wrangell-St. Elias.
21
IF YOU GO
“I think it is definitely overlooked,” Marrs said.
Bay believes location and access are the reasons for lower visitor numbers. The central
area of the park is served by two long, unpaved roads. The southern area of the park is
accessible primarily by air or water.
“It’s not that easy to get to,” she said. “Unless you’ve got the time, most people don’t
come visit.”
However, the solitude can be an added benefit for those visitors willing to put in the
extra effort.
“It’s kind of nice to be the hidden gem,” Marrs said. “It definitely feels like Alaskan
wilderness.”
PO Box 439
907-822-5238 (Slana Ranger Station)
907-823-2205 (Chitina Ranger Station)
907-784-3295 (Yakutat Ranger Station)
907-822-7216 (fax)
www.nps.gov/wrst
St. Elias Alpine Guides, LLC
PO Box 92129
Anchorage, AK 99509
907-554-4445
888-933-5427
www.steliasguides.com
Wrangell Mountain Air
#25 PO Box MXY
McCarthy, Alaska 99588
907-554-4411
800-478-1160
www.wrangellmountainair.com
Greater Yakutat Chamber of Commerce
www.yakutatalaska.com
The historic Kennecott Mill remains a landmark in Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve
Up Close with
D A W S O N
Noyes Mountain
8147 ft
District Ranger Station
R A N G E
N
U
property interspersed
T
Z
O
P E R G L A CIE R
Cooper Pass
iv
River
R
IE
Clear
Creek
AC
R
er
A
IS
LI
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LA
GL
W
N
PRESERVE
G
Mt Wrangell
14163 ft
4317 m
N AT I O N A L
PRESERVE
N AT I O N A L
NA
Park Headquarters
T
Tazlina
Lake
Mt Gordon
9040 ft
2755 m
C OP
Mt Zanetti
13009 ft
3965 m
I
IS A
Mt Drum
12010 ft
3661 m
Tolsona Lake
To
Anchorage
T
Mt Allen
9480 ft
2883 m
N
G
Mt Blackburn
16390 ft
4996 m
NA B E S N A
E
L
L
13860 ft
13600 ft
4225 m
4145 m
Atna Peaks
M
Regal Mountain
13845 ft
4220 m
SANCTUARY
Mt Macauly
15405 ft
4695 m
Mt Steele
16644 ft
5073 m
Mt Lucania
17147 ft
5226 m
Mt Walsh
14780 ft
4505 m
DON
Mt Slaggard
15575 ft
4747 m
STEE
Mt Wood
15885 ft
4842 m
KLUANE
N AT I O N A L PA R K
I
C
McArthur Peak
14400 ft
4389 m
I
E
BB
6050 m
F
HU
LD
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L
D
AL
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RST
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CIER
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AR
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CO L U
YA
H
M B US
GLACIER
TSE
S E WA R D
Mt St. Elias
18008 ft
5489 m NEW
G
GLACIER
Mt Augusta
14070 ft
4289 m
Mt Vancouver
15700 ft
4785 m
Y
ER
F I S H CI E R
GLA
SUCKLING
HILLS
Cape
Y
Yakataga
TERRITORY
N TERRIT
CHAIX
HILLS
Cape Suckling
KA
YA
GULF OF ALASKA
M A L A SPINA
GLACIER
North
0
0
10
20 Kilometers
10
20 Miles
Wrangell-St. Elias
National Park
Native corporation
lands
Wrangell-St. Elias
National Preserve
Unpaved road
Please respect private
property rights and obtain
permission before entering
the one million acres of
nonfederal lands within the
park/preserve. Most private
land is along frequently used
roads. Stick to these roads
and/or trails so you do not
trespass. If you have questions, check with a park
ranger.
22
Up Close with
23
FACILITIES:
Size and Location: Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve is comprised of 3.3 million
acres in Southeast Alaska, near the community of Gustavus.
Accessibility: Gustavus is accessible by air or passenger ferry. The only road in the park
links Gustavus with Bartlett Cove, the main access point for park exploration. Boats are
the primary mode of transportation in the park. Tour boats, pleasure boats and kayaks are
popular options.
History: In 1794, a survey crew described what is now called Glacier Bay as a five-mile
indent in a glacier that stretched “as far as the eye could distinguish.” In 1879, when
scientist/naturalist John Muir visited the area, he found the ice had retreated more than 30
miles, creating an actual bay. The glacier has continued to recede at a rapid rate.
Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve was named a national monument in 1925. In 1980,
the area became a national park and preserve, and 2.7 million acres received wilderness
designation. In 1986, the park became a biosphere reserve, and the area was named a world
heritage site in 1992.
Unique features: Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve is an example of one of the most
rapid glacial retreats, offering an intriguing natural laboratory for scientists and a stunning
area for visitor exploration.
No matter where you are in the park, you are no more than 30 miles from the coast. As
marine waters make up nearly one-fifth of the park, Glacier Bay is rich with marine life,
including the endangered humpback whale, threatened Stellar sea lion, harbor seals, sea
otters and porpoises.
The park also boasts snow-capped mountain ranges towering 15,000 feet, coastal beaches
and freshwater lakes.
Temperature: Summer in Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve offers highs between 50
to 60 degrees Fahrenheit, and winter temperatures range from 25 to 40 degrees Fahrenheit.
©Alaska Div. of Tourism
Visitor Information Station
Located at the foot of the
public-use dock in Bartlett Cove
Open in May
from 8 a.m. - 5 p.m.
June - August
September
Glacier Bay Visitor Center
Located on the second floor
of Glacier Bay Lodge in
Bartlett Cove
Open daily from
May 27 - September 11
from noon - 8:45 p.m.
24
IF YOU GO
Activities and attractions: Most of the activities in the park are
water-focused. Boat tours, kayaking, river rafting, fishing, glacier
exploration and whalewatching are popular options. Although there are
limited trails in the park, there are opportunities for hiking, backpacking,
bird watching, mountaineering, and ranger-led nature walks in the woods
or along the coast.
Fees: There is no entrance fee in Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve.
What’s new: The new Junior Ranger and Explorer Ranger programs
in Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve give teens and pre-teens the
opportunity to hike the park’s trails and shoreline, take a boat tour into
the bay and learn more about the park.
P.O. Box 140
907-697-2651 (after-hours emergency)
907-697-2627 (recreational boater
information)
907-697-2654 (fax)
www.nps.gov/glba
Gustavus Visitors Association
P.O. Box 167
Gustavus, AK 99826
www.gustavusak.com
An iceberg from a tidewater glacier floats in the tranquil waters of Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve.
Visitors to Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve enjoy views of the dramatic landscape
25
Long before today’s visitors began plying the waters of
Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve on cruise ships
and in kayaks, explorers and indigenous peoples appreciated
the intense beauty and bountiful wildlife found there.
Rediscovering
Glacier Bay
Since before the Western calendar tracked the passage of
time, two Alaska Native groups – the Huna Káawu and the
Gunaaxhoo Kwaan Tlingit – lived near the bay, fishing its waters
and hunting the surrounding land.
“Their identity as a people is tied historically and spiritually to
the rivers, coasts, mountains and animals of these homelands,”
said Wayne Howell, management assistant at the park.
The year 1794 brought the first Europeans into Glacier Bay,
though the surrounding area had been explored extensively in
previous years. Archibald Menzies, one of the members of an
expedition captained by George Vancouver, described Glacier
Bay as “a large bay choaked (sic) up with ice and backed by a
considerable tract of country presenting a prospect the most
bleak and barren that can possibly be conceived.”
The crew surveyed the area, noting Glacier Bay as not much of
a bay at all. Rather, a mere five-mile indent in a massive sheet of
ice punched into what would later become Glacier Bay.
When famed naturalist John Muir first laid eyes upon the area
in 1879, he was shocked to see the five-mile indent he had read
about in the logs of the Vancouver expedition had extended back
30 miles, creating a true bay.
Traveling in dugout canoes and led by Tlingit guides, Muir
found Glacier Bay much more navigable than Vancouver’s crew
did.
Muir was intrigued with the then-fledgling science of glaciology,
and saw Glacier Bay, with its rapid glacial retreat, as an excellent
place to further his research. He also appreciated the beauty of
the area, and wrote extensively and enthusiastically about it in
articles, letters and books including “Travels in Alaska.”
Due to his acclaim of Glacier Bay, Muir was credited as its
discoverer, though many had visited – and lived – in the area
before him.
“It was his recognition of its scientific value and his enthusiasm
which brought others to the bay to study and visit, and which set
the course for what would eventually become a national park,”
Howell said.
Muir was born in 1838 in Scotland, and emigrated to the U.S.
with his family in 1849. His wanderlust can be seen in the
diversity of his careers, which ranged from farmer and inventor
to sheep-herder, naturalist, writer and conservationist.
With his wide-ranging enthusiasm for the outdoors, Muir is
often referred to as the father of the U.S.’s national parks system
and his efforts contributed to the creation of Yosemite, Sequoia,
Mount Rainier and Grand Canyon national parks.
Muir started a flow of geologists, glaciologists, botanists and
other scientists in to the Glacier Bay area, which continues to be
a living laboratory for scientists and researchers today.
“The scientific tradition established by Muir has had a profound
effect on Glacier (Bay),” Howell said.
26
IF YOU GO
In fact, it was the effort of one scientist, ecologist William Cooper, and
a campaign by the Ecological Society of America, which resulted in the
designation of Glacier Bay as a national monument in 1925.
The increase in traffic to Glacier Bay extended beyond scientists. Soon,
there were commercial salmon canning operations, trappers, prospectors,
loggers, fox farmers and agricultural homesteaders flocking to the area.
For the most part, these industries have subsided, with the exception of
commercial fishing.
The homesteaders also had a profound impact on the area. In fact, the
community of Gustavus, now the gateway to the park, grew from several
successful homesteads.
The area was established as a national park and preserve in
1980 with the passage of the Alaska National Interest Lands
Conservation Act. Today, more than 350,000 visitors rediscover
Glacier Bay each year, experiencing first-hand the landscape that
so enthralled and inspired Muir more than 125 years ago.
P.O. Box 140
907-697-2651 (after-hours emergency)
907-697-2627 (recreational boater
information)
907-697-2654 (fax)
www.nps.gov/glba
Gustavus Visitors Association
P.O. Box 167
Gustavus, AK 99826
www.gustavusak.com
John Muir aboard the steamer Cassiar, 1879.
John Burroughs, right, John Muir, members of the
Harriman Alaska Expedition in 1889.
Up Close with
Trail
River
TAT S H E N S H I N I - A L S E K
P R O V I N C I A L PA R K
3
NO
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45
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ICY
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27
Up Close with
Klondike Gold Rush National Park
Size and Location: The 13,191 acres of Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park
stretch from the Southeast Alaska community of Skagway north along the Canadian border.
Accessibility: Skagway is accessible by plane, the South Klondike Highway and Alaska
Marine Highway System ferries.
History: The park commemorates the Klondike Gold Rush of 1897 – 1898, when tens of
thousands of gold prospectors made their journey over the Chilkoot Pass to Canada’s Yukon
goldfields in hopes of making their fortune. The miners were required to have a year’s worth
of supplies, causing them to make several trips over the rugged, 33-mile trail.
28
FACILITIES:
Klondike Gold Rush National
Historical Park Visitor Center
Located at Second and Broadway
in downtown Skagway
Open May – September,
8 a.m. – 6 p.m.
The downtown Skagway Historic District became a national landmark in 1962 and joined
the national register in 1966. The Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park joined the
national register in 1976 and the Chilkoot Trail became a national landmark in 1978. The
park was designated as an international historical park by presidential proclamation in 1998.
Unique features: There are 15 restored, Gold Rush-era buildings in the Skagway Historic
District, including the Mascot Saloon, White Pass and Yukon Route Railroad Depot and
Moore House, which was the first structure built in Skagway. Nearby, the infamous 33-mile
Chilkoot Trail begins at Dyea, a now-deserted town site that thrived from 1897 to 1898.
A portion of the White Pass Trail, another popular gold rush route, is also in the park.
Visitor count: 843,665 visitors in 2004, making it the most visited national park
in Alaska in 2004
Temperature: Summer temperatures in Skagway are regularly above 60 degrees
Fahrenheit, while wintertime temperatures dip into the teens. Conditions vary in
other areas of the park, such as the Chilkoot Trail, where elevation and greater
snowfall create more extreme conditions.
Activities and attractions: The Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park
offers a balance of history and outdoor adventure. Take a ranger-led walking tour
of the Skagway Historic District and old Dyea town site. Explore the Moore House
and watch the 30-minute film, “Days of Adventure, Dreams of Gold” at the visitor
center. Then, go on a day hike and make camp at the Dyea Campground. Or make
plans for a multi-day journey on the Chilkoot Trail.
An entertainer takes a break outside of the Red
Onion Saloon in Skagway.
29
North
0 10 Meters 50
0
To Gold Rush Cemetery,
Dyea, and
Klondike Highway
100
100 Feet 200
300
McCabe
College
7th
Footbridge
Pullen
House
Site
6th
Peniel Mission
Fees: There are no entrance fees for Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park. However,
permits are required for hiking the Chilkoot Trail and camping in the Dyea Campground.
What’s new:
• The park welcomes three new managers this summer, including superintendent Jim
Corless, facility manager Ray Moore, and administrative officer Christie Porter.
• The Moore House and Moore Cabin will feature new landscaping this summer, styled
after the original 1904 landscape design.
• Enhancements at the Mascot Saloon museum include audio recordings and a costumed
interpreter.
Captain William
Moore Cabin
IF YOU GO
Boss
Bakery
4th
Pantheon Saloon
Broadway
5th
Goldberg
J. Bernard
Kirmse Cigar Store Moore House
Jewelry Store
Trail Inn & Pack Train Saloon
Lynch and Kennedy
Dry Goods Store
Golden North Hotel
Spring
State
Trail to
Dewey Lakes
3rd
Part of the Klondike Gold Rush National
Historical Park, the Mascot Saloon is home to
a historic gold rush exhibit.
Mascot Saloon
Pacific Clipper Line Office
Boas Tailor and Furrier
Verbauwhede Confectionary
Arctic Brotherhood Hall
2nd
Martin Itjen House
Jeff Smith’s Parlor
To small boat harbor,
seaplane anchorage,
and White Pass and
Yukon Route docks
Visitor Center
White Pass and Yukon Route
Railroad Depot
White Pass and Yukon Route
Railroad General Offices
WHITE PASS AND YUKON ROUTE RAILROAD
To airstrip
Klondike Gold Rush
National Historical Park
P. O. Box 517
Skagway, 99840
907-983-9249 (fax)
www.nps.gov/klgo
1st
To Alaska Marine
Highway Ferry dock
Skagway Historic
District boundary
National Park Serviceowned historic structure
Non-historic
structure
Privately or city-owned
historic structure
Map of the Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park
Skagway Convention and
Visitors Bureau
P.O. Box 1029
Skagway, Alaska 99840
907-983-2854
www.skagway.com
Up Close with
Size and Location: Lake Clark National Park and Preserve includes more than four million
acres stretching from the shores of Cook Inlet in Southcentral Alaska, across the Chigmit
mountain range and into Alaska’s western Interior.
Accessibility: While much of the park is remote wilderness, the southern end of the park
is accessible from the community of Port Alsworth, which can be reached via charter flight
from Anchorage. The park’s only maintained trail, the Tanalian Falls trail, begins in Port
Alsworth. There are no roads in the park, and access is primarily by foot or air taxi.
History: Lake Clark National Park and Preserve was established to protect the area’s scenery,
fish, wildlife and the traditional lifestyles of local residents. To accomplish these goals, the
area was named a national monument in 1978. In 1980, it received a wilderness designation
and became a national park and preserve.
Unique features: Lake Clark National Park and Preserve is home to two active volcanoes,
Mount Redoubt and Mount Iliamna. The 40-mile Lake Clark and the park’s many other
rivers and lakes are critical salmon habitat areas for the Bristol Bay watershed, one of the
world’s largest salmon fishing grounds. And the park’s diverse landscape includes four of the
five biotic zones found in Alaska, including tundra, riparian, coastal and forest zones.
Temperature: Summer temperatures range from the mid 40s to the mid 60s. Winter
temperatures range from zero degrees Fahrenheit to the low 20s.
Activities and attractions: Due to the park’s remote location, visitors must put in a little
extra effort to enjoy it. However, those visitors will be rewarded with an incredible wilderness
experience, including activities like fishing, wildlife viewing, backcountry hiking, camping,
flightseeing, kayaking and rafting.
Fees: There are no entrance fees in Lake Clark National Park and Preserve.
30
FACILITIES:
Port Alsworth Visitor Center
Located at 1 Park Place
in Port Alsworth
Open May – October,
8 a.m. – 5 p.m.
November – April
by appointment
31
IF YOU GO
What’s new:
• The park’s new visitor center in Port Alsworth will be open and fully operational
in summer 2005. The new visitor center is larger and more modern, with an
interactive, touch screen monitor, new exhibits, and restroom facilities. It is also an
Alaska Native History Association outlet, with books, videos, cards and other items
available for purchase.
• Beginning this summer, visitors will be able to view a restored commercial fishing
skiff that operated in Bristol Bay in the early 1900s. The park will also begin
construction of a boathouse to house the exhibit this summer.
• Construction of a log cabin ranger facility at Silver Salmon Creek, a popular bear
viewing and salmon fishing site, will take place this summer.
• The park’s new satellite office at the Kachemak Bay Research Reserve in Homer will
serve potential visitors whose interest may be piqued by Homer’s view of Mount
Redoubt and Mount Iliamna.
A hiker stops to enjoy the scenic view of Lake Clark
Lake Clark offers wonderful fishing and wildlife viewing.
Lake Clark National Park
and Preserve
1 Park Place
Port Alsworth, AK 99653
907-781-2119 (fax)
www.nps.gov/lacl
32
Student
Crews
Commute
by Canoe in
Lake Clark
National Park
The commute to work will be unlike any other for the Student Conservation Association (SCA) conservation crew
working in Lake Clark National Park and Preserve this summer. Each morning, the crew will paddle their canoes across
a lake, then hike to their work site. After the day is done, they’ll hike and paddle back to their campsite – also known as
“home” for 30 days.
“It’s a long adventure,” said Sarah Zablocki, program manager for the National High School Program, just one of SCA’s offerings.
SCA, a national resource conservation organization, provides service opportunities, internships, outdoor skills and leadership
training in national parks and other public lands to thousands of young people each year.
This will be the third summer Lake Clark has hosted a conservation crew, made up of six high school volunteers and two
adult crew leaders. Each year, crews have maintained and improved different sections of the Tanalian Falls trail, the park’s only
maintained trail.
“For many visitors to Lake Clark, the Tanalian trail system is the only opportunity they have to directly experience the park,” said
Jennifer Shaw, Lake Clark park ranger and SCA coordinator.
This year, the crew will brush current trail and cut a new section of trail. They will be in the park July 7 to August 5.
The SCA programs offer a real benefit for national parks, whose budgets have seen drastic cuts in recent years.
“There’s lots of great work going undone,” Zablocki said.
Plus, from 1980 to 2004, total visits to Alaska national parks increased by
more than 400 percent, putting increased pressure on the land.
“The work provided by the SCA crew helps us fulfill the mission of the
National Park Service by providing meaningful opportunities for recreation,
while minimizing impact on the land,” Shaw said.
Lake Clark is just one of several public-land areas in Alaska to benefit from
SCA crews this summer. There will also be crews in Denali National Park
and Preserve, White Mountains National Recreation Area, Kenai Fjords
National Park, Kenai National Wildlife Refuge and Wrangell-St. Elias
National Park and Preserve.
An SCA crew poses for a photo in front of scenic Lake Clark
33
IF YOU GO
“We have a pretty big Alaska year,” said Zablocki, who started her SCA career as an intern and a crew leader.
However, finding enough people to fill the Alaska spots is not difficult.
“It’s a balance deciding what crew leaders go to Alaska and Hawaii,” Zablocki said. “They all want to.”
While this year’s Lake Clark crew comes from all over the country, crew leader Jillian Morrissey makes her
home in Anchorage, Alaska.
“I live in Alaska and I love it,” said Morrissey, who is in her sixth year as an SCA crew leader. “The chance to
go to Lake Clark is exciting. So many people never get a chance to go to the other side of Cook Inlet.”
While it is exciting, the experience is far from easy. In Lake Clark, for example, the crew makes a strenuous
commute, spends eight hours working, then heads back to camp to cook, clean and rest up. SCA and the
crew leaders try to express the challenges to the volunteers prior to leaving on the trip.
“Living outside 24 hours a day, seven days a week is a major switch,” Morrissey said. “It takes some getting
used to going from the inside world of convenience to the outside world of challenges.”
The experience has a profound effect on many of the volunteers.
“Many have a life changing experience,” Zablocki said. “They go in a whole different direction.”
And many of the high school volunteers have such a good experience, they return as crew leaders.
1 Park Place
Port Alsworth, AK 99653
907-781-2119 (fax)
www.nps.gov/lacl
Student Conservation Association
689 River Road
Charlestown, New Hampshire 03603-0550
603-543-1700
603-543-1828 (fax)
www.sca-inc.org
There are no roads to Lake
Clark and access is primarily
by foot or air taxi
The SCA crew spends eight hours working, then heads back to
camp to cook, clean and rest up
SCA crew members become fast friends over the
30 day period that they live and work together.
Each year,
crews have
maintained
and improved
different
sections of
the Tanalian
Falls trail, the
park’s only
maintained
trail.
34
Strandline
Lake
iv e
r
Up Close with
ift
R
TR
G
Sw
R iv
er
Mount
Torbert
11413ft
3479m
A
n
C
R
Lake Clark
National Preserve
Wilderness area
boundary
AP
gis
IE R
Mount Spurr
11070ft
hl
am
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A
GLA
C
G L A CIER
Na
r
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ATE
PS
Ranger station
Me
VIR
N
20 Miles
Native Corporations
Lands
Please do not
trespass.
Lake Clark
National Park
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K
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Up Close with
Size and Location: The 113-acre Sitka National Historical Park is in the community of
Sitka on Baranof Island in Alaska’s Inside Passage.
Accessibility: Sitka is accessible by plane or boat. There is commercial airline service to Sitka
through Alaska Airlines and several smaller operators, and it is also a port of call for Alaska
Marine Highway System ferries and cruise ships. The park is within walking distance of
downtown Sitka.
History: The area was established as a public park in 1890, making it Alaska’s oldest federally
designated park. It became a national monument in 1910 to commemorate the 1804 Battle
of Sitka, which was the last major conflict between the indigenous Tlingit Indians and the
Russians. It was designated a national historical park in 1972.
Unique features: One of the park’s most well known features is the two-mile Totem Loop
Trail, which features a collection of Northwest Coast totem poles. These totem poles were
donated by villages throughout Southeast Alaska, and brought to Sitka in 1905 by Alaska’s
District Governor John Brady.
Also in the park is the Russian Bishop’s House, which is one of only three surviving examples
of Russian colonial architecture in North America. The Visitor Center/Southeast Alaska
Indian Cultural Center offers visitors the opportunity to watch Tlingit artisans at work.
Temperature: Summer temperatures range from the high 50s to high 60s. Winter
temperatures range from the high teens to 40 degrees Fahrenheit.
Activities and attractions: There are plenty of opportunities to soak up history in this park,
with attractions such as the Tlingit fort and battlefield and the Memorial to the Russian
Midshipmen. Tours are available of the Russian Bishop’s House, and visitors can observe,
interact and learn from the artisans at the Visitor Center/Southeast Alaska Indian Cultural
Center. A stroll along the scenic Totem Loop Trail offers an up-close look at the striking
designs and colors of traditional Tlingit totem poles.
35
FACILITIES:
Russian Bishop’s House
Located at 501 Lincoln Street
in downtown Sitka
Open May – September,
9 a.m. – 5 p.m.
October – April
by appointment
Visitor Center/Southeast Alaska
Indian Cultural Center
Located at the south end of
Lincoln Street, approximately
one-fourth mile from
downtown Sitka.
Open year-round,
8 a.m. – 5 p.m.
36
Fees:
Visitor Center: $4 per person
Russian Bishop’s House: $4 per person
$15 annual pass grants entry to both
What’s new:
• This summer, the park commemorates the centennial anniversary of “Alaska on
Display,” which includes the collection of totem poles brought to Alaska in 1905
by Alaska’s District Governor John Brady. In addition to the permanent Totem Hall
and Totem Loop Trail, special exhibits will be displayed in the visitor center.
•
For the first time, the park will display its collection of 92 Tlingit and Haida
spruce root baskets, all made between 1850 – 1967 in Southeast Alaska. The new
exhibit, “Women and Baskets: A Celebration of Weavers,” has been called “the best
documented in existence” and will be on display throughout summer 2005.
A restorationist works on a painting in the Russian Bishop’s House,
which is part of Sitka National Historical Park.
IF YOU GO
Sitka National Historical Park
103 Monastery Street
Sitka, AK 99835
907-747-0110 (visitor center)
907-747-5938 (fax)
www.nps.gov/sitk
Sitka Convention and
Visitors Bureau
P.O. Box 1226
Sitka, AK 99835
907-747-5940
www.sitka.org
37
Sitka’s Totem
Poles Share
Past and
Present Stories
Alaska is still a wild, exotic and mysterious place for many people. However, it’s much more well-known and understood
today than it was about 100 years ago, when Alaska District Governor John Brady took a collection of Southeast Alaska
totem poles to fairs in St. Louis and Portland.
“He saw the future of Alaska as drawing attention to Alaska and having settlers come here. So he wanted to have an exhibit that
was exciting and show people what Alaska had to offer,” said Kristen Griffin, historian at Sitka National Historical Park.
This year marks the centennial anniversary of “Governor Brady’s” totem poles in Alaska’s oldest national park.
Between 1902 and 1904, Brady toured Southeast Alaska’s Tlingit and Haida villages, asking leaders to donate totem poles and other
objects for the 1904 Louisiana Purchase Exposition in St. Louis. Ultimately, village leaders donated 15 poles, house posts and a
canoe to Brady’s efforts.
“He promised they would come back to Alaska and be preserved and cared for,” Griffin said. “The leaders were interested in having
the history of their people preserved and proclaimed in the new government.”
After St. Louis and an appearance at a Portland exposition, the poles were placed in the park. The park, in partnership with the
Southeast Alaska Indian Cultural Center, continues to uphold the promise to care for the poles.
The park and the Cultural Center have a unique partnership. Since the Cultural Center’s establishment in 1969,
the two organizations have provided opportunities for visitors to learn about Southeast Alaska’s native culture.
The center is also a place for Tlingits to learn more about their own culture.
Among other exhibits, the Cultural Center has studios where visitors can observe and interact with artists, and
students can learn the craft. Several of these artists have assisted in caring for the park’s poles.
From the efforts made by the Civilian Conservation Corps in the 1930s to the work of modern day carvers and
wood conservators, many of “Governor Brady’s” poles have been shaved, patched and even replicated.
“Most of the totem poles were already quite old when they arrived in the park,” said Gene Griffin, chief of cultural
resources at the park. And over the years, age, weather and other factors have resulted in the need for restoration
and replication. While most of the poles are replications today, some of the originals can be seen in indoor
exhibit areas.
Preserving and replicating totem poles was not a traditional activity.
“Traditionally, they did lay (the poles) down and let them return to nature,” Gene Griffin said. “Today, we
recognize these are irreplaceable.”
An artist carves a traditional totem pole
38
IF YOU GO
Tommy Joseph, head wood carver at the Cultural Center, has
worked on several replication projects at the park.
“It’s a big part of Southeast Alaska history,” said Joseph, who is in
his 15th season at the Cultural Center. “It’s a way of recording
history.”
Joseph uses a combination of traditional and contemporary
techniques in his art today. For example, many of the tools he
uses today are similar to those used by yesterday’s carvers.
The Southeast Alaska Indian Arts Cultural Center
works to preserve existing totem poles while
encouraging artists to work on new projects as well.
“We have a lot of modern tools, but the traditional tools work
best for what we’re doing,” Joseph said.
Preservation techniques have changed over the years, however.
Today, Joseph hollows out the back of the poles to avoid cracking.
And a support pole is inserted and buried into the ground, rather than the base of the actual totem
pole.
“Getting rid of the core gets rid of the rot,” Joseph said.
Though preservation of the totem pole collection is important, new projects have their place as well.
“We can’t let the cultural art of the Tlingit, Haida and Tsimpsian peoples die off. We have to teach it,
demonstrate it, create it,” said Gail Johansen Peterson, the Cultural Center executive director.
Some of the new projects include a 35-foot, multi-clan history pole carved in 1996 to commemorate
the Tlingit clans who lived in the area before the arrival of the Russians. And Joseph completed a 20foot totem pole project with local high school students in April.
“There are new stories to tell and we’re making new poles to tell those,” Joseph said. “But the old
poles are just as important.”
103 Monastery Street
Sitka, AK 99835
907-747-0110 (visitor center)
907-747-5938 (fax)
www.nps.gov/sitk
Southeast Alaska
106 Metlakatla Street
Sitka, AK 99835
907-747-8061
Sitka Convention and
Visitors Bureau
P.O. Box 1226
Sitka, AK 99835
907-747-5940
www.sitka.org
Alaska Travel Industry
Association
800-862-5275
(consumer information)
800-327-9372
(media information)
For general Alaska trip-planning
information, please
visit www.travelalaska.com.
Up Close with
Ha
lib
ia
til
Ka
T Alaska Sta
To
t te Fe
ta
F rry
r Te
ry
T rminal
and Old Sitka Sta
t te His
ta
i toric Site
is
( ite of Redoubt Saint Michael)
(s
l
l)
7mi 11km
Swan
ut Lake
Po
in
tR
o
DeGro
n
ad
ek
ll Cre
re
et
et
ard
T tem pole
To
or group
Merrill
Rock
Visitor Center
ll Bridge
Southeast Alaska
0.2 Mile
Trail
H A R B O R
Saint Michael’s Cathedral
0.2 Kilometer
0.1
C R E S C E N T
Restrooms
S I T K A
S O U N D
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Issabel Miller Museum
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SHELDON JACKSON
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39
N
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1804
Up Close with
Denali National Park and Preserve
Size and Location: Denali National Park and Preserve covers more than six million acres
in Interior Alaska, near the communities of Healy and Cantwell. It is 240 miles north of
Anchorage and 125 miles south of Fairbanks.
Accessibility: The park is accessible by automobile on the George Parks Highway, by rail on
the Alaska Railroad or by small aircraft.
History: The area was first established as Mount McKinley National Park in 1917. It was
designated an international biosphere reserve in 1976, and the park was expanded and became
Denali National Park and Preserve in 1980.
Unique features: Denali National Park and Preserve is the well-known home of Mount
McKinley, also known as Denali, which stands at 20,320 feet and is North America’s tallest
mountain. However, the park is also the largest protected ecosystem in the world, with 750
species of flowering plants, 39 mammal species, 165 bird species, and 10 species of fish.
Temperature: Average summer temperatures range from 33 to 75 degrees Fahrenheit. Winter
temperatures range from 40 degrees below zero to the high 20s.
Activities and attractions: The activities in this expansive park are nearly endless. Denali
draws hopeful mountaineers from around the world. Visitors take bus tours, bicycle rides or
long walks down the 90-mile Denali Park Road, which is closed to private vehicles after Mile
15. Hiking, camping, rafting, backcountry travel, fishing, wildlife viewing and flightseeing are
also popular activities. Winter options include dog mushing, cross country skiing, snowshoeing
and snowmobiling.
Fees:
Entrance fee: $10.00 per individual, $20.00 per family
Camping, bus transportation and mountaineering permits are additional
40
FACILITIES:
Denali Visitor Center
Located at mile 1.2
of the Denali Park Road
Open May 15 – 27,
9 a.m. – 5 p.m.
May 28 – September 15,
9 a.m. – 9 p.m. daily
Murie Science and
Learning Center
Located in Denali Visitor Center
Open May 15 – 27,
9 a.m. – 5 p.m.
May 28 – September 15,
9 a.m. – 9 p.m.
September 15 – early May,
10 a.m. – 4 p.m. daily
Talkeetna Ranger Station
Located on B Street in
downtown Talkeetna
Open year-round,
8 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.
41
IF YOU GO
What’s new:
• The new 14,000-square-foot Denali Visitor Center, located at mile 1.2 on the Denali
Park Road, will be open and fully operational for the summer of 2005.
• A new 18-minute, high-definition, feature film, “Heartbeats of Denali” will show
regularly in the visitor center auditorium.
• There are two new facilities in the entrance area – the Denali Bookstore and the
Morino Grill.
• The former Visitor Access Center, located at mile 0.6 on the Denali Park Road, has
been renamed the Wilderness Access Center. It will continue to serve as the park’s
transportation hub.
• There is also a new Backcountry Information Center, adjacent to the Wilderness
Access Center.
• Replacement of the Eielson Visitor Center, at mile 66, will begin mid-summer.
The new visitor center is scheduled to open in 2008.
P.O. Box 9
Denali Park, AK 99755-0009
907-733-2231 (Talkeetna Ranger Station)
907-683-9617 (fax)
www.nps.gov/dena
Greater Healy/Denali
Chamber of Commerce
P.O. Box 437
Healy, AK 99743
1-907-683-4636
www.denalichamber.com
Talkeetna Chamber of Commerce
PO Box 334
Talkeetna, AK 99676
907-733-2330
www.talkeetnachamber.org
Offering
breathtaking
views, Denali
National Park and
Preserve is a haven
for wildlife.
42
Denali
Growing to
Meet Visitor
Demand
Hanging proudly and definitively in the Anchorage Museum of History and Art is a painting of Mount McKinley by
famed landscape artist Sydney Laurence. Nearly a century later, the vantage Laurence enjoyed from the south side of
Denali National Park and Preserve may soon be more accessible to visitors.
Plans are in the works to improve access and infrastructure in the South Denali region to relieve congestion at the park
headquarters on the Parks Highway and provide new options for those seeking a Denali National Park and Preserve experience in
Alaska.
The South Denali Implementation Plan is a joint effort between the
National Park Service, Alaska State Parks and the Matanuska-Susitna
Borough. The planning team launched their efforts in February 2004,
after receiving a Congressional appropriation to enhance recreational
and access opportunities in South Denali.
“The Alaska tourism industry is projected for larger growth,” said
Mike Tranel, chief of planning for Denali National Park and Preserve.
“In 10 to 15 years, there will be a lot more demand than capacity. We
need to have an alternate destination to provide another Denali
experience.”
Denali National Park and Preserve is already a huge draw for visitors,
who come seeking views of North America’s tallest mountain, the
20,320-foot Mount McKinley, as well as the abundant wildlife and
diverse backcountry adventures. In 2004, more than 400,000 people
visited the park.
This painting of Mount McKinley, by Sydney Lawrence, is a focal point at the
Anchorage Museum of History and Art.
The development could provide visitors with a nature center, new roads, improvements to existing roads, campsites, picnic shelters
and an expanded trail system.
The new facilities would be closer to Anchorage, Alaska’s largest city and a hub for visitor travel. The current entrance to Denali
National Park and Preserve is about 240 miles north of Anchorage, but the new access area could be more than 100 miles closer to
the city.
Currently, two sites are being considered for the development. One is located off the Parks Highway on Curry Ridge, and the other is
located in the Peters Hills, off Petersville Road. Both sites are in Denali State Park, which adjoins the south side of the national park,
and lies north of the Matanuska-Susitna Borough.
43
IF YOU GO
“Denali State Park is uniquely poised to provide visitor access on the south side,” said Chris Degernes,
chief of field operations for Alaska State Parks.
While ownership details would still need to be worked out, Tranel said the facilities would be cooperatively
managed by the state and national parks. Beyond increased access and recreation, economic development
is another plus.
“Our role is to make sure the development offers the most beneficial economic opportunity for the local
community,” said Eileen Probasco, a Mat-Su Borough planner.
This is not the first time South Denali development plans have been undertaken. Discussions date back
to 1968, and many proposals have been presented since then. However, plans were always halted due to
unresolved controversy or other issues.
“Since then, we’ve been figuring out the best way to do it,” Tranel said.
The challenge both past and present planners face is providing a quality visitor experience, while protecting
resources and preserving the quality of life for nearby residents.
Tranel said while most people support the plan in general, some have concerns about specifics.
“Opposition to the project is usually opposition to one of the alternatives, not really to the entire project,”
he said.
Conservation agencies are also keeping a close eye on the plans.
“We just want to make sure what is built meets the needs,” said Jim Stratton, Alaska regional director of
the National Parks Conservation Association (NPCA). “It needs to be a destination, not just another stop
on the way.”
The draft South Denali Implementation Plan and Environmental Impact Statement is due out this fall.
After that, it will go out for public comment, and a final plan is anticipated in early 2006. Then, the
project will go into the design and construction phase. Pending funding, which is expected to range
anywhere from $27 to $90 million, the project could be completed as early as 2009.
P.O. Box 9
Denali Park, AK 99755-0009
907-733-2231 (Talkeetna Ranger Station)
907-683-9617 (fax)
www.nps.gov/dena
Alaska State Parks
550 W 7th Ave, Suite 1380
907-269-8700
907-269-8907 (fax)
www.alaskastateparks.org
Mat-Su Convention and Visitors Bureau
HC 01 Box 6166 J21
Palmer, AK 99645
907-746-5000
907-746-2688 (fax)
www.alaskavisit.com
South Denali Implementation
Plan Web site
www.southdenaliplanning.com
National Parks Conservation Association
750 West 2nd Ave., Suite 205
Anchorage, AK 99501
907-277-6722
907-277-6723 (fax)
www.npca.org
Up Close with
Th
To Fairbanks
90mi
145km
44
eA
ka
las
ad
ilro
Ra
River
S
LL
IL
H
IS
NT
ISH
NA
Mo
os
e
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r
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B ir c
For k
k
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Cathedral Mtn
4905ft
1495m
R il
27mi
43km
ey
Fang Mtn
6736ft
2053m
Ri v
er
mile 53
Double Mountain
5899ft
1798m
Sable
Pass
Yanert
Triple
Lakes
S a v ag
Polychrome Mtn
5790ft
1765m
Toklat River
Igloo Creek
Sable Mtn
6002ft
1830m
ve
mile 89
y
Kantishna
Igloo Mtn
4800ft
1463m
HILLS
To
kla
t
Wickersham
Dome
t u ar
k
Ri
ek
Cre
Otter Lake
ee
Kankone Peak
4987ft
1520m
Spruce
Peak
Visitor
Center
Savage Jenny Riley Creek
C
River
mile 29
WYOMING
er
Riv
ier
ry
r
Cr
River
Spectacle
Lake
Cre e k
pe
Ri
ve
ac
li p
y
Sugar Loaf Mountain
11mi 4784ft
Savage River Loop
18km 1459m
Mt
Trail (Parking)
Healy
Private vehicles
restricted beyond
Park
ere (mile 15) Headquarters Detail
Road
closed
in
Savage
winter beyond
Patrol
mile 0.7
here (mile 3.4)
Cabin
1677ft
H i n es C r e e k
511m
S a nc
le
Teklanika River
C
re e
F or k
in
Gl
S
Sanctuary
River
lat
PA R K
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Old Cache
Lake
Sprucefish
Lake
aw
a rp
k
To
Foraker
N AT I O N A L
Be
Mt Margaret
5059ft
1542m
P r i m r o s e Rid g e
E a st
River
DENALI
ek
H e aly
3
HI
H
Healy
Medical clinic
re
ar
Trail
de
Cr
ee
k
Be
pe
River
LS
S
am
ek
H
C
St
Te klanika
IS
Chilchukabena
Lake
e
vag
Sa
Lake
Minchumina
C re
a
Chitsia Mtn
3862ft
1117m
aw
Be
rp
er
Minchumina
U
Riv
er
na
lat
is h
R iv
M
nt
To
k
Ka
Starr
Lake
River
dy
ud
O
U
M
ee
k
IN
Cr
N
A
ve
r
a
nan
Ne
T
Ri
S
r
Red Mtn
7165ft
2184m
R
L
A
K S GL
AC
OO
GL
I KA
BR
TR ALE
LA
KAH
Road closed in
winter beyond
here (mile 132)
O
A
D
well
C r e ek
a
R
ai
Eas
t
3
For
East Fork Rest Area
k
Hurr
icane
ER
Gu
lc h
Chu
litn
a
95mi
153km
Denali View North
Chulitna Pass
Little Coal
Creek Trailhead
2200ft
671m
KE
Visitor Information
Byers Lake
AC
a
sh
ko
ns
To n t a i
ou
SU
GI
R
ID
G
E
D EV I
LS
CA
NY
ON
S usitn a
Riv er
DENALI
S TAT E PA R K
I ER
Ri
r
ve
Stephan
Lake
na
sit
Su
iver
aR
it n
o
To k
T
U
D
r
To
Paxson
Summit
Lake
IL
L
s
Lower Troublesome
Creek
Denali
Viewpoint
South
S
Talkeetn
a
Pe
CIER
Petersville
k
ee
C h u l it n a
3
Cr
P
E
S
rs
T
R
te
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S
8
Ri
CI
Chulitna Rest Area
a
ltn
hi
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te r
sville
er
Ka
Pe
Riv
Road not plowed
beyond this point
in winter
R o ad
Trapper
Creek
Talkeetna
Ranger Station
346 ft
105 m
North
0
0
Talkeetna
20 Kilometers
10
20 Miles
10
K
Denali
National Park
Unpaved road
Denali
National Preserve
Primitive road
Distance
indicator
Trail
Ranger station
Campground
Talkeetna
Talkeetna Historical Museum
Railroad depot
Airstrip
r
10mi
16km
er
Cant
a
G
na
Ri v
sk
Al
ek
E
RE
TT
BU
IER
GLAC
NA
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GL
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LA
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TL
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GLA
Yentna
Lookout
Mountain
2965ft
904m
Denali Viewpoint North
H
NA
F o rk
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Ea s t
o
ab
E
CH
GLAC
Mooses Tooth
10335ft
3150m
RUT
To
nz
on
a
BUC KSKIN
S
H
Mount Kliskon
3943ft
1202m
Ri
ha t
L
E
Fairview Mountain
3266ft
995m
ic
a re
RG
LT
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La k
r
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Upper Troublesome
Creek Trailhead
IL
latn
Yentn
a
IN
ELD
HI
TA
ss
PA R K
Mount Goldie
6315ft
1925m
H
Ch e
N
Avalanche Spire
10105ft
3080m
R
U
DENALI
IE
k
O
r ne
M
AC
t
We s
For
M
Mount Hunter
14573ft
4427m
L
GL
DENALI
N AT I O N A L P R E S E R V E
Cathedral Spires
Mount Huntington
12240ft
3731m
N AT I O N A L
LL
Mount Dall
8756ft
2669m
KI
CH
AT
NA
TH ATR
RU HE
IT
PH
AM
Mount Barrille
7650ft
2332m
Mount Dickey
9545ft
2909m
ACIER
A
de
Mount Eldridge
10433ft
3180m
KA
DA
N
YE
TN
Mount Dan Beard
10260ft
3127m
H
GL
LACIER
SE G
UT
A
RI
Mount Foraker
17400ft
5303m
SO
N
RP
Mount Crosson
12800ft
3901m
IT
SU
Mount Deception
11768ft
3587m
Explorers Peak
8540ft
2603m
OS
r
ve
W il
GO
L
Mount Russell
11670ft
3557m
K
S
A
A
TTRESS
EAST BU
TOK
A
N
Mount Mather
12123ft
3695m
Mt Silverthrone
13220ft
4029m
T
TH E G R E A
T
South Peak
20320ft
6193m
ve
r
Lowest pass on
Continental Divide
F or
k
West
ry
da
e
Cr
R
Ri
A
Fork
Heart Mtn
6500ft
1981m
r
MOUNT
McKINLEY
North Peak
19470ft
5934m
BUTT R E S S
CIE R
o
IE
R
O N GLA C I E
R iv e
T
ES
W
Kahiltna Dome
12525ft
3818m
Mount Koven
12210 ft
3722m
Mount
Brooks
11940ft
3639m
WEST FORK GLA
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Ohi
ER
G
RR
on a
PET
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GL
AC
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Ton
z
W
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10600ft
3231m
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FO
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Ri
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HILLS
Swift
DRO
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Summit
Ri
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Th
e
rak
MUL
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2345ft
715m
Anderson Pass
GLA
CIER
Fo
McGonagall
Pass
B u ll
BR
D E N A L I N AT I O N A L PA R K W I L D E R N E S S
COTTONWOOD
ve
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E
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er
ee
k
Mount Pendleton
7840ft
2389m
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gh
wa
y
a r w ater
dy
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A
R
3733ft
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na
N ena
Cantwell
ad
Turtle Hill
ek
Cre
SU N S
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Cr e e k
ch
Fork
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Eielson
Visitor
Center
mile 66
R i ve
r
ry
ry
pe
n
Bi r
i
Hi
nda
W
Foggy
Pass
Par
ks
ou
ab
N
Panorama Mountain
5778ft
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Creek
y
nd
er
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ss
ud
M
rro
rn e
S li p
He
de
W il
ier
Gl ac
Castle Rocks
2079ft
634m
Thorofare Pass
McKinley
Bar Trail
E
G
Riv
mile 85
Stony Dome
4700ft
1432m
lro
Creek
Wonder Lake
Highway Pass
Stony Hill
or
ge
Wonder
Lake
McKinley
Sw
ift
Polychrome
Overlook
Divide Mtn mile 47
5195ft
1583m
ose
Ge
Mo
Busia
Mtn
ver
Brooker Mountain
OME
CHR
POLY ACIER
GL
k
ee
DE NALI
NATI O NAL
P RE SER VE
Riv
er
Big
Lake
Cr
Highpower
To Anchorage
112mi
180km
Talkeetna to 3
14mi
22km
Picnic area
Ri
ve
r
Up Close with
45
FACILITIES:
Size and Location: Gates of the Arctic National Park and Preserve is made up of 8.2 million
acres in the Brooks Range, the northernmost mountain range in the country.
Accessibility: This remote park is primarily accessible by air taxi from Fairbanks. The Dalton
Highway comes within five miles of the park, and some visitors choose to hike from there. The
Arctic Interagency Visitor Center, which provides information about the park, is located in
Coldfoot along the Dalton Highway. There are no roads or facilities in the park itself.
History: The area was established as a national monument in 1978. It was named a wilderness
area, and a national park and preserve, in 1980. The park was designated as a biosphere reserve
in 1984.
Unique features: Gates of the Arctic National Park and Preserve is home to a designated
wilderness area, six wild rivers, two national natural landmarks, and the Noatak Biosphere
Reserve. There are also 10 small communities within the park and many of the approximately
1,500 residents depend on park resources to maintain their subsistence lifestyle as well as their
cultural traditions.
Temperature: Summer temperatures range from the mid-40s up to 70 degrees Fahrenheit.
Average winter temperatures range from 10 to 30 degrees below zero.
Anaktuvuk Pass
Ranger Station
Located in Anaktuvuk Pass
Call for current hours.
907-661-3520
Bettles Ranger Station /
Visitor Center
Located in Bettles Field
Open year-round.
Call for current hours.
907-692-5494
Arctic Interagency
Visitor Center
Located in Coldfoot
Open Memorial Day – Labor Day,
10 a.m. – 10 p.m. daily.
Activities and attractions: The expansive, remote park mainly draws
adventurous backcountry travelers, who enjoy float trips, hiking, camping,
climbing and fishing. Although winter visitors are few, dog mushing, cross
country skiing, northern lights viewing and snowshoeing are winter options.
The diverse landscape, including lakes, rivers, forests, glaciers and tundra,
also makes the park an active research area for scientists.
Fees: There are no entrance fees in Gates of the Arctic National Park and Preserve.
Gates of the Arctic National Park is defined by the Brooks
Range, the United States’ farthest north mountain range.
46
IF YOU GO
What’s new:
• The new Arctic Interagency Visitor Center, jointly operated by the Bureau of Land
Management, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and National Park Service, was completed in 2004
to accommodate increasing number of visitors, withstand the area’s extreme winter conditions,
and provide additional exhibits and programs.
• One of the new exhibits at the center, located in Coldfoot, focuses on the northern circumpolar
region.
Bettles Ranger Station
P.O. Box 26030
Bettles, AK 99726
907-692-5494
(Bettles visitor information)
907-457-5752
(Fairbanks headquarters)
907-661-3520
(Anaktuvuk Pass visitor information)
907-678-5209
(Coldfoot visitor information)
907-692-5400
(fax)
www.nps.gov/gaar
Gates of the Arctic National Park and Preserve is primarily
accessible by air taxi from Fairbanks.
A picture-perfect rainbow in Gates of the
Arctic National Park and Preserve
An Alaska Native dressed in a traditional parka.
Up Close with
Riv
lle
er
River
rth
rt
th
No
River
Wiseman
River
Takahula
Lake
Coldfoot
ver
W
Wild
Iniakuk
Riv
er
Nutuvukti
Lake
Lake
Minakokosa
Ko
bu
k
River
Lake Selby
r
Rive
NATIONAL
PRESERVE
Prospect Creek
Norutak
Lake
A la tna
River
Ho
ga
REFUGE
PAH
RIVER
FLATS
Ko
So
Arctic
NATIONAL
er
yu
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ku
k
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k
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rk
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n
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hw
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Big
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r
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Circle
tza
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North
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Ranger station
l
ad
)
KOYUKUK NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE
au
Privately owned
lands
Unpaved road
Areas of private land exist
within the park and preserve
boundaries. Respect private
landowners’ rights. Contact
park headquarters for details
on private land ownership and
for information on easement
trails or public access across
these lands.
(H
National park
wilderness area
National preserve
area
y
K n
Ka
National park
area
e
r
er
Re
d
Boreal Mountain
6654ft
2028m
Riv
D
Arrigetch Peaks
7190ft
2192m
Gates of the Arctic
Riv
Rivve
N
Circle
Lake
Mount Igikpak
8510ft
2594m
WILDERNESS
C
I
er
Frigid Crags
5501ft
1677m
al
Mount Doonerak
7457ft
2273m
nd
T
K
kuk
o yu
mo
Hunt Fork
Lake
S
N
Ham
er
hn
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WILDERNESS
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PARK
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rk J
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Pass
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Summit
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Dalton
Hu
U
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A
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N
Airstrip
0
0
20 Kilometers
10
10
n
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Pingo Lake
PARK
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Agiak
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rnie Cree
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igu
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ee
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E
Agiak
Lake
Riv
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Anaktuvuk Pass
Cr
Ap
NATIONAL
SELAWIK
rkto
Sagavan
i
Itki
River
Riv
O
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Island
Lake
PRESERVE
h
h For k C
O
Noatak
River
REFUGE
N o rt
K
er
gu
Kilillllilik
ik
Chandler
S
GATES OF THE ARCTIC
NATIONAL PARK AND PRESERVE
Lake
Matcharak
Im
ely
ak
Ambler
l
River
llik
Anaktuvuk
r ek
re
Cre
Ni
PRESERVE
B
e
Riv
au
(H
ARCTIC
Itkillik
Lake
Iikhkluk Mountain
3650ft
1112m
NATIONAL
ay
NATIONAL
Shainin
Lake
NATIONAL
NOATAK
w
WILDLIFE
Kurupa
Lake
Aniuk
gh
Hi
River
er
shuk
Riv
WILDERNESS
E t iv
luk
River
Outwash
NATIONAL Castle Mtn
3409ft
PARK
1039m
Fortress
Mountain
2870ft
874m
n
lto
Da
N nu
Na
A L A S K A
Cha
ndl
er
I N
er
R E S E R V E
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S L O P E
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Riv
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20 Miles
ar
Ri
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47
Up Close with
Size and Location: Katmai National Park and Preserve includes 4.7 million acres on the
Alaska Peninsula, across from Kodiak Island, in Southwestern Alaska.
Accessibility: Park headquarters is in King Salmon, which can be reached by commercial
airline. Brooks Camp, located approximately 30 air miles from King Salmon, is the main
access point for the park. Brooks Camp is only accessible by small floatplane or boat. Bear
viewing and flightseeing tours of the park can also be arranged from Kodiak, Homer and
Anchorage.
History: The area was established as a national monument in 1918 to preserve the Valley
of Ten Thousand Smokes, a 40-square-mile, 100 to 700-foot deep, pyroclastic ash flow
deposited by the Novarupta Volcano in 1912. Over the years, protection of the area’s brown
bears became equally important, and Katmai was designated a national park and preserve in
1980.
Unique features: Katmai National Park and Preserve is an area rich with history and wildlife.
It is the site of the Brooks River National Historic Landmark, with North America’s highest
concentration of prehistoric human dwellings. Fourteen active volcanoes lie within the park,
and the Alaska Volcano Observatory operates 19 monitoring stations there. Plus, more than
2,000 brown bears make their home in Katmai.
48
FACILITIES:
Brooks Camp Visitor Center
Located on Naknek Lake, near the
mouth of Brooks River
Open June 1 – September 17
King Salmon Visitor Center
Located next to the King Salmon
airport terminal
Open year-round, 8 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Three Forks Visitor
Contact Station
Located 23 miles from Brooks
Camp on the park’s only road
Open June 1 – September 17
Temperature: In Brooks Camp, summer temperatures range from 44 to 63 degrees
Fahrenheit and in winter, temperatures range from just below zero to nearly 50 degrees
Fahrenheit.
Activities and attractions: Viewing bears in their natural habitat is the most well known
activity in the park, and bus tours through the Valley of
Ten Thousand Smokes are also popular. However, this
expansive park also offers limitless opportunity for fishing,
boating, and backcountry hiking and camping.
Visitors to Katmai National
Park have the opportunity
to view bears in their
natural habitat.
49
IF YOU GO
Also in the area:
Alagnak Wild River
The Alagnak River was designated a wild river in 1980, preserving the upper 56 miles in a free-flowing
condition for the enjoyment and benefit of both current and future users.
The river is home to all five species of pacific salmon, making it an important area for Bristol Bay, one
of the world’s largest salmon fishing grounds. With its other fish populations, including rainbow trout,
arctic char, arctic grayling and northern pike, the Alagnak Wild River is one of the most popular fishing
destinations in Southwest Alaska.
Rafting, hiking, camping and wildlife viewing are also popular activities.
The river, located in Katmai National Park and Preserve, is accessible by boat or charter flight from
Anchorage or King Salmon.
Aniakchak National Monument and Preserve
A 7,000-foot mountain used to stand where the Aniakchak Caldera sits today. A series of eruptions, the
most recent in 1931, caused the eventual collapse of the mountain and the creation of the largest caldera
on the Alaska Peninsula.
The caldera, nearly six miles wide and 2,000 feet deep, now holds Surprise Lake, which is the source of the
27-mile Aniakchak Wild River.
The area, designated a national monument
in 1978, and a national wild river and
national preserve in 1980, is located in
Katmai National Park and Preserve. It is
accessible by boat or charter flight from
Anchorage or King Salmon. Activities in
the area include rafting, fishing, hiking,
camping and wildlife viewing.
P.O. Box 7
King Salmon, AK 99613
907-246-2116 (fax)
www.nps.gov/katm
Kodiak Island Convention
and Visitors Bureau
100 Marine Way, Suite 200
Kodiak, Alaska 99615
907-486-4782
www.kodiak.org/cvb
Anchorage Convention
and Visitors Bureau
524 W. Fourth Avenue
907-276-4118
www.anchorage.net
50
Fees: There are no entrance fees in Katmai National Park and Preserve. However, there is an $8 per
person/per night fee for camping in the Brooks Camp Campground.
What’s new:
• This summer, a new film on proper catch-and-release fishing techniques will be shown at the park
and local lodges. This will help visiting fishermen, who are generally involved in catch-and-release
trout fishing, improve fish survival.
• In 2006, several new exhibits will be installed at the Three Forks Overlook, at the Valley of Ten
Thousand Smokes. New exhibits will also be installed at the Homer, Port Alsworth and Iliamna
airports, as well as in the Kenai Visitor and Cultural Center.
• A full-size, wood-frame kayak built in the traditional manner of Kodiak kayaks will be placed on
display at the park's King Salmon visitor center in 2006. It will complete an exhibit on the use of
kayaks by Alaska Natives in the region.
The Aniakchak Caldera was formed after a series of volcanic eruptions in 1931.
Up Close with
Four wild, remote parks in Northwest Alaska make up the Western Arctic National Parklands. Together,
Cape Krusenstern National Monument, Kobuk Valley National Park, Noatak National Preserve and
Bering Land Bridge National Preserve include more than 11.5 million acres of parkland.
Cape Krusenstern National Monument, established in 1978, is a coastal plain bordering the Chukchi Sea in
Northwestern Alaska. Its landscape is decorated with lagoons, rolling hills, bluffs and 114 beach ridges, created by the
changing shorelines of the Chukchi Sea over thousands of years.
Archeological sites in the monument provide detailed evidence of an estimated 9,000 years of prehistoric human
existence. And some of these sites date back further than some well-known remains of ancient Greek civilizations.
Activities in the area include hiking, kayaking, fishing, flightseeing and wildlife viewing.
Access to the monument is from Kotzebue, which is served by commercial airlines out of Fairbanks and Anchorage.
The visitor center is also located in Kotzebue. In the summer, visitors may access the park by charter flight or boat. In
the winter, access is by plane, snowmobile or dogsled.
Kobuk Valley National Park
Kobuk Valley National Park, established as a national monument in 1978 and a national park in 1980, is located in
Northwest Alaska. The park, surrounded by the Baird and Waring mountain ranges, protects several unique features
including the Great Kobuk, Little Kobuk and Hunt River sand dunes.
The 25-square-mile Great Kobuk Sand Dunes were created by the grinding action of ancient glaciers and stabilized
by the area’s vegetation. Along with the Little Kobuk and Hunt River dunes, sand dunes cover most of the southern
Kobuk Valley.
A section of the Kobuk River also runs through the park. Its bluffs, some
of which stand more than 150 feet high, hold permafrost ice wedges and
Ice Age mammal fossils.
Activities in the park include hiking, camping, boating, fishing, flightseeing
and wildlife viewing.
Access to the park is from Nome or Kotzebue, both of which are served
by commercial airlines. The visitor center is located in Kotzebue. In the
summer, visitors may access the park by charter flight or boat. In the winter,
access is by plane, snowmobile or dogsled.
The Great Kobuk Sand Dunes.
51
52
IF YOU GO
Noatak National Preserve
Noatak National Preserve, located in Northwest Alaska, is one of North America’s largest mountain-ringed
river basins. It is also home to the Noatak River, a national wild and scenic river, and features a wide variety
of Arctic flora and fauna.
The area was designated as a biosphere reserve in 1976, a national monument in 1978, and a national
preserve in 1980.
One of the preserve’s most popular activities is floating the Noatak River from the mountains of the Brooks
Range to the waters of the Chukchi Sea. Other activities include hiking, camping, fishing, flightseeing and
wildlife viewing.
Access to the preserve is from Nome or Kotzebue, both of which are served by commercial airlines. The
visitor center is located in Kotzebue. In the summer, visitors may access the park by charter flight or boat.
In the winter, access is by plane, snowmobile or dogsled.
When you step onto the Bering Land Bridge National Preserve, located on the Seward Peninsula in
Northwest Alaska, you will be standing on the land bridge that first brought humans from Asia to the
Americas more than 13,000 years ago. Once thousands of miles wide, the majority of the bridge now lies
beneath the Chukchi Sea.
The preserve, which is one of the most remote national park areas in the country, was established as a
national monument in 1978 and a national preserve in 1980.
Activities include camping, hiking, boating, wildlife viewing,
snowmobiling, dog mushing, cross country skiing and fishing.
There are also several public use cabins in the area, including
one at Serpentine Hot Springs, where visitors can soak in the
natural warmth of the hot springs.
Access to the preserve is from Nome, which is served by
commercial airlines. The visitor center is also located
in Nome. In the summer, visitors may access the park
by charter flight or boat. In the winter, access is by
plane, snowmobile or dogsled.
PO Box 1029
Kotzebue, AK 99752
907-442-8316 (fax)
www.nps.gov/nwak
Bering Land Bridge National
Preserve – Nome Visitor Center
P.O. Box 220
Nome, AK 99762
907-443-2522
Nome Convention and
Visitors Bureau
P.O. Box 240 H-P
Nome, AK 99762
907-443-6624
www.nomealaska.org/vc/
Up Close with
Size and Location: Yukon-Charley Rivers National Preserve includes 2.5 million acres in
Interior Alaska, along the Canadian border, near the communities of Eagle and Circle.
Accessibility: The preserve can be reached from Eagle or Circle, both of which are accessible
by air taxi from Fairbanks. Eagle may also be reached on the Taylor Highway during the
summer months. Circle is at the end of the 161-mile Steese Highway. The Yukon River is
the primary method of travel in the park, as there are no roads or facilities.
History: The area was established as a national monument in 1978, and became a national
preserve in 1980. The preserve protects 115 miles of the 1,800-mile Yukon River and the
entire length of the 100-mile Charley Wild River.
Unique features: Yukon-Charley Rivers National Preserve is probably best known for its
rich Gold Rush history, when thousands of hopeful miners floated the Yukon, staked their
claims and prayed for gold. Today, old mining cabins and roadhouses still stand as crumbling
remnants of the miners’ optimism. Several of these structures are available for overnight stays.
In addition to history, the preserve also boasts abundant wildlife, important archeological
sites and the Charley Wild River, which has been called one of the most spectacular rivers in
Alaska.
Temperature: Summer temperatures reach into the 80s, while winter temperatures can dip
well below 50 degrees below zero.
The Charley River flows
through
a Yukon
valley
in the
YukonActivities and attractions:
Boating the
or Charley
rivers is
one of the most popular
Charley
Rivers
activities in the preserve.
Camping, hiking,
fishing,National
wildlife viewing and exploring historic
Preserve.
Pattyinclude
endured
criticism
sites are also popular options.
Winter activities
dog mushing,
cross country skiing and
snowmobiling. The 1,000-mile
Yukon Quest International
Sled Dog Race
for supporting
the creation
oftraverses the frozen
landscape, bringing racers,
veterinarians
and
race
enthusiasts
in
the
middle
of the otherwise
the preserve because he wanted
quiet winter.
the area’s natural beauty and
mining
history protected.
“This
Fees: There are no entrance
fees in Yukon-Charley
Rivers National Preserve.
is a chunk of history that won’t
come again,” he said.
© Doug Fesler
53
FACILITIES:
Eagle Field Office
Visitor Center
Located in Eagle
Open mid-May – mid-September,
8 a.m. – 5 p.m. daily,
mid-September to mid-May,
8 a.m. – 5 p.m., Monday – Friday
54
IF YOU GO
What’s new:
• This summer, the park will introduce a new film, "Where Rivers Meet," a 12-minute
orientation to the national preserve. It will be featured at the park's visitor center in Eagle,
and at the Public Lands Information Centers in Fairbanks and Anchorage.
•
The public facilities restoration project at Coal Creek will be completed this summer, after the
installation of a photovoltaic electrical system. Over the last 10 years, the former mining camp
has been cleaned up, historic buildings have been restored, and one cabin has been converted to
a free public use cabin.
Yukon-Charley Rivers
National Preserve
P.O. Box 167
Eagle, AK 99738
907-547-2233
(visitor information)
907-457-5752
(Fairbanks headquarters)
907-547-2247 (fax)
www.nps.gov/yuch
800-862-5275
(consumer information)
Fish hang to dry in
the midnight sun.
800-327-9372
(media information)
55
Stanton Patty stands beside the dredge
that his family operated on Coal Creek in the
1930s and ’40s. Patty opted to become a writer
rather than a miner because, “I couldn’t do
math and I couldn’t do chemistry and physics.”
Homecoming
After a lifetime of writing about Alaska,
Stanton Patty returns to the Yukon
By Mike Doogan
Photos By Patrick Endres
32
ALASKA DECEMBER/JANUARY
2005
ALASKAMAGAZINE.COM
2005
ALASKAMAGAZINE.COM
33
56
A
An excerpt from
Women
Fearless Men and Fabulous
.
e spot
t long last, Stanton Patty stood on th
Unstoppable
Women
to high,
across the Yukon River
p, tree-covered slope and
t the
wha
But
He looked down the stee
.
rnoon summer sun
ted purple by the late afte
sculpted mud cliffs pain
saw was his childhood.
ride on a narrow, bumpy
77-year-old Patty really
a 6.5-mile four-wheeler
the endured
reclaim. Then he
, they haven’t changed, that’s
nature is doing its best to
.
“Those cliffs. Those cliffs
this mining road that
leaning on a walking stick
t,” Patty said. “I discovered
ped uphill through the brush
stum
one thing that’s permanen
but
it
at
can’t handle the
ed
it
look
and
years ago,
ody else ever
few
anyb
knee
think
a
don’t
hed
I
smas
kid.
a
He
area as
sit here by
the world right here. I’d
ore.
d
me. This was my spot in
crackled weight anym
is also what used to be calle
.” The bone-dry lichen
The old newspaper reporter
the hour. It was gorgeous
ine an
imag
a knack for being
can
“You
ht.
d his weig
funny and friendly with
any—
comp
He
good
s.
under his feet as he shifte
was
igiou
life
l is prod
ering where the hell his
party. His memory for detai
of them
impressionable kid, wond
your life- the life of the
es, and he can tell any one
the most beautiful spot in
knows thousands of stori
going, and then you find
good food and
ling,
trave
likes
Patty
of a hat.
drop
the
at
ood
boyh
time, you never forget it.”
and
his
Coal
and
ng
ridge that divides
ky, but he loves Mabs, writi
We were standing on the
rs National Scotch whis
the Yukon-Charley Rive
k.
Cree
Coal
gy
at
geolo
the
Woodchopper creeks in
Alaska in 1922 to teach
he turned 9, until 1944, when
His father, Ernest, came to
ge in
k
Preserve. From 1935, when
territory’s brand-new colle
summers at the Coal Cree
his
the
t
at
spen
y
Patty
ralog
mine
him,
d
and
war calle
father,
Ernest Jr., came with
rs Inc., managed by his
t’s wife, Kathryn, and son,
mining camp of Gold Place
As he told
that, on a Fairbanks. Ernes
the family four years later.
this spot just once after
him. Stanton was added to
Ernest. He came back to
,” Ernest drove his
try.
lenge
coun
Chal
try
, Mabs, the
, “North Coun
book
his
in
it
ing:
trip to show his new bride
ago
anks at 3 a.m. on a July morn
“Do you know how long
wife to the hospital in Fairb
“That was 1947,” he said.
at!”
seph
Jeho
ing
Jump
Chena
that was?
in the
ow I looked across the
g “Jumping Jehosephat”
From the hospital wind
up
Few men can pull off sayin
saw Dr. Sutherland drive
is a short, thick fellow,
He
and
.
them
town
of
ing
one
is
sleep
the
21st century. Patty
eye. He River to
e.
grin and a twinkle in his
and go in for a cup of coffe
Cafe
el
Mod
the
to
right
big
bald as an egg, with a ready
here
n
said, “Get the doctor
as a baby who has grow
At that moment the nurse
looks like nothing so much
spot, he
he’s no softie. To reach this
without growing old. But
Eva McGown
e! Come in!”
FAIRBANKS—”Come in, Deari
McGown was
It was wartime in Alaska. Eva
on duty.
my homeed
crowd
years
II
The World War
rs, airmen, and
town with thousands of soldie
so tight
was
construction workers. Housing
over the city’s
that the military command took
l buildings on the
two largest hotels and severa
a campus.
neighboring University of Alask
discourage GI
Government officials tried to
lk to the North
wives from following their menfo
found an
Country. Many came anyway—and
angel named Eva McGown.
income, had a
Eva, a widow with a meager
official hostess.
part-time job as Fairbanks’s
Her office was a
cluttered desk just
off the lobby of
the Nordale Hotel
on Second
Avenue. There she
presided like a
queen, wearing a
wide-brimmed
fruit-salad hat, a
fuzzy pink stole,
teardrop earrings,
and several loops
e else the ensemof imitation pearls. On anyon
On Eva, it was
ble might have been ridiculous.
world wonders.
rd magic
Maybe I could climb aboa
carpets, too.
That’s it. I’ll be a writer.
ol football
I’ll turn out for high scho
tooting my
in the fall. And I’ll keep
and pretend
trumpet in the school band
y James. I’ll
that I can play like Harr
history. And
study more geography and
me a writer. Yes, that’s
up in then I’ll beco
Young Stanton grew
do.
t 1,500 then, what I’ll
Fairbanks, a town of abou
the written
first servwith a love of music and
And that’s what he did, after
er
broth
older
r,
, marrying Mabs after a
word. Unlike his fathe
did not ing in the Army
he
,
Dale
ng a
er,
earni
broth
ger
and
and youn
three-week courtship
University of
develop a taste for mining.
degree in journalism at the
“I
said.
he
no.”
ing
hell
r,
learn
“Not as a caree
n. He spent five years
I couldn’t do Washingto
Longview,
couldn’t do math and
newspaper trade at the
the
wonoften
Dad
chemistry and physics.
News, then moved on to
wrong baby Wash., Daily
dered if they picked up the
the Seattle Times.
During 34 years at the
at the hospital.”
CHARLEY RIVERS
YUKONt
by
red
Instead, inspi
Times, Patty wrote abou
NATIONAL PRESERVE
r
nture
adve
of
s
book
the
many things, but always
camp
Creek
Coal
Circle
he
Richard Halliburton,
about Alaska. For many
decided he would become
years, he was the only
Yukon
a writer and traveler.
Outside reporter writing
,
River
this
in
Decided it, in fact,
regularly about the state
in
it
Eagle
tells
he
Charley
As
spot.
very
and he covered every
River
t
5
his new book abou
thing from the battle for
Alaska, “Fearless Men
statehood to being icea
N
and Fabulous Women,”
bound in the Arctic on a
ton
more
Stan
14-year-old
run to Prudhoe Bay. For
point, sets his supply
ge
vanta
of what
this
to
s
climb
three decades, a lot
than
elf,
hims
asks
from
.30-06 against a tree, and
knew about Alaska came
with the rest of America
“What am I going to do
Patty’s writing.
nts,
shme
mpli
acco
other
my life”:
his
Among
first American reporter to
llished his Patty was the
gemana
the
in
Maybe Halliburton embe
ents
lopm
rtheless, his follow deve
h Pacific fisheries, a
reports now and then. Neve
about ment of the Nort
ing
dream
to
me
set
s
colorful yarn
AZINE.COM
away. The baby’s coming.”
called the
I raced to the phone,
at the window
restaurant and was back
into his
leap
r
docto
the
see
in time to
it. The baby
car. He did not make
precipithus,
and
did
arrived before he
Patty came
tously, in 1926, Stanton
into the world.
CAN
34
/JANUAR
ALASKA DECEMBER
Y
2005
ALASKAMAGAZIN
E.COM
TIM BLUM
ADA
s
Among the mysteriou
characters Patty knew
during his childhood,
Frank Slaven owned
Slaven’s Roadhouse,
which still stands beside
the Yukon River near
Coal Creek. Patty spent
the summers of his childhood along Coal Creek
while his father managed
a dredging operation
[facing page] for Gold
Placers Inc.
/JANUAR
ALASKA DECEMBER
Y
2005
ALASKAMAG
positively regal.
call to all
“Come in, Dearie,” she would
of the lobby.
who ventured into her corner
wives, newly
ry
milita
were
s
Often the visitor
s in arms and
arrived in Fairbanks, with babie
were
They
.
other tykes tugging at their skirts
no place to
tired and discouraged. They had
disheartening
stay. Somewhere along their
c
searches for lodging, sympatheti
that the women
sted
sugge
had
Fairbanksans
Nordale.”
“go see Eva McGown at the
one tearful
“God love you,” Eva greeted
be all right, ye
will
ything
“Ever
military wife.
poor darlin’.”
handed it to
Eva jotted down an address,
on her way.
the young mother, and sent her
hearing range,
When the woman was out of
and calmly
Eva placed a telephone call
owner : “I’m
announced to a surprised home
spend the
sending the loveliest lass to
35
57
night at your house.”
Then, before the startled citizen could
decline, Eva hung up the telephone.
“There,” she said with a smile as bright as
the midnight sun. “There’s always a way.”
It was said that Eva carried an inventory in
her head of all the spare bedrooms in
Fairbanks. She also arranged for beds to be
set up in church basements and auditoriums—
sometimes even at the city jail.
One day a young woman arrived from
England to wed an Air Force sergeant stationed at Ladd Field, on the outskirts of
Fairbanks. Eva arranged the ceremony, filled
St. Matthew’s Episcopal Church with her own
friends—and paid for the couple’s hotel room
for the wedding night.
Then there was the time that a young man
entered the hotel with a giant husky in tow. He
approached Eva shyly.
“Come in,” Eva called. “There’s plenty of
room. My, he’s just a puppy. Now what can I
do for you?”
The caller needed lodging for himself—and
the husky.
“We’ll find something, Dearie,” Eva said.
During a visit to Juneau, Alaska’s capital
city, Eva was introduced to a stranger.
“Oh, I know who you are—you’re the lady
who puts everyone to bed in Fairbanks!” the
man exclaimed.
Few who met Eva McGown during those
hectic times knew that the cheerful, pixie-like
woman with the golden heart had experienced
aching loneliness here.
In 1914, at the age of thirty-one, Eva
Montgomer y departed her native Belfast,
Ireland, for the love of Arthur McGown, a part
owner of the Model Cafe in Fairbanks. Yes,
truth be known, Eva was a mail-order bride.
She crossed the stormy Atlantic in what she
described as “a filthy boat,” then traveled by
train to Seattle. There she boarded a steamer
bound for Valdez, then spent more than a
month on the trail in winter to reach
Fairbanks. She traveled by horse-drawn sleigh
and dogsled in bitter cold, staying nights in
roadhouses that were little more than shacks.
“There were rough and tough men on the
trail,” Eva recalled. “But never a cursing word did
they say in my hearing. They gave me hot bricks
for my feet and wrapped furs around me.”
Eva Montgomer y and Arthur Louis McGown
were married the night that Eva arrived in
Fairbanks, February 26, 1914.
Fairbanks back then was a raw mining
town—wooden sidewalks, muddy streets, rickety
store buildings, riverboats, saloons, and brothels.
36
job he did so well that then-Gov. Wally
Hickel made Patty the state’s first director of international fisheries, requiring
him to take a brief leave of absence
from the Times.
While covering Alaska, Patty
amassed a collection of Alaskana that
he said runs to “40 file cases, 30,000
slides, and 2,000 books.” The collection takes up a room and a half of the
home he and Mabs moved to in
Vancouver, Wash., after his retirement
from the Times in 1988.
“I really thought I was going to
quit,” he said. “But three weeks later, I
couldn’t stand it.”
Patty had moved from news to travel writing at the Times, and he quickly
embarked on a career as a freelance
travel writer that is now in its second
decade. On this trip, he was reporting a
story on birding, along with promoting
his book and revisiting his childhood at
Coal Creek.
One thing he does have in common
with all of his mining kin is an eye for
real gold, at least storytelling gold.
“Fearless Men and Fabulous Women,”
published in April by Epicenter Press, is
full of the stuff, in the form of stories
about everything from the last gathering of famous old Bush pilots like Noel
Wien, Bob Reeve and Mudhole Smith,
to hunting whales with the Inupiat of
Point Hope. Interspersed with these
tales are bits and pieces of Patty’s own
life in the north.
By the time Ernest Patty, backed by
a Canadian businessman named A.D.
McRae, bought up the claims in the
mid-1930s, men had been mining for
gold on Coal Creek and neighboring
The Charley River flows
through a valley in the YukonCharley Rivers National
Preserve. Patty endured criticism
for supporting the creation of
the preserve because he wanted
the area’s natural beauty and
mining history protected. “This
is a chunk of history that won’t
come again,” he said.
himself
English
by
reading
Shakespeare. They, and the others like
them, were solitary men who kept
their pasts to themselves.
“My dad said, ‘Don’t ever ask personal questions. If they want to tell you,
they will,’” Patty said. “I thought every
one of them was a murderer.”
Most of the north’s gold-mining
areas developed in the same way.
Individual miners like Slaven and
“You can imagine an impressionable kid, wondering where the
hell his life was going, and then you find the most beautiful
spot in your lifetime, you never forget it.”
—Stanton Patty
Woodchopper Creek for more than 30
years. Some of them were still living in
the area when young Stanton showed
up. So he met Frank Slaven, who
owned a roadhouse where Coal Creek
met the Yukon, a man who talked to
ravens. And Phil Berail, widely
acclaimed as the toughest man in the
north. And Martin Adamik, a
Hungaria n immigran t who taught
2005
ALASKAMAGAZINE.COM
Adamik would highgrade an area, taking out the gold that could be gotten at
by hand. Then someone with capital
moved in, bought up the claims, hired
crews, brought in dredges and applied
the mechanical arts of the 19th century
to the task of extracting gold.
Gold Placers Inc. started working
Coal Creek in 1936 with one dredge
while a sister company, Alluvial Golds
Inc., began mining Woodchopper with
its twin the following year. The procedure was not gentle. Workers stripped
off the ground cover, then thawed the
frozen ground down to bedrock using
steam or cold water or, later, just letting
the sun do the work. The dredge
chewed through the ground, separating
the gold and leaving behind a trail of
rocks called tailings. Yukon-Charley
historian Doug Beckstead titled his
book about mining on the two creeks
“The World Turned Upside Down”
because that’s just what a dredge did:
left what it clawed up from the bottom
lying on the top.
Stanton was the first of the Pattys to
leave Coal Creek, going off to the Army
after high school graduation in 1944.
The next was his older brother, Ernest
Jr., who came back from the war to die
in an airplane crash while ferrying
workers back from Woodchopper
Creek in the fall of 1947. His father and
mother departed in 1953, when his
father accepted the presidency of the
University of Alaska. His younger
brother, Dale, stayed on until 1960,
when Alluvial Golds shut down operations on Woodchopper Creek. Gold
Placers had quit working Coal Creek
three years earlier.
According to Beckstead, the Coal
Creek properties were sold to several
different operators who attempted to
work them at a profit. None could.
After the Yukon-Charley preserve was
established by the 1980 Alaska
National Interest Lands Conservation
Act—known as ANILCA—the properties were sold to the National Parks
Conservation Association. The association donated the claims to the National
Park Service and they were incorporated into Yukon-Charley. The donation
came in October 1986 and included the
gold dredge, the mining camp, Slaven’s
Roadhouse and 69 mining claims—
about 2,000 acres.
Many Alaskans saw—still see, for
that matter—ANILCA as a giant lockup of land by the federal government,
and opposed the addition of any more
land. Not Stanton Patty, who wrote a
column in the Times supporting the
acquisition of Coal Creek.
“I got criticized for supporting
Yukon-Charley by certain people in
Fairbanks. But I wanted the area pre-
Continued on page 80
2005
ALASKAMAGAZINE.COM
“At first, I asked myself, ‘What am I doing
here?’“ Eva recalled. “Then I was taken by the
beauty of Alaska, with its tall sentinel trees,
pure white snow, and a glorious sky like a sea
of glass on fire. I love Alaska with every bit of
me—and I always will.”
Arthur McGown died in 1930, the victim of
a bone tumor. Eva was left a bewildered
widow with almost no money.
“That’s when I learned about loneliness,”
she said. “It’s a heavier load than any woman
should have to carry. In our little log cabin I
heard no sound but the clock ticking and my
own footsteps.
“Then came a day when I knew I must get
busy. I went to the wee church, and I knelt
down and said, ‘Lord, I am ready.’”
Eva left the cabin and moved into the
Nordale Hotel—Room 207—for the rest of her
life. She supported herself by selling magazines and taking odd jobs until the topsy-turvy
years of World War II, when Fairbanks put Eva
on the payroll as the city’s helpful hostess.
In 1953, Alaska’s territorial governor, B.
Frank Heintzleman, issued a proclamation
naming Eva McGown Alaska’s honorary hostess. It happened as Eva was being honored
during a broadcast of the television program
“This Is Your Life.”
A few years later, Eva became the first
woman ever to win the Fairbanks Chamber of
Commerce distinguished-service award. She
stood on tiptoes to see over the lectern and
told a cheering audience: “I never thought I
would qualify for this. Now the only thing left
is Heaven.”
I’ve known Eva McGown all of my life—literally.
Other than my mother’s voice, Eva’s Irish
trill probably was the first sound I heard the
morning I was born. Mom said Eva brushed
past the nurses at St. Joseph’s Hospital and
rushed to her bedside moments after I was
placed in my mother’s arms.
“God love you, Kay,” Eva fairly shouted.
“And who do we have here?”
Later in my young life, while I was learning
to play trumpet in the school band, Eva drafted me for a duet in church. She would play
the organ, and I was to follow along with the
trumpet. The chosen hymn was “Onward,
Christian Soldiers.” I muffed a few notes, but
Eva said we were a success. However, I don’t
remember anyone, not even my parents,
requesting an encore.
Who says you can’t go home again? I did,
many times, while covering Alaska news for the
Seattle Times. And the old Nordale Hotel was
my base. Arne Lee, the longtime desk clerk,
Continued on page 80
37
58
where Dad said, ‘Bozo’s going to live in
Coal Creek.’ And he did. We packed
him into a bush plane and he flew out
here with us. He died out here. Dad
said some dogs finally got him.”
“I heard (Les Gingrich) described as
the ugliest man in the world,”
Beckstead, the historian, said. “He was
the one who ended up with Bozo the
cat. He and Bozo got along really well.”
“The ugly man and the one-eyed
cat,” Patty said. “Was it his dogs who
WOMEN: Continued from page 37
knew I was traveling on a skimpy expense
account and always provided a bargain rate.
He also told Eva when I’d be in town.
One July evening in 1970 I flew into
Fairbanks from Prudhoe Bay, where I had
been touring the fast-developing arctic oil
field. I checked into my room at the Nordale,
reviewed the Prudhoe Bay notes, and turned
in early.
Next morning I found a message that Eva
had slipped under my door:
Dear,
It’s almost midnight—no light in your room.
You were probably asleep. Open your door
first thing in the morning. I am leaving a plate
of cookies for you. I can’t find the wee scotch
that I know you like. Good night.
Love, Eva
Goodness. Eva even knew my brand of
scotch. There were no secrets in small-town
Fairbanks.
Eva’s Room 207 was a gathering place for
friends. There she would serve tea in fine-china
cups, along with cookies—and sometimes a
glass of sherry or Irish Mist. The tiny hotel room
was strewn with keepsakes and clothing: Eva’s
spectacular hats, scarves, gloves, costume jewelry, fancy pillows, books, letters, postcards,
newspaper clippings, and faded photographs.
And there was a little hot plate that Eva used
to cook her morning porridge.
Even Eva’s bed was covered with garments
and mementos. There seemed to be no place
for her to sleep. We figured that maybe she
just pushed things aside at night and slipped
under a blanket.
The clutter may have cost Eva her life. On
the night of February 22, 1972, the Nordale
Hotel caught fire. Eva McGown, age eightyeight, was trapped in her room and died in the
flames that destroyed the hotel. Investigators
said she probably couldn’t find her door key in
time to escape.
In the rubble, they discovered the hotel
safe. It contained a small box belonging to
Eva. Inside were a clump of soil and several
pieces of dried Irish moss—wee bits of Ireland
that Eva kept with her all those years in
Fairbanks. �
—FEARLESS MEN AND FABULOUS WOMEN ($17.95
plus $6 shipping), can be ordered directly
from the publisher at www.epicenterpress.com
or by calling (800) 950-6663.
80
got the cat?”
“No, no, he just had the cat, he didn’t have any dogs,” Beckstead said.
“Well, whose dogs got him?” Patty
controls of the dredge that Patty’s father
Historian Doug Beckstead stands at the
in the area and titled it “The World
managed. Beckstead wrote a book about mining
a dredge did: left what it clawed up from
what
just
that’s
because
Turned Upside Down”
the bottom lying on the top.
HOMECOMING: Continued from page 37
served. This is a chunk of history that
won’t come again,” he said. “There’s
been a lot of criticism of the lack of
environmental concern by those
dredges. But it wasn’t because they
wanted to hurt the country, it’s just that
nobody brought it up. So I wanted that
piece of history maintained in context,
and the Park Service did that.”
Patty’s trip to Coal Creek was something of a whirlwind, just more than 24
hours from start to finish. A mid-morning flight out of Fairbanks in a Park
Service Cessna 185 took him,
ing camp, where we dumped our gear
in the little bunkhouses, then went to
the mess hall. Over a lunch of sandwiches and chips, Patty kept us in
stitches with stories about camp life:
about shooting caribou, building a raft
and floating the meat down the ditch
that brought water to the mining operation; about Frank Estrada, the cook
who liked to watch mice struggle in a
barrel of flour and water he kept out
back of the mess hall; about driving a
little D2 Cat at the age of 12; and
about Bozo the cat.
“We had the meanest cat in the
“It wasn’t because they wanted to hurt the country,
it’s just that nobody brought it up.”
—Stanton Patty
Beckstead and me up the Middle Fork
of the Chena River, then over the
Yukon-Tanana Uplands to Coal Creek.
The flight took just more than an hour
with a little sightseeing thrown in.
“Here’s our mountains right ahead
of us,” said the pilot, Jay Martin, his
voice crackling in the headphones. “If
I’m not mistaken, that’s Mount Ernest
Patty, that dome off to the right. And
that’s Mount Kathryn on the left, the
sharper one.”
Once on the ground, we took a
short trip by four-wheeler to the min-
2005
world,” Patty said, laughing. “I had
this cat, Bozo, he’d got beat up by dogs.
We found him under the old North Star
Bakery building (in Fairbanks). He had
one eye hanging out. Everyone said we
should have him put down, but I said
no and my mother backed me. We used
an eyedropper and milk and we
patched him up.
“He’d get up in the trees and jump
on dogs as they passed by. He’d claw
them until they yelped, then he’d jump
off and run away. He was the meanest
damn thing. It finally got to the point
ALASKAMAGAZINE.COM
asked.
“The wolves,” Beckstead said. “The
wolves out here got him.”
“My dad told me it was dogs,” Patty
said. “Maybe he was trying to spare me.”
It turned out many things were different from Patty’s childhood memories. The camp had been moved,
twice. The D2 had disappeared, probably rusty and overgrown with willows somewhere. And the dredge sat
silent in a stagnant pond, miles downstream from where he’d left it, surrounded by so many mosquitoes that
if you’d swung a quart bucket by the
handle, you’d have caught two quarts
of bugs.
But after lunch, Patty found the cliffs
right where he remembered them. He
stood on his vantage point on the ridge,
which rises from the Yukon to become,
eventually, the mountain named for his
mother, Mount Kathryn.
“God, that’s gorgeous,” he said,
looking at the light play across the
cliffs. “Now you know what Robert
Service was writing about, ‘The stillness
that fills you with peace.’ ”
He turned and began picking his
way back to the road, planting his
walking stick with each step that
crunched over the dry lichen, no longer
a boy of 14 with a life of travel and
writing ahead of him. He stopped,
braced himself with a hand on a tree,
and turned, as if to burn this last look
into his memory.
“Yeah, it’s beautiful,” he said softly.
“They say you can’t go home again, but
I did.”
Mike Doogan is an Anchorage freelance writer, a lifelong Alaskan and former metro columnist for the
Anchorage Daily News.
2005
ALASKAMAGAZINE.COM
81
MOUNTAINS
P
Bl
ZY
ad
CRA
dle
r
Cr
ee
k
Up Close with
e
R i ve r
Snowy Peak
4273ft
1302m
iv
R
t tl
ik
nd
Ka
U
Medicine Lake
Circle Hot Springs
N
TA
IN
S
k
ee
Cr
an
erm
ed
Bluff
Bi
ew
C
Bi
rc
h
Ri v
dr
er
Cree
k
ST
EP
E
L V I
O G I
M
O
Takoma Bluff
Landing strip
er
YUKON TERRITORY
ALASKA
Li
Cr e
ek
PRIVATE
Har
d
Sa m
AREA
Cr
Taylor Cabins (public use)
ey
arl
Cre
ek
M
na
k
(public use cabin)
Mount Ernest Patty
4625ft
1410m
Ha n
ee
CONSERVATION
PROPERTY
(restored)
NATIONAL
ck
Lu
STEE SE
Twin Mountain
5784ft
1763m
Nimrod Peak
Ri v
PRIVATE
NATIONAL PRESERVE
Fo
rk
Seventy
m
il e
ee
k
Mis
s
an
Cr
i on
North Peak
5232ft
1595m
Cree
k
k
strip
Char
ley
Glacier Mountain
5
Walcutt Mountain
5593ft
1705m
Ta y
k
lor
te
ay
hw
ig
r
ph
Cr
F o rk
ee
M
dl
id
e
ee
k
Fortymile (abandoned)
ie n
Cr
k
Br
Jos e
O'
G
C re e k
er
e
ee
ek
re
CANADA
UNITED STATES
C
Copper Mountain
6367ft
1941m
H
R iv
a ste
Eagle
Eagle Village
Park Headquarters
ee
er
Riv
Cr
dp
er
uk
nd
Eagle
Sla
oo
to
Arctic Dome
5335ft
1626m
o
am
Di
er
Cut Mountain
6435ft
1962m
ha
PROPERTY
Cr
lc
Sa
pp
er
Gr
Ri
v
Co
Golvins bush strip
er
Riv
it e
es
YUKON-CHARLEY RIVERS
nd
Cr
C
re
ek
nty
Seve mile
nt
ce
Ta
S
I N
T A
Mount Sorenson
5611ft
1710m
Joseph
bush strip
rth
No
F or k
North
ile
rtym
Fo
To Dawson
0
10 Kilometers
0
Baldy Mountain
3767ft
1148m
20
10 Miles
Authorized National
Preserve boundary
Respect private property
rights and obtain permission before entering
the more than 300,000
acres of nonfederal lands
20
Unpaved road
within the preserve. Contact park headquarters for
information on the location
of private lands within the
preserve.
Hi
Public campground
M
ui
os q
to
Fork
Water Fork
Ta
y lo
r
gh
wa
y
Jack Wade Junction
9
T op
g hw
of the W o rld Hi
Boundary
ay
59

NATIONAL PARKS OVERVIEW 1.indd

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