Alaska Parks
With Unlimited Opportunities

And as part of these Alaska parks, there are all of the State and National campgrounds, campsites, dedicated trails and other such things. I would say this makes Alaska the premier state for taking a "backwoods vacation"!

And I haven't even mentioned the thousands of miles of rivers, streams, creeks and thousands of acres of lakes in which you can go fishing, boating, rafting, canoeing, kayaking or whatever you like. Of course, there are endless miles of bays, lagoons, fjords and other ocean-side waterways also.

It's not always easy to get to some of these areas, as they are often quite remote, but that is one of the great attractions of this state.

The focus of my website is on the northern to southcentral regions of the state, but there are so many different public lands, I will list them for all areas of the State. That way you'll know about the many possibilities.

National Parks and Other Federal Lands - from North to South

• Arctic National Wildlife Refuge - or ANWR is a Refuge that is monitored by the US Fish and Wildlife Service. Popular with hikers, campers, climbers and for fishing, hunting, river floats, and wildlife/landscape photography. Not reachable by road but there are a number of authorized ANWR guides who will take you in there. Also, take part in the ANWAR Alaska Debate on controversial issues.
• Cape Krusenstern National Monument - A coastal site with thousands of years old archaeological remains.
• Noatak National Preserve - Named after the Noatak Wild and Scenic River; recognized as a Biosphere Reserve.
• Gates of the Arctic National Park/Preserve - Has 6 Wild and Scenic Rivers.
• Kobuk Valley National Park - Lies above the Arctic Circle, has large sand dunes and sometimes reaches 100° F in summer!!
• Selawik National Wildlife Refuge
• Kanuti National Wildlife Refuge
• Yukon Flats National Wildlife Refuge
• Koyukuk National Wildlife Refuge
• Nowitna National Wildlife Refuge
• Bering Land Bridge National Preserve - On the remote western coast of Alaska, this area is a migration ground for 170 known species of birds.
• Yukon-Charley Rivers National Preserve - Where the Yukon River comes into Alaska from Canada - great for river floats.
• Innoko National Wildlife Refuge
• Denali National Park/Preserve/Wilderness - The most famous Alaska Park - Home of Mt. McKinley. Has great tours, wildlife viewing, backcountry hiking and camping opportunities.
• Tetlin National Wildlife Refuge
• Wrangell-St. Elias National Park/Preserve/Wilderness - Has massive fields of glacial ice and numerous tall mountians for wonderful hiking, camping and sightseeing opportunities.
• Nelchina Public Use Area
• Chugach National Forest - This gigantic forest starts on the Kenai Peninsula, completely surrounds Prince William Sound and covers the coastline well past Cordova.
• Lake Clark National Park/Preserve/Wilderness - Home to the Telequana Trail and the Kijik National Historic Landmark from the original Native inhabitants.
• Kenai Fjords National Park - A heavily glaciated area along the coastal mountains of the Eastern Kenai Peninsula but with many remote camping spots.
• Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge
• Glacier Bay National Park/Preserve - Southeastern Alaska. A collection of glaciers that have been melting away since first observed by explorers in the 1700s.
• Katmai National Park/Preserve/Wilderness - Home of the gigantic volcanic eruption of 1912, resulting in major damage to towns as far away as Kodiak. The location of the Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes, named by a National Geographic expedition leader a few years after the eruption.
• Alagnak Wild River - A wild and scenic river flowing from Katmai National Park to Bristol Bay on the west coast of the peninsula.
• Kodiak National Wildlife Refuge - the Alaska park where you find the biggest bears on the planet!
• Becharof National Wildlife Refuge
• Tongass National Forest - Southeastern Alaska
• Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park - Southeastern Alaska
• Sitka National Historical Park
• Admiralty Island National Monument - Southeastern Alaska
• Misty Fjords National Monument - Southeastern Alaska
• Aniakchak National Monument/Preserve - The remains of a gigantic volcanic eruption about 3500 years ago. Also a recorded 1931 eruption rained ash on nearby villages at the rate of a pound/hour.
• Alaska Peninsula National Wildlife Refuge
• Izembek National Wildlife Refuge
• Aleutian World War II National Historic Area - As its name suggests.

State of Alaska Parks and Other State Lands - There are so many of them that I am just picking SOME of the State Park lands and State Park Groups to mention.

NORTHERN REGION:

• Chatanika River State Recreation Sites - A total of 473 acres of park north of Fairbanks.
• Chena State Recreation Area
• Birch Lake State Recreation Site - A 48-acre park on the way to Fairbanks.
• Salcha River State Recreation Site - A 61-acre park on the way to Fairbanks
• Quartz Lake State Recreation Area - A 556-acre park on the way to Fairbanks
• Tanana Valley State Forest
• Big Delta State Historical Park - An 11-acre park with camping facilities.
• Delta Junction Area Parks - Has numerous parks along the highway going to Fairbanks.
• Tok River State Recreation Site - A 9-acre park.

VALDEZ-EAST PRINCE WILLIAM SOUND AREA:

• Blueberry Lake State Recreation Site - A 192-acre park on the way to Valdez.
• Worthington Glacier State Recreation Site - A 113-acre park on the way to Valdez.
• Jack Bay State Marine Park - South of Valdez in the Valdez narrows - No roads or trails to this park.

TOK to ANCHORAGE, WHITTIER, WEST PRINCE WILLIAM SOUND:

• Dry Creek State Recreation Site - A 360-acre park near Glennallen.
• Chugach State Park - A 495,000-acre park surrounding Anchorage. Includes numerous trails, campgrounds and other park facilities.
• South Esther Island State Marine Park - A 3,360-acre park in the Whittier Region.

EAST KENAI PENINSULA - SEWARD-RESURRECTION BAY AREA:

• Thumb Cove State Marine Park - A 720-acre park - Seward area.
• Lowell Point State Recreation Site - A 19-acre park south of Seward.
• Caines Head State Recreation Area - A 5,961-acre park at the entrance to Resurrection Bay. An Alaska park from the World War II era.

WEST KENAI PENINSULA:

• Kenai River Special Management Area - Has numerous State Recreation Sites, campgrounds, picnic areas and other features within it.
• Captain Cook State Recreation Area
• Kenai River State Recreation Site - An 832-acre site off of Kalifornsky Beach Road. A great place to fish!
• Clam Gulch State Recreation Area - A 495-acre park.
• Ninilchik State Recreation Area - Has four individual Alaska park areas within it.
• Anchor River State Recreation Area

WESTERN REGION-ALONG PARKS HIGHWAY

• Hatcher Pass Management Area - A 215,000-acre area. Has Independence Mine State Historic Park, Summit Lake State Recreation, trails and campgrounds within it. A very mountainous area.
• Big Lake State Recreation Sites - A total of 41 acres of park with great fishing lakes.
• Willow Creek State Recreation Area - A 3,583-acre park.
• Montana Creek State Recreation Site - An 82-acre park.
• Denali State Park

SOUTHWESTERN ALASKA - NO ROADS TO THIS REGION:

• Lake Aleknagik State Recreation Site - A 7-acre park near Dillingham.
• Wood-Tikchik State Park - A 1.6 million-acre Alaska park in Southwestern Alaska.

KODIAK and NEARBY ISLANDS

• Buskin River State Recreation Site - A 168-acre park on the Kodiak Island road system.
• Woody Island State Recreation Site - A 112-acre park
• Afognak Island State Park - A 48,742-acre park near Kodiak Island

SOUTHEASTERN ALASKA:

• Chilkat State Park - A 9,837-acre Alaska park near Haines.
• Oliver Inlet State Marine Park - A 560-acre park near Juneau at Admiralty Island.
• Juneau Channel Island State Marine Park - A 3,560-acre park on Shelter Island near Juneau.
• Baranof Castle State Historical Site - In Sitka, Southeastern Alaska. The site where Alaska was officially transferred from Russian to the United States
• Petroglyph State Historical Site - A 7-acre site near Wrangell.
• Totem Bight State Historical Park - A 33-acre park near Ketchikan - where all the totem poles are.

That should give you a few choices in Alaska parks, for your vacation. But if you came to this page looking for an RV park or something like that, try the Alaska campgrounds page.

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