In the last four years of the 19th century, over 100,000 prospectors flooded into the Klondike region of Alaska and Canada looking for gold. Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park not only tells the stories of these pioneers, it preserves 13,000 acres of historic sites and stunning wilderness. Traveling the trails is like going back in time. Photo by C. Anderson, National Park Service. Posted on Tumblr by the US Department of the Interior, 8/5/17.
The Beaver Creek Wild and Scenic River has its headwaters in the White Mountains, approximately 50 miles north of Fairbanks, Alaska. The river flows west past the jagged limestone ridges of the White Mountains before flowing to the north and east, where it enters the Yukon Flats and joins the Yukon River.
The river’s clear water, modest Class I rapids, and unparalleled scenery make for a relaxing trip. Floating Beaver Creek can take from seven days to three weeks to complete. For shorter trips, arrangements can be made with an air taxi for a gravel bar pick-up near Victoria Creek. Others continue for several more weeks onto the Yukon River and take out at the bridge on the Dalton Highway. This 360-mile trip has been called the longest road-to-road float in North America.
Photos by Bob Wick, BLM
Posted on Tumblr by the US Department of the Interior, 4/27/16.
The Dalton Highway starts north of Fairbanks, Alaska, and extends more than 400 miles north to the Prudhoe Bay. The highway is very much a working road, although tourist visits are still very high. The highway crosses through incredible scenery, including Mount Sukakpak, located 30 miles north of Coldfoot Camp. BLMer Bob Wick says of the Mount Sukakpak, “It is an iconic peak along the corridor and one of the most spectacular mountains I have ever photographed.”
The BLM manages much of the Dalton Highway corridor and has a number of popular wayside exhibits, an interagency visitor center and campgrounds.Posted on Tumblr by the US Department of the Interior, 7/7/15.
Two baby moose at 40 Mile River National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska. Tweeted by the US Department of the Interior, 2/14/15.
More
Fall has arrived beautifully in Alaska’s Lake Clark National Park. Posted on Tumblr by the US Department of the Interior, 9/13/14.
Photographer Bob Dreeszen took this photo at Alaska Peninsula National Wildlife Refuge. There’s no explanation for what the fox is doing, but let’s assuming he’s having a good time. Posted on Tumblr by the US Department of the Interior on 6/26/14.
A wolf tracks a fox in the snow covered White Mountains in Alaska. Tweeted by the US Department of the Interior, 2/28/14.
Where Is It: It’s not a part of the road system, so access is by air or boat. The Park is about 100 miles southwest of Anchorage.
The Birth: From wikipedia:
It was first proclaimed a national monument in 1978, then established as a national park and preserve in 1980 by the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act. The park includes many streams and lakes vital to the Bristol Bay salmon fishery, including its namesake Lake Clark.
It Happened Here:
During the 20th century the future park area was lightly populated by people with a high tolerance for solitude. One such person was Richard Proenneke, a former Iowan who came to Alaska in 1949. Proenneke lived at Twin Lakes from 1968 to 1999 in a cabin he built himself, feeding himself through subsistence hunting and by salvaging meat from animals left by sport hunters. A compilation of movie footage shot by Proenneke of his life in the wild was compiled as a documentary, Alone in the Wilderness. Produced posthumously, it has become popular on public television in the United States. Proenneke’s cabin is now listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Size: 4,030,015 acres
# Visitors: This lightly attended Park had only 13,000 visitors in 2013.
Plants: From the Park’s website:
The Lake Clark area is special for its diversity of flowers, plants, trees, and lichen in a relatively small area. Four of the five biotic communities found in Alaska – coastal, lakes/rivers/wetlands, tundra, and forest – exist in the park.
Animals: From TravelAlaska.com:
Lake Clark is home to a full complement of subarctic wildlife species. Land mammals include brown and black bears, moose, the Mulchatna caribou herd that numbers more than 100,000, Dall sheep and wolves. Harbor seals, beluga whales, Steller’s sea lions and sea otters are seen along the coast while the rivers and lakes feature outstanding fishing for salmon, Arctic char, Arctic grayling, Dolly Varden, northern pike, lake trout, and rainbow trout.
Fees: There are no fees to enter or camp in the Park. If you’re going into the back country, there is a voluntary form that the Park requests you fill out.
Staying There: There are private lodges within the Park boundary, but there are no improved campsites in the Park.
Contact Info:
Lake Clark National Park & PreserveDon’t Miss This: If you’re going into the back country, make sure you are familiar with the principles of Leave No Trace. Here is how it’s explained by the Boy Scouts of America. How wild is this Park? From Gorp.com:
For the self-sufficient adventurer, Lake Clark National Park and Preserve is a paradise found. It’s a wild land in which—unlike many other national parks—no “improvements” to nature have been made. All camping is primitive and there is only one maintained hiking trail.
More
