Aniakchak National Monument & Preserve |
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King Salmon, AK 99613 (907) 246-3305 |
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The biggest attraction of Aniakchak National Monument & Preserve is its caldera that is six miles wide and 2,500 feet deep, formed 3,500 years ago by a huge volcanic eruption. Despite this impressive landscape, the park is one of the least visited national parks in the United States, in some years averaging less than than one visitor per day. This caldera surrounds Mount Aniakchak, offering a variety of volcanic features that seem out of place in this icy, isolated wilderness. The 586,000-acre park has no trails, no campgrounds and no national park facilities, making a trip to this park one of the few places to be almost completely devoid of human habitation. Hiking, fishing and hunting are the most popular forms of recreation within the park, but access is limited to air travel, made all the more difficult by conditions that are frequently too dangerous for aircraft to chance. Due to this park's location, variable climate conditions and distance from any inhabited areas, the park is both incredibly beautiful and quite dangerous to explore: only experienced groups of backcountry travelers should attempt to spend time in this Alaska Peninsula park.
Open daily year round.
Free.
Hotels
