With 24 national park sites in Alaska and more than 223.8 million acres of federal land to wander, there’s good reason to start early and travel often to “The Last Frontier.” For many, trips to Alaska’s national parks are the capstone on a lifetime of #parkchasing.
While the big names like Denali and Glacier Bay National Park top the list, some of the smaller and more remote national parks in Alaska are also worth a visit.
Here’s a list of all the national park sites in Alaska and a recap of our #parkchasing posts so far:
Alagnak Wild River
According to the National Park Service, Alagnak roughly translates to “making mistakes.” 67 miles of the river and its headwaters are included in the wild river designation. Many people tag on a visit to Alagnak Wild River on a visit to Katmai National Park and Preserve.
Passport Cancellation Sites
Located at the King Salmon Interagency Visitor Center in King Salmon, Alaska.
Aniakchak National Monument & Preserve
Aniakchak is one of the least visited units in the National Park Service and one of the most remote national park sites in Alaska. Located 450 miles southwest of Anchorage, Aniakchak is inaccessible by road and weather conditions make air travel difficult and unpredictable. Rafting the Aniakchak River, hiking the caldera floor, and salmon fishing are the most common activities in the park.
**Note: A visit to Aniakchak counts as 2 of the 417 (one for the national monument and one for the preserve.)
Passport Cancellation Sites
Located at the King Salmon Interagency Visitor Center in King Salmon, Alaska.
Bering Land Bridge National Preserve
Bering Land Bridge National Preserve was established to protect the last remanents of the Bering Land Bridget that connected the Asian and North American continents. Located north of Nome, Alaska there are no roads that connect to the national preserve. Popular places to visit in the park include Serpentine Hot Springs, a remote outpost of the National Park Service, and the Imuruk Lava Fields.
Passport Cancellation Sites
Bering Land Bridge visitors centers can be found in Nome, AK and at the Northwest Arctic Heritage Center in Kotzebue, AK.
Cape Krusenstern National Monument
Designated by President Jimmy Carter in 1980 under the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act, Cape Krusenstern National Monument protects nearly 650,000 acres in northwestern Alaska. The land includes more than 70 miles of shoreline and “beach ridges.” There are no roads so planes take care of most transportation needs.
Passport Cancellations Sites
Cape Krusenstern National Monument stamps can be found at the Northwest Arctic Heritage Center in Kotzebue, AK.
Denali National Park and Preserve
Six million acres of pristine Alaskan wilderness. The tallest mountain in North America. Some of the best wildlife viewing in the National Park Service. Denali National Park and Preserve has it all. Located 200 miles north of Anchorage, Denali’s amenities also make it one of the more accessible parks in Alaska.
Check out Park Chaser’s posts about our 2017 trip to Denali:
4 Myths about Camping in Denali National Park
Alaska Vacation Recap: Denali National Park and Preserve
Project Alaska (Part VI): Denali National Park
**Note: A visit to Denali counts as 2 of the 417 (one for the national park and one for the preserve.)
Passport Cancellation Sites
There are multiple national park passport cancellation locations within Denali National Park. Each of the visitor’s centers has passport stamps (Denali Visitor’s Center, Eielson Visitor’s Center, Wilderness Access Center) and so do many of the more remote ranger station outposts (Wonder Lake Ranger Station, Toklat River Contact Station, Talkeetna Ranger Station.)
Gates of the Arctic National Park & Preserve
During our 2017 trip to Alaska, getting to see Gates of the Arctic National Park and Preserve was at the top of our list. Frequently listed as the least visited national park in the entire NPS, we were anxious to visit this remote wilderness. We were among only 11,177 people to visit the park that year.
No roads or designated trails exist anywhere in the park which protects just under 8.5 million acres. The name “Gates of the Arctic” comes from large mountain formations that form near the Arctic Circle and one of the parks 6 wild and scenic rivers.
Check out our planning and trip recap posts to find out about how you can visit Gates of the Arctic:
Alaska Vacation Recap: Gates of the Arctic National Park and Preserve
Project Alaska (Part V): Visiting Gates of the Arctic National Park
**Note: A visit to Gates of the Arctic counts as 2 of the 417 (one for the national park and one for the preserve.)
Passport Cancellation Sites
There are both front country and backcountry options for Gates of the Arctic National Park passport cancellation stops. Anaktuvuk Pass Ranger Station is the only location within the park to obtain stamps. Other locations include the Bettles Ranger Station and Visitors Center in Bettles AK (accessible by airplane only), the Arctic Interagency Visitors Center in Coldfoot, AK and the Morris Thompson Cultural Center in Fairbanks, AK.
Glacier Bay National Park & Preserve
Not to be confused with Glacier National Park in Montana, Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve is located northwest of Juneau, AK. 1,045 tidewater and land glaciers can be found within the park which was established in 1925. The National Park Service maintains over 3.3 million acres of land. However, the park is also a part of a larger, 25 million acre UNESCO World Heritage Site. Together Glacier Bay’s unique landscape is one of the largest protected ecosystems on the planet. Visitors can travel by cruise ship, boat, or plane to the park.
**Note: A visit to Glacier Bay counts as 2 of the 417 (one for the national park and one for the preserve.)
Passport Cancellation Sites
Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve stamps are available in multiple locations. NPS rangers visit several Inside Passage cruise ships for programs and have stamps available there. Stamps are also available in the gateway town of Gustavus, AK including at dock-area ranger station and in the lodge visitors center.
Katmai National Park & Preserve
Katmai National Park and Preserve is located in southwestern Alaska, nearly 300 air miles from Anchorage. The park is remote and accessible only by airplane or boat. Originally protected for its vast volcanic wilderness and Native Alaskan heritage, Katmai is now mostly known for bears. Several popular grizzly bear documentaries and the installation of webcams near the Brooks Camp have made bear watching in Katmai accessible to millions worldwide.
**Note: A visit to Katmai counts as 2 of the 417 (one for the national park and one for the preserve.)
Passport Cancellation Sites
Passport stamps for Katmai are available outside the park at the King Salmon Interagency Visitors Center in King Salmon, AK and inside the park at either the Brooks Camp Visitors Center or the Three Forks Visitors Contact Station.
Kenai Fjords National Park
Established in 1980, Kenai Fjords National Park near the town of Seward, AK has some of the best of Alaska’s National Parks. At 669,000 acres it is a relatively small park by Alaska standards. Yet the park has the Harding Ice Field, one of the largest in the United States with more than 40 glaciers. Many visitors take the park’s only road to the base of the accessible Exit Glacier. Other popular destinations in the park include ranger-led wildlife and whale watching cruises that depart from Seward Harbor.
Passport Cancellation Sites
Passport stamps for Kenai Fjords National Park can be found in 3 locations near Seward, Alaska: The Exit Glacier Nature Center, the Seward Information Center, and the Wilderness Lodge on Fox Island (available via boat cruise.)
Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park
In the late 1890’s, there was one word heard over and over in Alaska: gold. Thousands of people moved to the Yukon Territory and Alaska in search of wealth and riches. Klondike Gold Rush commemorates and preserves the history of this era in Alaska, including much of the historic downtown of Skagway.
Visitors can tour the restored buildings, talk with rangers about what life in a gold mining camp would have been like, or hike the Chilkoot Trail, one of the most famous routes prospectors took to the Yukon. There is also a Seattle unit of Klondike Gold Rush NHP located near downtown.
Passport Cancellation Sites
Passport cancellations for Klondike Gold Rush NHP can be found both at the Skagway Visitors Center in Skagway, AK and at the Seattle Visitors Center in Seattle, WA.
Kobuk Valley National Park
Sand dunes in Alaska? Really?!?! The Great Kobuk Sand Dunes are the largest in the Arctic and one of the highlights of a visit to Kobuk Valley National Park. Located 25 miles north of the Arctic Circle and available only by plane, Kobuk Valley is one of the least visited national parks in the entire NPS. The parks headquarters are located approximately 100 miles west in the city of Kotzebue, AK. Visitors come to see the dunes and the nearly half-million caribou that migrate through the park each year.
Passport Cancellation Sites
Passport stamps for Kobuk Valley can be found at the Northwest Arctic Heritage Center in Kotzebue, Alaska or at the Bettles Ranger Station in Bettles, Alaska. Both spots are popular places for plane flights to Kobuk Valley National Park.
Lake Clark National Park and Preserve
Lake Clark continues to be one of Alaska’s best-kept secrets. Available only by small plane, the park is remote, pristine, and everything Alaska. Salmon runs, volcanoes, bear viewing, and outstanding hiking are some of the many reasons Lake Clark tops the list for Park Chasers visiting Alaska. Visitors can also take multi-day guided river trips on one of Lake Clark’s three National Wild and Scenic Rivers.
**Note: A visit to Lake Clark counts as 2 of the 417 (one for the national park and one for the preserve.)
Passport Cancellation Sites
Lake Clark National Park and Preserve passport stamps can be found in several locations in and out of the park. The Alaska Island and Oceans Visitor Center in Homer, AK and the Alaska Public Lands Information Center in Anchorage, AK both have Lake Clark stamps. Inside the park, stamps can be found at the Port Alsworth Visitor Center and the Redoubt Mountain Lodge.
Noatak National Preserve
Located just north of the Arctic Circle, Noatak National Preserve is thought to be the last remaining complete river ecosystem that has not be altered by human activity. No roads or trails exist to the preserve. Visitors can only travel by chartered aircraft. Flightseeing and floating are the two most popular ways to tour the park. Guided plane tours depart primarily from Bettles and Kotzebue. Float/rafting trips can range from several days to several weeks on the Noatak River.
Passport Cancellation Sites
Stamps for Noatak National Preserve are available at the Northwest Arctic Heritage Center in Kotzebue, AK and at the Bettles Ranger Station in Bettles, AK.
Sitka National Historical Park
It’s hard to discuss Alaskan history without also including Russian history. Sitka National Historical Park preserves the site of a battle between invading Russian traders and indigenous Kiks.ádi Tlingit. The site is located in the Inside Passage town of Sitka, southwest of Juneau. Visitors can hike coastal trails used by Native Alaskans and tour a restored Russian bishops house and review the tumultuous history of Russian colonization in Alaska.
Passport Cancellation Sites
Stamps are available at the Sitka Visitors Center within the park.
World War II Valor in the Pacific National Monument
While most people visit the Honolulu location of WWII Valor in the Pacific NM (where Pearl Harbor Historic Sites are located), there is a small portion of the national monument in Alaska. The monument was created Visitors can tour the Battle of Attu remnants, the areas of Japanese Occupation on Kiska Island and the crash site of a WWII B-24 Liberator plane all in the Aleutian Islands.
Passport Cancellation Sites
There are no known stamps for the national monument in Alaska. All stamps can be obtained in person or by mail from the Honolulu headquarters.
Related Posts: World War II Valor in the Pacific Infographic
Wrangell-St. Elias National Park & Preserve
The most popular guesses for the largest national park in the United States are often Yosemite and Yellowstone. However, that honor goes to Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve in southeastern Alaska. At 13.2 million acres, the park is the same size as Yosemite, Yellowstone and the country of Switzerland combined!
Wrangell is home to nearly everything Alaska has to offer. Some of the tallest mountains in North America can be found here, along with large volcanoes, and the world-famous Hubbard Glacier. The Hubbard Glacier is the longest tidewater glacier in the world with more than 75 miles of ocean entry.
Visitors can tour museums and hike near the headquarters in Copper Center, drop in by plane to some of the remote trails and mountain lakes or travel by boat to the southern areas of the park.
**Note: A visit to Wrangell-St. Elias counts as 2 of the 417 (one for the national park and one for the preserve.)
Passport Cancellation Sites
Passports for Wrangell-St. Elias can be found at the following: Copper Center Visitor’s Center in Copper Center, AK; Chitinia Visitor’s Center in Chitina, AK; at the Copper Center Princess Lodge where evening ranger programs are held; Kennecott Visitor’s Center in Kennecott, AK; and the Slana Ranger Station.
Related Posts: Alaska Recap: Wrangell-St. Elias National Park
Yukon-Charley Rivers National Preserve
The Yukon-Charley Rivers National Preserve protects the upper 100 miles of the 1,800 mile Yukon River and the entire Charley River. Both are considered to be some of the most scenic and wild areas of Alaska, the park is popular among wildlife and fishing enthusiasts. Established in 1978 by President Jimmy Carter, the park also protects historic areas of the Yukon Gold rush of the 1890’s.
Passport Cancellation Sites
Passport stamps are available at Slaven’s Roadhouse, a park outpost in Coal Creek, Alaska.
4 thoughts on “Visit all the National Park Sites in Alaska”
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Thanks, great info:) Now, I have to chase them down:)
Can anyone recommend flightseeing pilots to visit the difficult to reach NPS parks? We have someone for the northern parks above FAirbanks.
I need a good pilot referral for parks around Lake Clark and one for the WWIl site on Aleutian Islands.
Anyone done this and seen all the water or flightseeing parks?
Grateful, Sharon