Tongass National Forest, Alaska

Southeast Alaska is home to the Tongass National Forest, which is the largest national forest in the whole country. There are plenty of opportunities to see eagles, bears, spawning salmon, as well as  breathtaking panoramas of “wild” Alaska in the Tongass, which takes up much of Southeast Alaska and surrounds the famous Inside Passage. Because it is so far away, it is a safe haven for many rare and endangered plants and animals. Most of its land is a part of the larger Pacific temperate rain forest ecoregion.

About 75,000 people in 31 different settlements rely on the Tongass National Forest for their livelihoods. Southeast Alaska is home to the Tlingit, Haida, and Tsimshian peoples, all of whom are indigenous to the region. The Tongass subtribe of the Tlingit originally settled in the region around modern-day Ketchikan, giving the forest its name. Juneau has 31,000 people and is the most populous municipality in the state.

Protected in this forest are species like the Alexander Archipelago wolf that can be found nowhere else on Earth. In fact, with the current state of wolf management, the Tongass may see its first animal species ever listed under the Endangered Species Act. The massive old-growth trees of the Tongass serve as a carbon storehouse that contributes to global climate regulation. Come visit the bears at Fish Creek Bear Viewing Area in Hyder or Pack Creek Brown Bear Viewing Area on Admiralty Island. Also check out the Mendenhall Glacier Visitor Center in Juneau. Additionally, enjoy a trip on a sled dog across a glacier or go fishing in a river or the ocean.