Magazine

Island of My Fears

A walk across Chichagof Island [by Bjorn Dihle] The floatplane lifted off glassy water and I wiped a bit of vomit from my lip. I was about to trek across Chichagof Island, and nerves had gotten the best of me.

Alaska’s Most Exciting Commute

Whales, sea lions, and otters are the only traffic for Glacier Bay rangers PARK RANGERS ARE ON EVERY CRUISE SHIP THAT TOURS GLACIER BAY NATIONAL PARK, but the massive ships don’t stop when they power into the bay, which means rangers have to board the boats while they’re still pushing through...

Caribou People

The importance of the Porcupine herd to the Gwich’in people [by Charlie Swaney and Peter Mather | photos by Peter Mather] AS I SIT WITH GWICH’IN HUNTER CHARLIE SWANEY UNDER A CLASSIC BLUE CAMPING TARP, A RAIN DRIZZLE SILENTLY DRUMS ALL AROUND US.

Desolate Beauty

Katmai’s Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes [text and images by Steven Miley] STEPPING OUT OF THE BUSH PLANE INTO THE VALLEY OF TEN THOUSAND SMOKES, my shoes sink into the ash and pumice. A cold breeze carrying the vague smell of sulfur stings my face as I scan the valley for signs of life, finding...

Designed by Nature

Arctic Alaska’s mysterious stone walls [by Bill Sherwonit] HIKING ACROSS THE ARCTIC TUNDRA ONE RECENT YEAR, I happened upon an unusual array of rocks, unlike anything I’d seen in more than three decades of exploring Alaska’s diverse wildlands. Upon discovering the piled stones, two thoughts...

America’s Smallest Forest?

Don’t blink or you’ll miss it THE HARSH ENVIRONMENT of the cold, windswept Aleutians keeps little foliage other than grasses from growing on the island of Adak, which is home to the westernmost city in the United States.

Bottoms Up

Don’t leave Alaska without drinking (at least some of) these beers

How to Photograph Alaska Like a Pro

Tips for success from Mark Kelley MARK KELLEY IS A JUNEAU-BASED PROFESSIONAL PHOTOGRAPHER who has been shooting in Alaska for more than 40 years.

Lights Out

Capturing the spirit in the sky [by Nick Jans] A SHIMMER OF LIGHT FLICKERS OVER THE KOBUK RIVER AND THE CURVE OF THE BORNITE HILLS. Then another. As I gaze eastward, yellow-white tongues of fire rise from the horizon, accelerate in pulsing curtains that blaze overhead, shred and vanish, then form...