These three wildly remote National Parks in Alaska are some of the least visited and highly underrated places in the country. With over 22,000 combined square miles, there is no shortage of adventure to be had in any of these brilliantly beautiful places. Getting there might be a bit more difficult than the more popular options on the road system, but the risk is worth the instant reward that you’ll receive upon arrival. If you have a wanderlust for the Last Frontier, you need to plan a visit to these national parks in Alaska ASAP!
- Lake Clark National Park and Preserve, Alaska
Flickr - swanNPS The 6,297-square-mile Lake Clark National Park is located in Port Alsworth, Alaska on the Kenai Peninsula. Lake Clark National Park and Preserve, Port Alsworth, AK 99653, USA
Flickr - Caitlin Marr With the incredible abundant salmon streams that offer world-class fishing opportunities, many are surprised to learn that the annual traffic to this park is only around 13,000 visitors.
Flickr - Caitlin Marr But as you can expect, getting there isn’t as easy as many other National Park options in the state which is likely the reason for the limited amount of travel. With no roads leading in, a float plane or a boat is your best option for visiting.
Flickr - Sanjoy Ghosh In addition to fishing, the wildlife viewing in Lake Clark National Park is by far one of the best experiences that you will ever have in your life. Get up close and personal with the bears and stay at a luxury lodge in the evening. This is what vacation goals are made of! Read more about this national park in Alaska here.
- Kobuk Valley National Park, Alaska
Flickr - Western Arctic National Parklands The 2,735 square mile Kobuk Valley National Park is one of the most unexpected places that you’ll find in the entire state of Alaska. Kobuk Valley National Park, 171 3rd Ave, Kotzebue, AK 99752, USA
Flickr - Western Arctic National Parklands Also known as the Great Sand Dunes National Park, the arctic desert that makes up this vast land attracts roughly 16,875 visitors from all around the world each year. Other activities include hiking, backpacking, fishing, skiing, dog mushing and snow machining.
Flickr - National Park Service, Alaska Region In addition to the sand dunes, the Kobuk River is an enchanting part of this widespread National Park. With abundant fishing opportunities, visitors can stay busy for days.
Flickr - Western Arctic National Parklands The Kobuk River caribou herd is another big attraction when visiting this special area. In fact, over a half-million caribou migrate through this area each year.
Flickr - Western Arctic National Parklands Getting to this incredibly remote park is not easy. There are no roads leading in, so your best best is to take a small plane from the nearest town of Kotzebue. Read more about this national park – one of the largest in Alaska, in fact! – here.
- Gates of the Arctic National Park and Preserve, Alaska
Flickr - Bureau of Land Management Known as one of the last “truly wild places on Earth” is this phenomenal northernmost National Park in the United States. Gates of the Arctic National Park and Preserve, 101 Dunkel St, Fairbanks, AK 99701, USA
Flickr - Paxson Woelber Many are surprised to learn that the annual traffic to this National Park that covers 13,238 square miles of land, is only around 11,012 visitors.
Flickr - Paxson Woelber, Expedition Arguk Although there are no roads leading to Gates of the Arctic National Park, that shouldn’t stop you from visiting. Limestack Mountain is a stunningly beautiful attraction inside the park that everyone should see at least once in their lifetime.
Flickr - Ilya Katsnelson In addition to there not being roads into the park, there are also no trails inside the park. This makes it an excellent location for backcountry hiking and overnight backpacking.
Flickr - Paxson Woelber, Expedition Arguk The lakes, glaciers and mountains inside the park will give you the biggest dose of eye candy in your lifetime. Read more about this national park in Alaska here.
For more of the same great stuff you’ve been reading above, check out the arctic desert that is hiding in this underrated National Park in Alaska. You’ll also love these 7 wonders of the world that are actually right here in Alaska.
Flickr - swanNPS
The 6,297-square-mile Lake Clark National Park is located in Port Alsworth, Alaska on the Kenai Peninsula.
Lake Clark National Park and Preserve, Port Alsworth, AK 99653, USA
Flickr - Caitlin Marr
With the incredible abundant salmon streams that offer world-class fishing opportunities, many are surprised to learn that the annual traffic to this park is only around 13,000 visitors.
But as you can expect, getting there isn’t as easy as many other National Park options in the state which is likely the reason for the limited amount of travel. With no roads leading in, a float plane or a boat is your best option for visiting.
Flickr - Sanjoy Ghosh
In addition to fishing, the wildlife viewing in Lake Clark National Park is by far one of the best experiences that you will ever have in your life. Get up close and personal with the bears and stay at a luxury lodge in the evening. This is what vacation goals are made of! Read more about this national park in Alaska here.
Flickr - Western Arctic National Parklands
The 2,735 square mile Kobuk Valley National Park is one of the most unexpected places that you’ll find in the entire state of Alaska.
Kobuk Valley National Park, 171 3rd Ave, Kotzebue, AK 99752, USA
Also known as the Great Sand Dunes National Park, the arctic desert that makes up this vast land attracts roughly 16,875 visitors from all around the world each year. Other activities include hiking, backpacking, fishing, skiing, dog mushing and snow machining.
Flickr - National Park Service, Alaska Region
In addition to the sand dunes, the Kobuk River is an enchanting part of this widespread National Park. With abundant fishing opportunities, visitors can stay busy for days.
The Kobuk River caribou herd is another big attraction when visiting this special area. In fact, over a half-million caribou migrate through this area each year.
Getting to this incredibly remote park is not easy. There are no roads leading in, so your best best is to take a small plane from the nearest town of Kotzebue. Read more about this national park – one of the largest in Alaska, in fact! – here.
Flickr - Bureau of Land Management
Known as one of the last “truly wild places on Earth” is this phenomenal northernmost National Park in the United States.
Gates of the Arctic National Park and Preserve, 101 Dunkel St, Fairbanks, AK 99701, USA
Flickr - Paxson Woelber
Many are surprised to learn that the annual traffic to this National Park that covers 13,238 square miles of land, is only around 11,012 visitors.
Flickr - Paxson Woelber, Expedition Arguk
Although there are no roads leading to Gates of the Arctic National Park, that shouldn’t stop you from visiting. Limestack Mountain is a stunningly beautiful attraction inside the park that everyone should see at least once in their lifetime.
Flickr - Ilya Katsnelson
In addition to there not being roads into the park, there are also no trails inside the park. This makes it an excellent location for backcountry hiking and overnight backpacking.
The lakes, glaciers and mountains inside the park will give you the biggest dose of eye candy in your lifetime. Read more about this national park in Alaska here.
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The OIYS Visitor Center
National parks to visit in Alaska January 14, 2022 Sarah What are some well-known national parks I should visit in Alaska? The Last Frontier is full of amazing national parks that you really ought to visit. These are places worthy of any adventure seeker’s bucket list! Places we absolutely recommend visiting include Denali National Park, Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve, Lake Clark National Park and Preserve, Katmai National Park and Preserve, and Wrangell - St. Elias National Park and Preserve. Of course, these amazing national parks really are just the tip of the (literal!) iceberg… other amazing places to visit in the Last Frontier include sites like Mendenhall Glacier. The ice caves located at the Mendenhall Glacier in Juneau, Alaska, are natural ice formations in one of the most extraordinary places on the planet. Calling the Mendenhall Glacier “caves” is a misnomer; this place is an entire frozen kingdom that is 13.6 miles long with an estimated total area of 38 square miles. A place of immense beauty and splendor, there’s nowhere in the world like the ice caves at Mendenhall Glacier, and experiencing this natural wonder in person will be something you’ll never, ever forget. What are the biggest national parks in Alaska? While Texas might be known for their “go big” mantra, as the largest state in the country, Alaska is home to seven of the 10 largest national parks in the country! Denali, of course, is the biggest national park in the country; it encompasses 6 million acres of Alaska’s interior wilderness. Second on the list is Gates of the Arctic National Park and Preserve, covering an immense 13,238 square miles. The park houses 8.4 million acres of the diverse arctic ecosystems in Alaska’s central Brooks Range, too! We’ve compiled several must-visit superlative superstar parks in this list. Take a tour of these gorgeous, unique national parks that should be on everyone’s bucket list, and try and pick your favorite!
The OIYS Visitor Center
National parks to visit in Alaska
January 14, 2022
Sarah
What are some well-known national parks I should visit in Alaska? The Last Frontier is full of amazing national parks that you really ought to visit. These are places worthy of any adventure seeker’s bucket list! Places we absolutely recommend visiting include Denali National Park, Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve, Lake Clark National Park and Preserve, Katmai National Park and Preserve, and Wrangell - St. Elias National Park and Preserve. Of course, these amazing national parks really are just the tip of the (literal!) iceberg… other amazing places to visit in the Last Frontier include sites like Mendenhall Glacier. The ice caves located at the Mendenhall Glacier in Juneau, Alaska, are natural ice formations in one of the most extraordinary places on the planet. Calling the Mendenhall Glacier “caves” is a misnomer; this place is an entire frozen kingdom that is 13.6 miles long with an estimated total area of 38 square miles. A place of immense beauty and splendor, there’s nowhere in the world like the ice caves at Mendenhall Glacier, and experiencing this natural wonder in person will be something you’ll never, ever forget. What are the biggest national parks in Alaska? While Texas might be known for their “go big” mantra, as the largest state in the country, Alaska is home to seven of the 10 largest national parks in the country! Denali, of course, is the biggest national park in the country; it encompasses 6 million acres of Alaska’s interior wilderness. Second on the list is Gates of the Arctic National Park and Preserve, covering an immense 13,238 square miles. The park houses 8.4 million acres of the diverse arctic ecosystems in Alaska’s central Brooks Range, too! We’ve compiled several must-visit superlative superstar parks in this list. Take a tour of these gorgeous, unique national parks that should be on everyone’s bucket list, and try and pick your favorite!
The OIYS Visitor Center
The OIYS Visitor Center
The Last Frontier is full of amazing national parks that you really ought to visit. These are places worthy of any adventure seeker’s bucket list! Places we absolutely recommend visiting include Denali National Park, Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve, Lake Clark National Park and Preserve, Katmai National Park and Preserve, and Wrangell - St. Elias National Park and Preserve. Of course, these amazing national parks really are just the tip of the (literal!) iceberg… other amazing places to visit in the Last Frontier include sites like Mendenhall Glacier. The ice caves located at the Mendenhall Glacier in Juneau, Alaska, are natural ice formations in one of the most extraordinary places on the planet. Calling the Mendenhall Glacier “caves” is a misnomer; this place is an entire frozen kingdom that is 13.6 miles long with an estimated total area of 38 square miles. A place of immense beauty and splendor, there’s nowhere in the world like the ice caves at Mendenhall Glacier, and experiencing this natural wonder in person will be something you’ll never, ever forget.
What are the biggest national parks in Alaska?
While Texas might be known for their “go big” mantra, as the largest state in the country, Alaska is home to seven of the 10 largest national parks in the country! Denali, of course, is the biggest national park in the country; it encompasses 6 million acres of Alaska’s interior wilderness. Second on the list is Gates of the Arctic National Park and Preserve, covering an immense 13,238 square miles. The park houses 8.4 million acres of the diverse arctic ecosystems in Alaska’s central Brooks Range, too! We’ve compiled several must-visit superlative superstar parks in this list. Take a tour of these gorgeous, unique national parks that should be on everyone’s bucket list, and try and pick your favorite!
