Alaska 2018
Gold Dridge
Riverboat Discovery Tour included a trip to an official Gold MIne where visitors were given the opportunity to pan for gold. Every guest was a winner and their gold was cashed in at the gift shop for merchandise or cash.
Described as either a floating workhorse or a mechanical gold pan, Gold Dredge 8 extracted millions of ounces of gold from the frozen Alaskan ground. Today, Gold Dredge 8 National Historic District serves as a monument to the hard working miners who built Fairbanks. Gold Dredge 8 is also a National Engineering Landmark.
Gold Dredge 8 operated between 1928 and 1959 and played an essential role in mining and the economy of the Tanana Valley. It is said that dredges and mining saved Fairbanks. In 1942, gold mining suffered a serious setback; the War Productions Board issued it’s famous Order L-208 which forced the closure of all gold mines in the United States for the duration of World War II. After the war was over, very few mines re-opened. By the time the war ended, the miners that once ran the gold mines were in other professions and their wage levels had increased too high for gold mining to support. But Gold Dredge 8 was one of the few mines that did re-open and ran successfully until it was shut down for economic reasons in 1959.
Trail Breaker Kennels
Part of our tour was a trip on a Sternwheeler the The Riverboat Discovery. Along the way was a visit to Trailbreaker Kennels and a stop at the Chena Indian Village
Susan, originally from Cambridge, Massachusetts, moved to Alaska in 1975, after receiving a veterinary technician degree from Colorado State University. It was in Colorado that Susan discovered sled dog racing, however, she didn’t pursue mushing more seriously until moving to Alaska. For 3 years, she lived in the wilderness of the Wrangell Mountains, honing both her wilderness survival and dog mushing skills. In 1978, Susan competed in her first Iditarod; she was the top female competitor that year. She proceeded to win the Iditarod in 1986, 1987, 1988 and 1990. Of Susan’s 16 Iditarods, she was in the top 2 eight times; in the top 5 twelve times; and in the top 10 fifteen times.
In 1979, Susan climbed Mount McKinley by dogsled — the only person to do this. In 1992, she and her husband, David, mushed a team from the Brooks Range to Point Barrow, the northernmost point in Continental North America.
Susan often lectured on mushing, her pioneer lifestyle in Alaska, and her career as a competitive sled dog racer. She also welcomed visitors to Trail Breaker Kennel, which rapidly became a favorite Alaskan tourist destination. Her other activities included volunteering with many local and national charities.
Trail Blazer Kennels
Susan Butcher Kennels: We were treated to how the facility exercises their dogs. The dogs are allowed to run loose to develop their drives and socialize with other dogs and visitors. Once harnessed this team was raring to go . The dogs work as a team with the most experienced in the lead.
Willow Ptarmigan
The willow ptarmigan was designated the official state bird of Alaska in 1955. This image was captured on our tour through Denali National Park.
Ptarmigan are arctic grouse. The willow ptarmigan (Lagopus lagopus) changes color from light brown in summer to snow white in winter for effective camouflage from predators. Another distinctive feature is its feathered toes. In winter months the willow ptarmigan eats mosses and lichens, willow buds and twigs, a little birch; seeds and berries when available. In summer their diet expands to vegetable matter and occasionally caterpillars or beetles.
Ptarmigan are sociable in winter and usually feed and roost in the snow close together. In spring flocks of several thousand sometimes appear en route to their breeding grounds. These huge flocks rapidly disperse as summer areas are reached and cocks demand elbow room for their share of the tundra.
Caribou
Although they are called reindeer in Europe, only domesticated caribou are called reindeer in Alaska and Canada. Caribou in Alaska are distributed in 32 herds (or populations) totaling approximately 950,000 animals.
Caribou have large, concave hoofs that spread widely to support the animal in snow and soft tundra. The feet also function as paddles when caribou swim. Caribou are the only member of the deer family (Cervidae) in which both sexes grow antlers. Antlers of adult bulls are large and massive; those of adult cows are much shorter and are usually more slender and irregular. In late fall, caribou are clove-brown with a white neck, rump, and feet and often have a white flank stripe. The hair of newborn calves ranges from dark, chocolate brown to reddish brown. Newborn calves weigh an average of 13 pounds (6 kg) and grow very quickly. They may double their weight in 10-15 days. Weights of adult bulls average 350-400 pounds (159-182 kg). However, weights of 700 pounds (318 kg) have been recorded. Mature females average 175-225 pounds (80-120 kg). Caribou in northern and southwestern Alaska are generally smaller than caribou in the Interior and in southern parts of the state.
Like most herd animals, the caribou must keep moving to find adequate food. Large herds often migrate long distances (up to 400 miles/640 km) between summer and winter ranges. Smaller herds may not migrate at all. In summer (May-September), caribou eat the leaves of willows, sedges, flowering tundra plants, and mushrooms. They switch to lichens (reindeer moss), dried sedges (grasslike plants), and small shrubs (like blueberry) in September.
Dall Sheep
Dall Sheep (Ovis dalli dalli) inhabit the mountain ranges of Alaska. These white creatures are most notable for the males’ massive curled horns. Females (known as ewes) also carry horns, but theirs are shorter and more slender, and only slightly curved. Until rams reach the age of 3 years, they tend to resemble the ewes quite a bit. After that, continued horn growth makes the males easily recognizable. Horns grow steadily during spring, summer, and early fall. In late fall or winter, horn growth slows and eventually ceases. This start-and-stop growth results in a pattern of rings called annuli which are spaced along the length of the horn, and can help determine age. Dall rams as old as 16 years have been seen, and ewes have been known to reach 19 years of age. Generally, however, a 12 year old sheep is considered quite old.
Size
Up to 300 pounds
Distribution
Alpine areas in the subarctic mountain ranges of Alaska.
Diet
Herbivorous; sheep eat grasses, sedges, lichen, moss, and other plants.
Predators
Wolves, coyotes, golden eagles, wolverine, and brown bears.
Reproduction
Ewes bear a single lamb.
Remarks
Dall sheep are known for their massive, curled horns and the clashes that occur among the males.
Grizzly Bear
Brown and grizzly bears are classified as the same species even though there are notable differences between them. Kodiak bears (brown bears from the Kodiak Archipelago) are classified as a distinct subspecies (U. a. middendorffi) from those on the mainland (U. a. horribilis) because they have been isolated from other bears since the last ice age about 12,000 years ago. “Brown bears” typically live along the southern coast of the state where they have access to seasonally abundant spawning salmon. The coastal areas also provide a rich array of vegetation they can use as food as well as a milder climate. This allows them to grow larger and live in higher densities than their “grizzly” cousins in the northern and interior parts of the state. To minimize confusion, this report uses the term “brown bear” to refer to all members of Ursus arctos.
The brown bear resembles its close relatives the black bear (U. americanus) and the polar bear (U. maritimus). Brown bears are usually larger than black bears, have a more prominent shoulder hump, less prominent ears, and longer, straighter claws. Polar bears are similar in size to coastal brown bears, but are more streamlined, lacking the hump. The varying shapes of these bears are adaptations to their particular life styles. Long claws are useful in digging roots or excavating small mammals, but are not efficient for climbing trees. The musculature and bone structure of the hump are adaptations for digging and for attaining bursts of speed necessary for capture of moose or caribou. Color is not a reliable key in differentiating these bears because black and brown bears have many color phases and polar bears may have stained fur. For example, black bear fur may be black, brown, reddish or even shades of grey and white, while brown bear colors range from dark brown through very light blond.
Size
Up to 1,500 lbs
Distribution
Brown bears occur throughout Alaska except on islands south of Frederick Sound in southeast Alaska, west of Unimak in the Aleutian Chain, and Bering Sea islands.
Diet
Onmivorous
Predators
Other Brown bears
Reproduction
Twins are most common, but litter sizes can range from 1 to 4
Remarks
Can be a wide range of colors
Other names
Brown and grizzly are both used in Alaska
Mount Denali
View of Mt. Denali from the Rail to Anchorage Line. On the eve of the National Park Service’s 100th anniversary, the name of the highest peak in North America changed from “Mount McKinley” to “Denali.” The timing of the change not only helps mark the agency’s centennial, it shines a light on the long human history of the park, and illuminates a naming debate that has lasted more than 100 years.
Denali, once called Mount McKinley, is the tallest mountain in North America. Located in south-central Alaska, the mountain's peak is 20,310 feet (6,190 meters) above sea level, also making it the third highest of the Seven Summits — the highest mountains on each of the seven continents — following Mount Everest in Nepal and Aconcagua in Argentina. By one measure, it could be considered the third tallest mountain in the world.
Denali is about 170 miles (275 km) southwest of Fairbanks and about 130 miles (210 km) north-northwest of Anchorage. It is part of the Alaska Range and the centerpiece of Denali National Park, which covers six million acres (24,281 square km) of land.
Alaska Landscape # 1
Rail To Anchorage: This image was taken from a moving train.
Denali is about 170 miles (275 km) southwest of Fairbanks and about 130 miles (210 km) north-northwest of Anchorage. It is part of the Alaska Range and the centerpiece of Denali National Park, which covers six million acres (24,281 square km) of land.
Alaska Landscape # 2
Rail To Anchorage: This image was taken from a moving train.
Denali is about 170 miles (275 km) southwest of Fairbanks and about 130 miles (210 km) north-northwest of Anchorage. It is part of the Alaska Range and the centerpiece of Denali National Park, which covers six million acres (24,281 square km) of land.
McKinley Explorer
Rail To Anchorage. This was an awesome trip with views not available by car. The train cars were excellent and meals were served on board.
Mount Denali
View of Mt. Denali from the Rail to Anchorage Line. On the eve of the National Park Service’s 100th anniversary, the name of the highest peak in North America changed from “Mount McKinley” to “Denali.” The timing of the change not only helps mark the agency’s centennial, it shines a light on the long human history of the park, and illuminates a naming debate that has lasted more than 100 years.
Denali, once called Mount McKinley, is the tallest mountain in North America. Located in south-central Alaska, the mountain's peak is 20,310 feet (6,190 meters) above sea level, also making it the third highest of the Seven Summits — the highest mountains on each of the seven continents — following Mount Everest in Nepal and Aconcagua in Argentina. By one measure, it could be considered the third tallest mountain in the world.
Denali is about 170 miles (275 km) southwest of Fairbanks and about 130 miles (210 km) north-northwest of Anchorage. It is part of the Alaska Range and the centerpiece of Denali National Park, which covers six million acres (24,281 square km) of land.
Seaward Port
Seward is a port city in southern Alaska, set on an inlet on the Kenai Peninsula. It’s a gateway to Kenai Fjords National Park, where glaciers flow from the Harding Icefield into coastal fjords. Surrounded by peaks, the fjords are a whale and porpoise habitat. The city’s Alaska SeaLife Center has seals and puffins, and fishing boats fill Seward Harbor. To the west, a trail leads to the summit of Mount Marathon.
Ocean Otter
Seward is a port city in southern Alaska, set on an inlet on the Kenai Peninsula. It’s a gateway to Kenai Fjords National Park, where glaciers flow from the Harding Icefield into coastal fjords. Surrounded by peaks, the fjords are a whale and porpoise habitat. The city’s Alaska SeaLife Center has seals and puffins, and fishing boats fill Seward Harbor. To the west, a trail leads to the summit of Mount Marathon.
Seaward Port # 2
Seward is a port city in southern Alaska, set on an inlet on the Kenai Peninsula. It’s a gateway to Kenai Fjords National Park, where glaciers flow from the Harding Icefield into coastal fjords. Surrounded by peaks, the fjords are a whale and porpoise habitat. The city’s Alaska SeaLife Center has seals and puffins, and fishing boats fill Seward Harbor. To the west, a trail leads to the summit of Mount Marathon.
Holland America
Noordam Deck 4. This was the deck used by most passengers who need to get in a walk. Three laps constituted a mile. I walked this about every other deck. Always made for serine views.
Holland America Upper Deck
Outside Deck 9: Due to cold conditions there were not a lot of swimmers in this pool. However there was another pool inside. This area was right off from one of the many restaurants so was used to eat meals and enjoy the view.
Reid Glacier
Reid Glacier is about ¾ mile wide, 150 feet high, and over 10 miles long. Like Lamplugh Glacier to the west, it originates in the Brady Icefield. Both the eastern third and western third of the glacier is now grounded and basically terrestrial. Only the central area with its deep blue ice is affected by high tides when calving may occur. Water is shallow along the ice face.This glacier is close to becoming grounded and no longer considered tidewater. Sediment deposited from streams draining out of the glacier on the eastern and western margins is gradually filling the inlet in front of the glacier, the deposits being exposed at low tides. The center of the glacier continues to slowly recede at about 30 to 50 feet per year, while the remainder of the margin has been receding at about 30 feet per year or less while progressively thinning. Crevasses that characterized Reid Glacier within its terminus region since the early 1900’s are slowly closing as flow rates decrease and the terminus becomes terrestrial. The glacier filled all of Reid Inlet in 1899 and has slowly receded to its current position since that time. On the walls of the fjord, lateral deposits of the glacier extend from near the waterline up and along the bedrock face, and mark the positions and thickness of the ice at locations where it remained stable for some period of time during this overall period of recession.
Lamplugh Glacier
Lamplugh Glacier is about ¾ mile wide, 150 feet high at the face, 10 to 40 feet deep at the waterline, and over 16 miles long. Noted for the intense blue color of it's ice, Lamplugh is fed by the Brady Icefield, which lies east of the Fairweather Range. As temperatures warm, and snowlevels rise, the Brady Icefield accumulation areas appear to be shrinking year after year. Ice flow rates have not been measured but are estimated at 900 to 1000 feet per year. The margin is currently receding by calving in the central and eastern part of the ice face at variable rates we estimate to be around 50 to 100 feet per year. The western third or so of the terminus is grounded, and only at the highest high tides does saltwater reach all but the far western-most edge of the ice face. A large subglacial stream flows from the central part of the terminus, often creating large caves in the face of the glacier. Such subglacial streams discharge large volumes of sediment-rich water into the fjord, filling the small embayment at the ice edge with brown to tan milky water. Since 2010, outwash has built up extensive mudflats along the entire face of the glacier.
Sea Gull
As of February, 2016, 281 species of birds have been recorded in Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve. The high diversity and abundance of birdlife is due to the variety and extent of favorable breeding habitats available within the park, many of which contain ample food resources and low numbers of land predators.
Thousands of seabirds nest on cliffs and rocky shores both within the bay and on the park’s outer coast, where they prey on small fish and other sea life. Small to medium-sized colonies of gulls, guillemots, puffins, and cormorants disperse along park shores, especially in the northern half of Glacier Bay, Cross Sound and the southern portion of the outer coast. Relatively major colonies occur on the Marble Islands, Boussoule Head, Cenotaph Island, beside Margerie and Johns Hopkins Glaciers, and at the mouth of Hugh Miller Inlet. Large flocks of phalaropes, molting sea ducks, and foraging gulls are prominent summer residents, while flocks of loons, gulls, murrelets, and sea ducks dominate the winter scene. Bald Eagles are conspicuous inhabitants on shorelines throughout the park.
Margerie Glacier
One of few glaciers that are actually advancing, Margerie Glacier is about 21 miles long and 250 feet high (with a base 100 feet below sea level). The tidewater glacier has been growing roughly 30 feet per year for the last few decades, and has joined and separated from Grand Pacific Glacier over the past twenty-five years.
Margerie Glacier is an icy highlight of any visit to Glacier Bay National Park, and a primary destination for visitors on sailboats, kayaks, tourboats, and cruise ships. It is about 1-mile wide, with an ice face that is about 250 feet high above the waterline, but with its base about 100 feet below sea level. The glacier is about 21 miles long and begins in snow-fields in the Fairweather Range where elevations exceed 9000 feet. The ice flows about 2000 feet per year, or about 6 feet per day. Margerie Glacier joined Grand Pacific Glacier about 1990, but they have since separated as Grand Pacific recedes. Margerie Glacier is a hanging glacier with its base about 600 feet above the floor of Tarr Inlet near its center. As the flowing ice moves beyond the submerged valley floor, it breaks off and calves into the sea in spectacular fashion. Margerie’s terminus was relatively stable in position through the 90’s; however, about 1998 the northern third of the terminus began a slight recession, forming a small embayment within the ice face. Over the years, this part of the terminus has thinned and the embayment has expanded. In 2017, this section experienced dramatic changes with deep embayments and a large mass of bedrock now exposed. Perpetual meltwater discharges from subglacial streams below the water surface within the central area of the glacier resulting in upwellings and occasionally fountains. Where the ocean is disturbed by meltwater streams and calving icebergs, flocks of black-legged kittiwake gulls swarm and glean small marine creatures from the surface.
Grand Pacific Glacier
s about 2 miles wide at the terminus, averages about 150 feet high at the ice face, up to 60 feet deep at the waterline and over 35 miles long. The glacier reached a maximum position when it joined the edge of Margerie Glacier in 1992, but these glaciers are no longer together due to recession of Grand Pacific. A small stream presently flows between the two termini. Most of the ice margin of Grand Pacific is now grounded at low tide; the calving section probably reaches a water depth of only 30 to 60 feet. The ice cliff is estimated to be 60 feet high where it is grounded. Behind the terminus, the ice may thicken to 900 feet or more. The western two thirds of the ice in the terminus of the Grand Pacific Glacier actually now originates from the tributary Ferris Glacier. The ice has been thinning for the last several decades. The eastern portion of Grand Pacific Glacier moves only about 150 to 180 feet per year based on GPS measurements made by CRREL in 1998-1999.
The eastern edge is currently receding at about 30 to 60 feet per year and shows significant thinning and closure of crevasses. In about 1996, an embayment began to form in the center of Grand Pacific’s terminus. Since then, the center of the ice cliff has begun slowly receding. We anticipate that retreat will accelerate as the embayment enlarges and the depth at the waterline increases. In such a scenario, retreat is likely to continue until the terminus reaches a position where it will become grounded above mean tide. The grounded western edge of the glacier is also slowing receding (10 to 30 feet per yr) and thinning. Rock debris from landslides and medial moraines cover much of this side of the glacier and extends across almost two-thirds of the ice face. Where this rock debris is more than an inch thick, it insulates the ice, slows melting and results in a thicker ice mass than where the ice is clean. In many areas on the glacier, the debris is more than 3 feet thick.
Haines, Alaska # 1
The Alaska Chilkat Bald Eagle Preserve was created by the State of Alaska in June of 1982. The preserve was established to protect and perpetuate the world's largest concentration of Bald Eagles and their critical habitat. It also sustains and protects the natural salmon runs and allows for traditional uses; provided such uses do not adversely affect preserve resources. The Preserve consists of 48,000 acres of river bottom land of the Chilkat, Kleheni, and Tsirku Rivers. The boundaries were designated to include only areas important to eagle habitation. Virtually every portion of the preserve is used by eagles at some time during the year. Bald Eagle Preserve
The river "flats" of the Chilkat River along the Haines Highway between miles 18 and 24 are the main viewing area for eagle watchers and considered critical habitat in the preserve. Bald eagles are attracted to the area by the availability of spawned-out salmon and open waters in late fall and winter.
Haines Alaska # 2
n 1910 Haines had approximately 400 residents, 19 stores, and four canneries. In its first special election, residents voted that year to incorporate as a 1st class city for the purposes of maintaining order and improving the school system. As Haines and Fort Seward continued to grow through the years, Fort Seward was renamed "Chilkoot Barracks" to honor the gold seekers who struggled over the Chilkoot Trail. The name changed again at the end of World War II when the Barracks were decommissioned and sold to a group of veterans who incorporated it as the City of Port Chilkoot in 1956. In 1970, Port Chilkoot merged with Haines to become a single municipality, the City of Haines.
In the 1940's and 1950's Haines became an important transportation link with the completion of the Haines Highway and the initiation of the Alaska Marine Highway System. The first ferry in the Upper Lynn Canal was operated by Steve Homer and Ray Gelotte, two of the veterans who purchased Fort Seward and docked in Portage Cove. In the early 1950's a military fuel storage pumping facility was constructed at Tanani Point, and an eight-inch pipeline ran over 600 miles to Fort Wainwright near Fairbanks. This pipeline operated for 20 years before becoming obsolete.
After statehood in 1959, the Alaska Legislature began urging various occupied areas of the state to become more organized. They passed the Mandatory Borough Act in 1963 that required certain sections of the state to form boroughs. The intent was to provide a degree of tax equity between those residents living within the incorporated communities and those residing without where both groups shared the same school system. Though the Haines area was not specifically cited in the law, it was evident that some governmental system would have to be adopted to make the school system legal. In 1968, the Haines Borough became the only third class borough in the state, and its only mandated power was taxation for education. The original boundaries encompassed approximately 2,200 square miles. In 1975, the Borough annexed an additional 420 square miles with the inclusion of the commercial fish processing facility at Excursion Inlet, thereby increasing the Borough's income base.
After narrowly rejecting the idea in 1998, 56% of area citizens voted in 2002 to consolidate the City of Haines and Haines Borough to form the home rule Haines Borough. A charter written by residents sets the basic municipal rules and is available to read on the Haines Borough website. Haines Borough possesses all powers and privileges of a home rule borough under the laws of the State of Alaska and the Haines Borough Charter.
![Nuget Falls (Juneau, Alaska) also known as Nugget Creek Falls or Mendenhall Glacier Falls, is a waterfall downstream of the Nugget Glacier, in the U.S. state of Alaska. Formed by the creek from the Nugget Glacier, the waterfall drops 377 feet (115 m) in two tiers of 99 feet (30 m) and 278 feet (85 m) onto a sandbar in Mendenhall Lake, which is the freshwater pool at the face of the Mendenhall glacier. The lake then drains via Mendenhall River into the Inside Passage.[1] The waterfall is fed by Nugget Creek, which is in turn fed by the Nugget Glacier, a tributary glacier on the mountainside east of Auke Bay. The creek cascades down towards Mendenhall Lake, forming a hanging valley, then plunges over the falls to the lake. Prior to the recession of Mendenhall Glacier, it was said that the falls would drop "directly on the glacier" or that the "glacier covered the waterfall".](https://photos.smugmug.com/National-Parks/Alaska-2018/i-2pdh2bc/0/df09199a/XL/_50G3400-P-Web-XL.jpg)
Nuget Falls (Juneau, Alaska) also known as Nugget Creek Falls or Mendenhall Glacier Falls, is a waterfall downstream of the Nugget Glacier, in the U.S. state of Alaska. Formed by the creek from the Nugget Glacier, the waterfall drops 377 feet (115 m) in two tiers of 99 feet (30 m) and 278 feet (85 m) onto a sandbar in Mendenhall Lake, which is the freshwater pool at the face of the Mendenhall glacier. The lake then drains via Mendenhall River into the Inside Passage.[1] The waterfall is fed by Nugget Creek, which is in turn fed by the Nugget Glacier, a tributary glacier on the mountainside east of Auke Bay. The creek cascades down towards Mendenhall Lake, forming a hanging valley, then plunges over the falls to the lake. Prior to the recession of Mendenhall Glacier, it was said that the falls would drop "directly on the glacier" or that the "glacier covered the waterfall".
Mendenhall Glacier
Mendenhall Glacier is a glacier about 13.6 miles (21.9 km) long located in Mendenhall Valley, about 12 miles (19 km) from downtown Juneau in the southeast area of the U.S. state of Alaska.[2] The glacier and surrounding landscape is protected as part of the 5,815 acres (2,353 ha) Mendenhall Glacier Recreation Area, a federally designated unit of the Tongass National Forest.[3]
The Juneau Icefield Research Program has monitored the outlet glaciers of the Juneau Icefield since 1942, including Mendenhall Glacier. The glacier has also retreated 1.75 miles (2.82 km) since 1929, when Mendenhall Lake was created, and over 2.5 miles (4.0 km) since 1500. The end of the glacier currently has a negative glacier mass balance and will continue to retreat in the foreseeable future.[4]
Given that average yearly temperatures are currently increasing, and the outlook is for this trend to continue, it is actually possible that the glacier might experience a period of stabilization or slight advance during its retreating march. This is because increasing amounts of warm, moist air will be carried up to the head of the icefield, where colder ambient temperatures will cause it to precipitate as snow. The increased amount of snow will feed the icefield, possibly enough to offset the continually increasing melting experienced at the glacier's terminus. However, this interesting phenomenon will fade away if temperatures continue to climb, since the head of the glacier will no longer have cold enough ambient temperatures to cause snow to precipitate.
Nuget Falls # 2
Nuget Falls (Juneau, Alaska) also known as Nugget Creek Falls or Mendenhall Glacier Falls, is a waterfall downstream of the Nugget Glacier, in the U.S. state of Alaska. Formed by the creek from the Nugget Glacier, the waterfall drops 377 feet (115 m) in two tiers of 99 feet (30 m) and 278 feet (85 m) onto a sandbar in Mendenhall Lake, which is the freshwater pool at the face of the Mendenhall glacier. The lake then drains via Mendenhall River into the Inside Passage.[1] The waterfall is fed by Nugget Creek, which is in turn fed by the Nugget Glacier, a tributary glacier on the mountainside east of Auke Bay. The creek cascades down towards Mendenhall Lake, forming a hanging valley, then plunges over the falls to the lake. Prior to the recession of Mendenhall Glacier, it was said that the falls would drop "directly on the glacier" or that the "glacier covered the waterfall".
Juneau Alaska
Juneau, Alaska’s remote capital, sits in the state’s panhandle, at the base of 3,819-ft. Mount Roberts. It’s a popular cruise-ship stop, reachable only by boat or seaplane. A tram carries visitors 1,800 feet up Mount Roberts to an alpine area with hiking trails, wildflowers and views of Gastineau Channel. This is also the site of the Juneau Raptor Center, dedicated to local birds.
Ketchikan, Alaska
Ketchikan is an Alaskan city facing the Inside Passage, a popular cruise route along the state's southeastern coast. It's known for its many Native American totem poles, on display throughout town. Nearby Misty Fiords National Monument is a glacier-carved wilderness featuring snowcapped mountains, waterfalls and salmon spawning streams. It's also home to rich wildlife including black bears, wolves and bald eagles.
Ketchikan, Alaska, population 15,000, is located on the steep and rocky shores of Revillagigedo Island in the Southeast Alaska Archipelago. Fishing and tourism are mainstays of the local economy. Average rainfall often exceeds 13.5 feet per year. Ketchikan is the gateway to the Tongass, the largest national forest in the United States.
Ketchikan has long been the King Salmon capital of the world and has large charter and commercial fishing fleets to prove it. The area has 5 public boat harbors and a ship and drydock facility for large vessels.
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