The Tongass National Forest

The Tongass National Forest

We have been in and out of the Tongass National Forest, designated as such by Theodore Roosevelt in 1907, since our trip into Hyder, AK and up to Salmon Glacier. It is almost 17 million acres and is the largest National Forest in the United States and the largest contiguous temperate rain forest in the world….thus all the rain we have been having!  It is estimated that more than 900,000 people travel through this forest each year while about 75,000 Alaskans call it home as do over 5,000 Brown Bears. They all depend on the forest for their livelihood whether it be from fishing, timber or its minerals.  In the 17 million acres there are 19 designated wilderness areas for a total of 5.8 million acres. In addition, it offers over 400 hiking trails, about 150 recreational cabins and 13 campgrounds, which we have used frequently. In it, we have seen glaciers, mountains, valleys, estuaries, islands, lakes, and miles and miles of shoreline but no bears as yet!

As you can imagine with all the rain, it is a beautiful, lush and verdant area with spectacular vistas of its mountains and glacial cirques. We anticipate enjoying more of the forest all the way up the Inner Passage through Sitka, Juneau, Gustavus, Glacier Bay and on into Skagway and utilizing its wonderful, peaceful camping sites.