Chilkat State Park

If you are interested in exploring Alaska's astounding salmon runs, a visit to Chilkat State Park is a great place to start. Located just outside the small town of Haines, this park in the Inside Passage is intimate and charming.

See the glaciers

Campgrounds in Alaska are not really known for extravagant amenities. You visit because you want to commune with nature in its rawest form. At Chilkat State Park, the big thing to see is a pair of majestic glaciers, the Davidson and the Rainbow. These immense slabs of ice are truly humbling to behold, and the trails through the park offer spectacular views.

Staying the night

Chilkat State Park offers camping facilities, but they are quite primitive. Twenty-five campsites are available for tent camping. There is a log cabin visitor's center as well, which offers additional information on the area and the chance to see bald eagles and other animals using wildlife spotting scopes.

A trip to Haines

The tiny city of Haines is at the end of a small outcropping of land in the Inside Passage, and if you want to take a break from your nature solitude, it is a seven-mile walk to town. The Southeast Alaskan State Fair calls the city home every June, and Haines is also an occasional stop for cruise ships that sail the area.

A trip to Alaska's Chilkat State Park offers a chance to commune with nature that city dwellers can surely welcome. While not the most domesticated place on Earth, this park is well worth the visit for a chance to see untamed wilderness.