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11 of Alaska’s Most Remote Human Settlements Deep in America’s Last Frontier


The Most Isolated Towns in the Last Frontier

You won’t find many places more remote than these small towns in Alaska.

You can’t drive to most of these places, and the people who live here are some of the toughest you’ll ever find.

Here are 11 of the most secluded areas in America’s Last Frontier, from the Arctic Circle to the Aleutian chain.

McCarthy

Deep in Wrangell-St. Elias National Park sits McCarthy, one of Alaska’s most remote outposts.

People first built McCarthy to supply miners after they found copper in 1900. You’ll find it 120 miles northeast of Cordova, spreading across 148.3 square miles at the foot of the Wrangell Mountains.

Though only 107 people live here, the town comes alive for 100 days each summer. You can find a market, two places to eat, a hotel, and a hostel for visitors who make the journey.

Coldfoot & Wiseman

If you drive the remote Dalton Highway, you’ll spot two tiny towns above the Arctic Circle: Coldfoot and Wiseman. Coldfoot keeps just 34 people busy running a key truck stop between Fairbanks and Prudhoe Bay.

Here you’ll find Coldfoot Camp and a visitor center where different agencies work together. Drive 13 miles north to historic Wiseman, where locals show tourists around and offer real Alaska places to stay.

Both towns tough out crazy weather from -74°F to 88°F. But they give you the best access to the Gates of the Arctic National Park and amazing views of the northern lights.

Little Diomede

If you look out from Little Diomede Island in the Bering Strait, you can almost touch Russia just 2.4 miles away. This rocky outpost, where 82 tough people live, shoots up from the sea with cliffs reaching 1,621 feet.

Life here follows old patterns, with Ingalikmiut Eskimo people hunting and fishing just like their ancestors did. Since 2013, when warming weather stopped planes from landing on ice, helicopters bring everything in.

Through bitter winters and foggy summers, people here keep going, living between two countries and across the International Date Line.

Savoonga

While Little Diomede guards the narrow Bering Strait, another remote town thrives on big St. Lawrence Island. You’ll find Savoonga, the “Walrus Capital of the World,” on the island’s north coast, 164 miles southwest of Nome.

Here, 794 people, mostly Siberian Yupik, keep old ways alive by hunting walrus, seals, and bowhead whales. No trees grow on this harsh land, where the Kookooligit Mountains rise against polar skies and winters seem endless.

Yet people here keep their culture strong – almost 65% still speak their traditional languages along with English. Planes fly in from Nome every day, bringing their main link to mainland Alaska.

Utqiaġvik (Barrow)

At the very top of America sits Utqiaġvik, where two Arctic seas meet in an icy embrace. Travel 320 miles north of the Arctic Circle and you’ll find this town where darkness rules for 65 days starting each November.

About 4,622 people live here, mostly Native Americans who still hunt like their ancestors did. They rely on whales, seals, and caribou for food in this isolated spot where freezing temperatures last from October through May.

No roads connect Utqiaġvik to other Alaska towns, making it truly a world apart.

Nome

Nome stands tough on Alaska’s western edge, where the Seward Peninsula meets Norton Sound’s cold waters. You’ll find this old gold rush town 540 miles northwest of Anchorage, where winter brings temperatures below zero for more than two months straight.

Though far from everywhere, 3,699 people keep Nome buzzing with gold mining, fishing, and tourism. When dog sleds finish the famous Iditarod race here, you can visit the Carrie M. McLain Memorial Museum to see gold rush treasures and traditional Inuit art.

Kotzebue

Above the Arctic Circle on Alaska’s west coast, Kotzebue opens the door to America’s northernmost wilderness. About 3,102 people, mostly Inupiat, live on Baldwin Peninsula’s edge, mixing old ways with new life.

In their language, they call it “Qikiqtaġruk,” meaning “almost an island.” Here you’ll see nature’s extremes – summer sun at midnight and winter days without light.

The town averages 21.8°F but stays busy as a regional hub. You can watch the Kobuk 440 dog sled race or use it as your starting point for Arctic adventures.

Port Alsworth

On Lake Clark’s shores, Port Alsworth welcomes you to one of Alaska’s most beautiful wild places. This remote town of 200 year-round residents runs Lake Clark National Park and Preserve operations, 170 miles southwest of Anchorage.

With no roads, planes bring everything the town needs. People here live through frozen winters and mild summers. You can hike 2.5 miles to Tanalian Falls, catch amazing fish, or take guided flights to explore more.

Adak

Travel to the far western Aleutian Islands and you’ll find Adak, America’s westernmost town and Alaska’s southernmost city. Fly 1,200 miles from Anchorage to reach this remote spot, sitting just above the 49th parallel.

Life here takes real grit because it rains or snows 341 days yearly, with temperatures between 20 and 60°F. Only 171 people still live in this old navy base, showing how humans adapt to one of Alaska’s most isolated spots.

Cordova

You can only reach Cordova by boat or plane, where it sits along Prince William Sound’s southeast shores. This tough town of 2,609 people nestles under Eyak Mountain amid the vast Chugach National Forest.

Weather here gets dramatic, with 127 inches of snow and 148 inches of rain each year. The town lives on fishing and seafood processing, while the amazing 700,000-acre Copper River Delta draws visitors to this special corner of Alaska.

Gustavus

Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve surrounds Gustavus, one of Alaska’s fastest-growing small towns, where 655 people now live.

The tide-fed Salmon River splits this southeastern coastal town, where winter stays surprisingly mild, rarely dropping below 27°F. While many work in tourism and the park, Gustavus keeps its small-town feel with a medical clinic, library, and school.

You’ll find yourself among giant spruce and hemlock trees reaching 200 feet high and a dock/ferry terminal that’s accessible by a gangway.

The post 11 of Alaska’s Most Remote Human Settlements Deep in America’s Last Frontier appeared first on When In Your State.



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