Alaska State Parks

Attractions - Some of the parkland is undeveloped, but many of the parks have campgrounds, fishing and picnic tables. The parks are accessible by road, except for marine parks, which require visitors to use boats or airplanes. Western Alaska's Wood-Tikchik and Lake Aleknagik parks, for example, require a flight to Dillingham and then a boat or plane ride to the park.

Fees are charged for most parks. State budgeting has eliminated amenities at some parks; private organizations have picked up the slack in some cases.

Other popular parks in Southcentral Alaska include Nancy Lake State Recreation Area near Willow and Independence Mine State Historical Park near Palmer and Wasilla.

Recreation - A wide variety of recreation is available in Alaska, including excellent fishing, camping, hiking and backpacking.

Climate - The climate in Alaska varies with terrain and region. The south-central region of the state is most temperate because it is protected from cold northern winds by the Alaska Range. The large bodies of water that lies closely to this area create a stabilizing factor for the air temperature. Southeast Alaska is wet. An average of 80 inches of rain comes to this region directly from the Gulf of Alaska. In contrast to the southeastern region, the interior receives very little precipitation. The winters are long in this region with spring, summer and fall taking place from May through September. The western coast of Alaska experiences long, cold winters and short, chilly summers. This area is very far north and at the mercy of huge water bodies that don't warm. Southwestern Alaska experiences foggy, wet summers with high temperatures reaching 60 degrees F. Winters are severe on this long peninsula of land with storms rising from the surrounding waters frequently. The average rainfall for the region is 75 inches/year.

Location - Maps and directions to each Alaska State Park are available on the pages describing each individual park.