Chamisso Wilderness
Chamisso Wilderness is comprised of Chamisso and Puffin Island and is a subunit of the Chukchi Sea Unit, the northernmost the Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge units. Chamisso Wilderness has one large sand spit and a low beach zone surrounding a covering of tundra with a few marshy bogs. Although Chamisso Island is much larger (rising over 200 feet out of the sea), Puffin Island houses many more nesting birds, especially horned puffins, black-legged kittiwakes, and thick-billed murres who build their nests on the steep-walled cliffs that fall into Spafarief Bay. An unusual sight is horned puffins digging burrows in which to lay their eggs, much like tufted puffins do.
Description from Wilderness Connect (wilderness.net).
| Designation | Wilderness |
| Managed by | U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service |
| State | Alaska |
| Size | 455 acres |
| Designated | 1975, by Congress |
| Center point | 66.22° N, 161.83° W |
| Night sky | About as dark as the ground gets (Black Marble reading 6) |
Boundary map
Boundary, simplified to about 0.005 degrees
The outline is the agency boundary simplified for display, so small parcels and inholdings may not show. The agency page has the authoritative map.
Weather by month
Large units span more than one climate. The station stands in for the center point, and the outer parts of the boundary can be warmer or colder.
Where to camp
No federal campground is within ten miles of the boundary in the Campsite Atlas index. Camping inside a wilderness is usually allowed away from trails and water, with no facilities; the managing agency page has the permit and group-size rules.
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Reference
Questions people ask
How big is Chamisso Wilderness?
455 acres.
Source: Wilderness Connect
Who manages Chamisso Wilderness?
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Source: Wilderness Connect
What state is Chamisso Wilderness in?
Alaska.
Source: Wilderness Connect
When was Chamisso Wilderness designated?
Congress designated it in 1975.
Source: Wilderness Connect
How do I get to Chamisso Wilderness?
A point inside the boundary is at 66.219° N, 161.827° W. The official page carries directions and the office address.
Source: Wilderness Connect
Sources
- Boundary, name, acreage, designation year, states and description: Wilderness Connect.
- Campgrounds: the Campsite Atlas index of federal campgrounds, matched to this boundary at build time.
- Trailheads and sites: the Forest Service Recreation Opportunities layer, points inside the boundary.
- Night sky: NASA Black Marble (VIIRS, 2016 composite) sampled at zoom 6 around the center point.
- Weather, alerts, air quality, river flow and earthquakes load live in your browser from NWS, AirNow, USGS and iNaturalist when you open the page.