USFS · Alaska

Misty Fjords National Monument Wilderness

Misty Fjords National Monument includes 2,294,343 acres on the southern tip of the Alaska Panhandle; all but about 156,000 acres near the middle have been designated Wilderness. Misty Fjords is part of a vast coastal rain forest and the cloud-shrouded monument can receive 160 inches of rain annually. The region is marked by deep valleys with steep slopes and sharp intervalley ridges formed by volcanism and carved by glaciation. The slopes appear to be an unbroken carpet of cedar, spruce and hemlock, but the forest floor stands open at numerous muskegs dominated by sphagnum moss. Ridges rise above the timberline to alpine heaths and grasses.

Description from Wilderness Connect (wilderness.net).

Wilderness2.1 million acresUSFSAKDesignated 19801 campground within 10 mi23 Forest Service sites11 trails
Official page at Wilderness Connect ↗
Misty Fjords National Monument Wilderness
Photo from Wilderness Connect, wilderness.net

Facts

Where each comes from ↓
DesignationWilderness
Managed byU.S. Forest Service
StateAlaska
Size2.1 million acres
Designated1980, by Congress
Center point55.58° N, 130.42° W
Night skyVery dark ground, a faint glow at most (Black Marble reading 22)

Boundary map

4 outlines

Boundary, simplified to about 0.005 degrees Federal campground Forest Service recreation site

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

NOAA climate normals →
Weather by month near Misty Fjords National Monument Wilderness20°30°40°50°60°January: 11.03 inches of precipitationFebruary: 5.76 inches of precipitationMarch: 5.95 inches of precipitationApril: 4.11 inches of precipitationMay: 4.80 inches of precipitationJune: 3.48 inches of precipitationJuly: 4.74 inches of precipitationAugust: 8.77 inches of precipitationSeptember: 11.19 inches of precipitationOctober: 12.06 inches of precipitationNovember: 12.00 inches of precipitationDecember: 8.64 inches of precipitationJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecJanuary: 26.8°F averageFebruary: 29.7°F averageMarch: 34.9°F averageApril: 42.0°F averageMay: 50.8°F averageJune: 57.1°F averageJuly: 59.7°F averageAugust: 58.2°F averageSeptember: 52.1°F averageOctober: 42.3°F averageNovember: 33.7°F averageDecember: 28.1°F average0 in5 in10 in15 inTemp °FInches
The line is the average temperature and the bars are average precipitation at Hyder, 27 miles from the center point at 80 feet, station USC00503821 in the NOAA monthly climate normals for 1991 to 2020. Precipitation totals about 93 inches a year. The station sits about 4,300 feet lower than the center point, so temperatures on the ground run cooler.

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

Campsite Atlas →

None of the 1 federal campground within ten miles sits inside the boundary. Nearest first. Distances are from the campground point to the boundary edge, from the Campsite Atlas index.

FS · 0.8 mi
Anchor Pass Buoy
First-comeAK

Trailheads and sites

Forest Service directory · 23

The Forest Service lists 23 recreation sites inside this wilderness, among them 14 cabins, 9 trailheads. Each links to its page on fs.usda.gov, which carries the season, fees and current status.

Show all 23

Distance is from the center point of the boundary, not from a road or town.

Trails

Trailhead Atlas →

11 named Forest Service trails enter this wilderness, 20 miles in all. The 10 longest are listed here.

TrailMiles
Manzanita Lake3.7
Humpback Trail3.5
Ella Lake2.8
Winstanley Lake2.5
Gokachin Trail2.3
Low Lake/Big Lake2.3
Checats Lake1.1
Punchbowl Lake1
Nooya Lake0.9
Hugh Smith Lake0.1

Lengths and allowed uses come from the Forest Service trail layer by way of Trailhead Atlas. This trail list was copied from Trailhead Atlas on November 1, 2026 and is copied again on each weekly run. Trails in plain text have no page there yet.

Explore

Nearby on the other atlases

National Register listings within 15 miles · 2 in all · Register Atlas

Landmarks are listed first, then by distance from the boundary.

Guidebooks for Alaska

We earn a small commission if you buy through these links. It does not change what we list.

Titles come from Open Library's catalog, matched by subject heading or by title.

Reference

Questions people ask

How big is Misty Fjords National Monument Wilderness?

2.1 million acres.

Source: Wilderness Connect

Who manages Misty Fjords National Monument Wilderness?

The U.S. Forest Service.

Source: Wilderness Connect

What state is Misty Fjords National Monument Wilderness in?

Alaska.

Source: Wilderness Connect

When was Misty Fjords National Monument Wilderness designated?

Congress designated it in 1980.

Source: Wilderness Connect

Can I camp at Misty Fjords National Monument Wilderness?

Camping inside a wilderness is usually allowed away from roads, with no facilities, and the managing agency page has the permit rules. The federal campgrounds within ten miles are listed under Where to camp.

Source: Where to camp

How do I get to Misty Fjords National Monument Wilderness?

A point inside the boundary is at 55.584° N, 130.416° W. The official page carries directions and the office address.

Source: Wilderness Connect

Are there historic places near Misty Fjords National Monument Wilderness?

The National Register has 2 listings within 15 miles, including Storehouse No. 3 and Storehouse No. 4.

Source: Register Atlas

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.
  • Trails: the Trailhead Atlas open-data file of Forest Service trails, matched on the wilderness each trail enters.
  • 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.