Tongass National Forest

Spread across Alaska's southeast panhandle, the Tongass is a varied landscape of islands, fjords, glaciers, estuaries, and caves. It is the largest protected temperate rainforest in the world and provides home to an abundance of wildlife and to the Tlingit, Haida and Tsimshian Native peoples.

Tips for Visitors

• Check out the 16-foot orca skeleton, salmon cam, and rainforest room at the Southeast Alaska Discovery Center in downtown Ketchikan.
• Explore glaciers up-close from the Mendenhall Glacier Visitor Center
• Cruise the Alaska Marine Highway and talk with a ranger along the way.
• Guaranteed bear viewing at four world-class sites.
• Spelunk one of the fascinating karst caves
• Camp, hike and attend a ranger program at the Starrigavan Recreation Area in Sitka.

Natural Highlights

• The 17-million-acre Tongass National Forest spans 500 miles and is among the last temperate rainforests on earth.
• Over 400 species of wildlife, fish, and shellfish abound. Brown bears and eagles, while endangered in other parts of the United States, thrive here.

Historical Highlight
The Tongass surrounds the north end of the Inside Passage, a historic travel route and a popular route for today’s visitors. The Alaska portion extends 500 miles from north to south and 100 miles from east to west, and is still one of the best ways to see this isolated area.

Cultural Highlight
Rich in cultural history, the Tongass continues to be home to Tlingit, Haida, and Tsimshian Native peoples who have lived here for 10,000 years or more.

For more information visit Explore Alaska! or http://www.fs.fed.us/r10/tongass

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