Misty Fjords National Monument | Ketchikan

Misty Fjords National Monument, often called the “Yosemite of the North,” stretches across more than two million acres of untamed wilderness east of Ketchikan, Alaska, within the vast Tongass National Forest. It’s a place where sheer granite cliffs plunge directly into mirror-still fjords, where waterfalls thread down through mist, and where silence feels as deep as the sea itself. Few landscapes in Alaska embody the word majestic quite so effortlessly.

A Land Shaped by Ice and Water

Over millennia, massive glaciers carved these deep, narrow fjords, leaving behind a landscape of steep-walled valleys, glassy inlets, and forested ridges rising up to 3,000 feet. Today, those same walls are streaked with moss and rain-fed streams that tumble down in silver ribbons. The air is heavy with moisture; mist hangs like a veil over the treetops, softening every outline. This is a land sculpted by retreating ice and shaped by constant rain-a living record of geological power.

Getting There

Misty Fjords is accessible primarily by floatplane or boat from Ketchikan, as no roads reach this remote region. Most visitors experience it from the air, gliding over the fjords’ dark waters before landing on an alpine lake encircled by cliffs. Others take a day cruise or kayak expedition, threading through narrow channels such as Rudyerd Bay or Behm Canal. Each approach offers a different perspective-the aerial view reveals the monument’s vastness, while traveling by water lets you feel its scale from below, surrounded by echoing cliffs and waterfalls that seem to fall from the sky.

Wilderness and Wildlife

This is true wilderness, home to a rich array of wildlife. Black bears and mountain goats roam the slopes; bald eagles perch on spruce branches scanning the tide flats. In summer, the fjords’ calm waters often ripple with the passage of harbor seals, porpoises, and occasionally orcas or humpback whales. The stillness amplifies every sound-the rush of a waterfall, the distant cry of an eagle, the soft slap of waves against the rocks.

The Rainforest Realm

The monument lies within Alaska’s temperate rainforest, dominated by western hemlock, Sitka spruce, and thick carpets of moss. The forest floor feels springy underfoot, rich with ferns and fallen logs that decay into new life. The scent is unmistakable-earthy, resinous, and clean, especially after a fresh rain. Every surface seems alive, glistening with water. It’s not unusual to spend an entire visit enveloped in the “mist” that gives the area its name; far from obscuring the view, it enhances it, lending the fjords a dreamlike, otherworldly quality.

Points of Interest

Among the most photographed features is Punchbowl Cove, a near-perfect amphitheater of granite rising sharply from the sea, its reflection creating an almost symmetrical mirror in calm conditions. Another highlight, New Eddystone Rock, is a volcanic spire jutting from Behm Canal-a lone sentinel marking the remnants of an ancient volcanic vent. Both places capture the monument’s essence: raw, quiet power held in balance by the slow rhythm of tide and rain.

A Place Beyond Words

Visiting Misty Fjords often feels less like sightseeing and more like a kind of reverence. The immensity of the cliffs and the way light plays through the mist can make even seasoned travelers fall silent. It’s the kind of wilderness that humbles and restores, reminding visitors that in Alaska, nature still holds dominion. Whether seen from a floatplane circling over a glassy inlet or from the deck of a slow-moving boat, Misty Fjords leaves an impression that lingers long after the mist fades.