Visit Wilderness

Search for a wilderness as the destination for your next outdoor adventure.

Bob Marshall Wilderness Area, Minnesota

Why Visit Wilderness?

While wilderness can be appreciated from afar—through online content, television, or books—nothing compares to experiencing it firsthand. Activities like camping, hiking, or hunting allow you to fully enjoy the recreational, ecological, spiritual, and health benefits that wilderness areas offer. These areas provide “outstanding opportunities for solitude or a primitive and unconfined type of recreation,” chances to observe wildlife, moments to renew and refresh, and the physical benefits of outdoor exercise. In many wilderness areas, you can even bring your well-behaved dog.

Learn more about the diverse ways in which we benefit from wilderness and threats wilderness areas face today.

Off the coast of the delta formed by the Yukon and Kuskokwim Rivers lies Nunivak Island, managed as part of the Yukon Delta National Wildlife Refuge. The southern half of Nunivak comprises the Nunivak Wilderness.

Lava flows and craters found in the interior of the island, some of which hold deep lakes, attest to its volcanic origin. An extensive upland plateau stands 500 to 800 feet above sea level and supports a large herd of reindeer. Introduced in 1920, the herd now numbers over 4,000 individuals. The Eskimos of the village of Mekoryuk, the only community on the island, own and manage the reindeer. More than 40 rivers combine to drain the upland. Tundra, which dominates the landscape, gives way to rocky shores and saltwater lagoons filled with eelgrass (feed for migratory waterfowl) and backed by sand dunes. Isolated low mountains and buttes break the tundra. Vast seabird colonies nest on cliffs along the shoreline, and a large variety of migratory birds flock here in season. Sea mammals frequent the coastal region.

Nunivak Wilderness is probably best known for its herd of great shaggy musk oxen. While the Alaskan musk ox became extinct around 1865, these were introduced here from Greenland in 1935. The herd flourished, growing to more than 750 members, and some were shipped to other regions of Alaska. Each year, a permit system determines which hunters will get to shoot a few of the musk oxen, the chance of a lifetime for many. Nunivak Wilderness receives 18.6 inches of precipitation each year. The warmest temperature come in July and average between 49 F and 63 F. The coldest temperatures come in January and average between 1 F and 13 F.

Leave No Trace

How to follow the seven standard Leave No Trace principles differs in different parts of the country (desert vs. Rocky Mountains). Click on any of the principles listed below to learn more about how they apply in the Nunivak Wilderness.

Plan Ahead and Prepare
Travel and Camp on Durable Surfaces
Dispose of Waste Properly
Leave What You Find
Minimize Campfire Impacts
Respect Wildlife
Be Considerate of Other Visitors

For more information on Leave No Trace, Visit the Leave No Trace, Inc. website.

Location

Maps

Digital and paper maps are critical tools for wilderness visitors. Online maps can help you plan and prepare for your visit ahead of time. You can also carry digital maps with you on your GPS unit or other handheld GPS device. Having a paper map with you in the backcountry, as well as solid orienteering skills, however, ensures that you can still route-find in the event that your electronic device fails.

Online Maps

Interactive Map of the Nunivak Wilderness
Google Earth

Alaska Wildernesses

Printed Maps

Fetching MyTopo from Database

USGS Store

Rules & Regulations

Motorized equipment and equipment used for mechanical transport is generally prohibited in all wilderness areas. This includes the use of motor vehicles, motorboats, motorized equipment, bicycles, hang gliders, wagons, carts, portage wheels, and the landing of aircraft including helicopters.

Wilderness-Specific Regulations

Learn more about why regulations may be necessary in wilderness.

Contacts

Applicable Wilderness Law(s)

Public Law 96-487

Date: December 2, 1980
Acreage: 600,000 acres

Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act - Public Law 96-487 (12/2/1980) Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act

For more information (To download or see all affected Wilderness areas) visit our law library for 96-487 or special provisions for 96-487 or legislative history for 96-487.

Want to Volunteer for Wilderness?

People who volunteer their time to steward our wilderness areas are an essential part of wilderness management. Contact the following groups to inquire about volunteer opportunities. Groups are listed alphabetically by the state(s) in which the wilderness is located.