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.

The southwestern corner of Prince of Wales Island, a complex network of bays and inlets, and a cluster of islands known as the Barrier Islands make up this Wilderness.

On Prince of Wales Island, the topography of the southern portion of the area undulates gently around numerous streams, lakes, and wetlands. In the northern portion the terrain rises abruptly to over 2,500 feet.

Precipitation in excess of 100 inches per year has created a lush forest of Sitka spruce, western hemlock, Alaska yellow cedar, and western red cedar with a ground cover of shrubs and grasses.

The Barrier Islands are composed of approximately 75 small islands, ranging from a few acres to over 500 acres, and many smaller rocks. Frequent and fierce storms of the vast North Pacific buffet these islands. Tidal surges can be sudden and powerful among these attractive little bits of land.

One of the first Haida villages in southeast Alaska, Klinkwan, was established in the 1800s, and then abandoned in 1911, with most of the population settling in Hydaburg. An old cannery was located in Hunter Bay, but little evidence remains.

Many of the streams have major coho, sockeye, pink, or chum salmon runs. Black bears, wolves, and Sitka black-tailed deer are common. Quite a few small mammals, waterfowl, seabirds, and bald eagles also call this area home. Humpback whales, Steller's sea lions, and seals are often sighted, and sea otters are especially plentiful, as well as a wide variety of shellfish and other marine food sources.

There are no developed trails or facilities in South Prince of Wales Wilderness, but lots of opportunities for solitude and exploration.

When you visit, you'll find an exemplary southeastern Alaska Wilderness, remote and seldom visited by humans.

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 South Prince of Wales 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 South Prince of Wales Wilderness
FS Topographic Map
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: 97,000 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.