During the last Ice Age, North America and Siberia were connected via the massive Bering Land Bridge. It is thought that this is how people first migrated down and populated the Americas. Today that land bridge has all but disappeared. The remnants of the land bridge are now protected in the Bering Land Bridge National Preserve in Alaska.
The least-visited national park in America is the ultra remote Gates of The Arctic National Park with its wild and unspoiled landscapes. Another breathtaking but extremely remote location in the United States is Alaska's Aleutian Islands - filled with natural beauty and World World Two military history and Japanese invasions.
What Makes The Bering Land Bridge Special
The Bering Land Bridge National Preserve is one of the most remote national park areas in the United States. It was first established in 1978 as a national monument and redesignated in 1980 to a national preserve.
Lying at the continental crossroads, this region has greatly influenced the distribution of life between the continents during the Pleistocene Epoch.
The preserve allows for both subsistence hunting by local residents and sport hunting. According to Alaska.org today Eskimos (mostly Inupiat) continue to pursue subsistence lifestyles and manage their reindeer herds in and near the preserve just as they have for thousands of years.
- Status: As A Preserve (And Not A National Park) It is Federally Protected, But Public Hunting, Trapping, Fishing, Oil And Gas Exploration Are Still Permitted
- Land Bridge: The Land Bridge Existed Over 13,000 Years Ago During The Pleistocene Ice Age
- Name: The Land Bridge Is Also Called Beringia
- Size: 2.7 Million Acres
The majority of the land bridge is now submerged beneath the Chukchi and Bering Seas. at one stage it was up to 1,000 miles wide. It wasn't just people who used this land bridge as a migration route - plants and animals did as well including the horse and camel ancestors that migrated from North America to Asia.
- Major Attraction: Serpentine Hot Springs
Some of the popular destinations for tourists are the lava flows and lake-filled maars and various hot springs. There are over 112 species of migratory birds there along with grizzly bears, foxes, wolves, and moose.
It is a wild and unspoiled landscape and ecologically healthy like none other. There are also Caribou - who are the survivors of the ice age. Muskoxen have been reintroduced to the area while the Siberian tundra reindeer were introduced in 1894.
Getting To The Bering Land Bridge National Preserve
Access to this remote region is difficult. There is no road access (like there isn't for many of Alaska's national parks). Access is only by bush plane is normally serviced by from Nome and Kotzebue.
As it is designated as a national preserve, there are no fees or services within the preserve. No reservations are required for entry.
- Entry Fee: Free
- Opening Hours: Not Applicable
- National Park Services: None
The National Park Service states:
"If you are simply using the preserve for backpacking, hiking, biking, camping, climbing, hot spring soaking, or other low-impact activities, however, it is yours to respectfully and responsibly enjoy!"
Golden Eagle Outfitters Flightseeing & Air Taxi
Golden Eagle Outfitters provides access to many remote places in Alaska that many tours can't reach.
These flightseeing tours are fully customized and operate from Kotzebue and Delta Junction. They can provide a flightseeing tour of the preserve and one will normally touch down for a few moments to feel the beauty of the wilderness. Alternatively, if one prefers they offer an air-taxi service.
- Season: Year-Round
- Duration: 1+ Hours
- Offers: Flight Seeing Tours, Taxi Services (Including Help With Equipment)
They can drop off and pick up tourists in remote parts of Alaska enabling intrepid travelers to go rafting, hiking, skiing, and more in the remotest parts of Alaska. They can help organize guides and equipment.
Their flights from Kotzebue service fly-in only national parks including Gates of the Arctic National Park, Kobuk National Park & Preserve, Noatak National Preserve, Krusenstern National Monument, Bering Land Bridge (Serpentine Hot Springs), and Selawik National Wildlife Refuge.
- Kotzebue: A Village of 3,000 People Mostly Inupiat And Other Indigenous People - The Local Hub Of The Region
Guided Tours Of Bering Land Bridge
There are few guided tours of the Bering Land Bride but one is offered by Alaska Alpine Adventures. They offer a five-day tour that begins in Anchorage or Kotzebue, Alaska. The adventure starts with a 2-night camping adventure at the Serpentine Hot Springs deep in the heart of the Bering Land Bridge.
After that one continues by bush plane to Cape Krusenstern National Monument for another 2-night basecamp for more hiking adventures and wildlife viewing.
- Duration: 5 Days
- Season: Summer
- Price: $4,595