Izembek Wilderness

In 1980 the Izembek Wilderness became part of the now over 110 million acre National Wilderness Preservation System. On the tip of the Alaska Peninsula, 320,893-acre Izembek National Wildlife Refuge sees a quarter-million migratory birds land every fall, including the entire world's population of black brants and thousands of Canada and emperor geese, ducks, and shorebirds. Izembek Lagoon (5 by 30 miles) contains one of the largest eelgrass beds in the world, providing food and shelter for migratory birds. Tundra swans live on the refuge year-round. Gray, minke, and killer whales migrate along the coast by the thousands. Sea otters are the most common inhabitants of the lagoon. Hundreds of thousands of salmon begin and end their life cycles on the refuge. The brown bear habitat is unparalleled, and caribou wander through in herds. Smoking volcanoes and glaciated mountains tower over lakes and meandering rivers that drain into lagoons opening on the Bering Sea. The castlelike Aghileen Pinnacles form a portion of the boundary between Izembek and the Alaska Peninsula National Wildlife Refuge. Hunting and fishing draw many visitors. No maintained trails exist, and the terrain can be rugged. All of the refuge has been designated Wilderness, except the land along a gravel road system and several private inholdings.