The Hidden Beauty of Alaska Trivia Quiz

Answer:

Did you get them all? One clue is language - many of the Alaskan parks (Katmai, Kenai, Kobuk, Denali, Chugach, Chilkat) derive their names from native Alaskan languages, while Wrangell is named after a Russian. Several of the English language ones, like Glacier Bay and Gates of the Arctic (though not Glacier - that's in Montana!) reflect the icy cold of Alaska.

Down south in the continental US, parks in the Midwest and New England often reflect the French heritage of those sites - such as Isle Royale, Voyageurs, and Acadia. Even further south in the American Southwest, many parks have Spanish names such as Mesa Verde and Saguaro.

According to the National Parks Service, three of the four least visited national parks in 2024 are all in Alaska. Unsurprisingly, Gates of the Arctic, which is the furthest north and which has no park facilities on-site, has the fewest visitors. Kobuk Valley, Lake Clark, and Katmai come in at third, fourth, and seventh. While Katmai's bears are famous as part of the park's Fat Bear Week, all three parks have no roads leading in, forcing would-be visitors to arrive via plane or boat.

Wrangell-St. Elias is the largest national park in the United States, covering an area larger than eight states. Kenai Fjords, Denali, and Glacier Bay are all more visited - Denali draws tourists as it is the home of Mt. Denali, the tallest mountain in North America. While Glacier Bay also has no roads leading in, it is significantly further south than the other Alaskan National Parks, located near Juneau in the Alaskan panhandle.

Chugach and Chilkat are two of the most popular state parks in Alaska, with great opportunities for hiking and viewing wildlife.

Regardless of which park you visit, they all possess immense natural beauty as well as flora and fauna not often found in the continental United States. Hundreds of thousands of bears, black, brown, and polar, live in Alaska; polar bears are found nowhere else in the US and around 98% of all American brown bears live in Alaska - the remainder are scattered across Washington, Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming. You can also find caribou and moose, as well as many marine mammals such as sea lions and whales.