Aniakchak is a wilderness area and can be reached only by airplane. Scheduled flights between Anchorage and Port Heiden Airfield may be made through Reeve Aleutian Airways, Inc. Twice-daily flights are available from Anchorage to King Salmon. Aircraft can be chartered in King Salmon. The Monument is about ten miles from Port Heiden Airfield.
WHEN TO VISIT
The Monument never closes. Weather varies a great deal. Winter temperatures range from -30 to 30 degrees F. Summer temperatures range from mid 40 to 70 degrees F. Violent wind storms can make camping very difficult in both Winter and Summer.
POINTS OF INTEREST
Located in the Aleutian Mountains, the Aniakchak Caldera covers approximately thirty square miles and is one of the great calderas in the world. (A caldera is a crater with a diameter many times that of the volcanic vent formed by collapse of the central part of a volcano or by explosions of extraordinary violence. The Aniakchak Crater erupted in 1931 and includes lava flows, cinder cones, and explosion pits, as well as Surprise Lake, source of the Aniakchak Wild River, which cascades through a 1,500-foot gash in the crater wall on its flow to the Pacific Ocean.
ACTIVITIES
Primitive camping, fishing, float trips, and wildlife watching.
GENERAL INFORMATION
NO FEDERAL FACILITIES. Fishing licenses may be obtained in Anchorage and King Salmon. There are no roads, hiking trails, overnight accommodations, food and supplies, or first aid available. Only primitive camping is available. Information on backcountry trails may be obtained from the Alaska Regional Office of the National Park Service or Superintendent, Katmai National Park and Preserve in King Salmon.
