Southcentral Alaska, also known as the Gulf Coast Region, is the portion of the U.S. state of Alaska consisting of the shorelines and uplands of the central Gulf of Alaska. More than half of the state's entire population lives in this region, concentrated in and around the city of Anchorage. The region is Alaska’s best-connected region, with the Port of Anchorage, Ted Stevens, Anchorage International Airport, and the Alaska Railroad servicing the area. Anchorage International Airport, and the Alaska Railroad servicing the area.
The Alaska Range is a relatively narrow, 600-mile-long (950 km) mountain range in the southcentral region of the U.S. state of Alaska, from Lake Clark at its southwest end to the White River in Canada's Yukon Territory in the southeast. Denali, the highest mountain in North America, is in the Alaska Range. The range is part of the American Cordillera.
The Aleutian Range is a major mountain range located in southwest Alaska. It extends from Chakachamna Lake to Unimak Island, which is at the tip of the Alaska Peninsula. It includes all of the mountains of the Peninsula. The Aleutian Range is special because of its large number of active volcanoes, which are also part of the larger Aleutian Arc. The mainland part of the range is about 600 miles (1000 km) long. The Aleutian Islands are (geologically) a partially submerged western extension of the range that stretches for another 1,600 km (1000 mi). However the official designation "Aleutian Range" includes only the mainland peaks and the peaks on Unimak Island. The range is almost entirely roadless wilderness. Katmai National Park and Preserve, a large national park within the range, must be reached by boat or plane.
Cook Inlet stretches 180 miles (290 km) from the Gulf of Alaska to Anchorage in south-central Alaska. Cook Inlet branches into the Knik Arm and Turnagain Arm at its northern end, almost surrounding Anchorage. On its southern end, it merges with Shelikof Strait, Stevenson Entrance, Kennedy Entrance and Chugach Passage.
Lake Clark National Park and Preserve is an American national park in southwest Alaska, about 100 miles (160 km) southwest of Anchorage. The park was first proclaimed a national monument in 1978, then established as a national park and preserve in 1980 by the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act. The park includes many streams and lakes vital to the Bristol Bay salmon fishery, including its namesake Lake Clark. A wide variety of recreational activities may be pursued in the park and preserve year-round. The park protects rainforests along the coastline of Cook Inlet, alpine tundra, glaciers, glacial lakes, major salmon-bearing rivers, and two volcanoes, Mount Redoubt and Mount Iliamna. Mount Redoubt is active, erupting in 1989 and 2009. The wide variety of ecosystems in the park mean that virtually all major Alaskan animals, terrestrial and marine, may be seen in and around the park. Salmon, particularly sockeye salmon, play a major role in the ecosystem and the local economy. Large populations of brown bears are attracted to feed on the spawning salmon in the Kijik River and at Silver Salmon Creek. Bear watching is a common activity in the park.
Redoubt Volcano, or Mount Redoubt, is an active stratovolcano in the largely volcanic Aleutian Range of the U.S. state of Alaska. Located at the head of the Chigmit Mountains subrange in Lake Clark National Park and Preserve, the mountain is just west of Cook Inlet, in the Kenai Peninsula Borough about 110 miles (180 km) southwest of Anchorage. At 10,197 feet (3,108 m), in just over 5 miles (8.0 km) Mount Redoubt attains 9,150 feet (2,790 m) of prominence over its surrounding terrain. It is the highest summit in the Aleutian Range. In 1976, Redoubt Volcano was designated as a National Natural Landmark by the National Park Service.
Iliamna Volcano, or Mount Iliamna, is a glacier-covered stratovolcano in the largely volcanic Aleutian Range in southwest Alaska. Located in the Chigmit Mountain subrange in Lake Clark National Park and Preserve, the 10,016-foot (3,053 m) volcano lies approximately 134 miles (215 km) southwest of Anchorage on the west side of lower Cook Inlet. It is the 25th most prominent peak in the United States.
The Neacola Mountains are the northernmost subrange of the Aleutian Range in the U.S. state of Alaska. The range is named for the Neacola River which bounds it to the north and drains the highest and most rugged peaks of the group. They are bordered on the southeast by the Chigmit Mountains, another subrange of the Aleutian Range, on the northeast by the Tordrillo Mountains, and on the west and southwest by the lakes and lowlands of Lake Clark National Park and Preserve. The highest peak is Mount Neacola, 9,426 feet although the name is not officially recognized.
The Tordrillo Mountains are a small mountain range in the Matanuska-Susitna and Kenai Peninsula Boroughs in the southcentral region of the U.S. state of Alaska. They lie approximately 75 miles (121 km) west-northwest of Anchorage. The range extends approximately 60 miles (97 km) north-south and 35 miles (56 km) east-west. The highest point is Mount Torbert. On a clear day, they are easily visible from Anchorage.
Southwest Alaska is a region of the U.S. state of Alaska. The area is not exactly defined by any governmental administrative region(s); nor does it always have a clear geographic boundary.
The Alaska Volcano Observatory (AVO) is a joint program of the United States Geological Survey (USGS), the Geophysical Institute of the University of Alaska Fairbanks (UAFGI), and the State of Alaska Division of Geological and Geophysical Surveys (ADGGS). AVO was formed in 1988, and uses federal, state, and university resources to monitor and study Alaska's volcanology, hazardous volcanoes, to predict and record eruptive activity, and to mitigate volcanic hazards to life and property. The Observatory website allows users to monitor active volcanoes, with seismographs and webcameras that update regularly. AVO now monitors more than 20 volcanoes in Cook Inlet, which is close to Alaskan population centers, and the Aleutian Arc due to the hazard that plumes of ash pose to aviation.
The Anchor River is a stream on the Kenai Peninsula in the U.S. state of Alaska. Beginning near Bald Mountain on the eastern side of the lower peninsula, if flows generally west for 30 miles (48 km) into Cook Inlet near Anchor Point on the western side of the peninsula. The river mouth is 15 miles (24 km) northwest of Homer.
Double Peak is a prominent 6,818 foot mountain summit located in Lake Clark National Park and Preserve, in the Chigmit Mountains of the Aleutian Range, in the US state of Alaska. It is the highest non-volcanic peak in the Chigmit Mountains, and third-highest overall. The mountain is situated immediately north of Double Glacier, 100 mi (161 km) west-southwest of Anchorage, and 17.74 mi (29 km) north-northeast of Redoubt Volcano, which is the nearest higher peak. Although modest in elevation, relief is significant since the mountain rises up from tidewater at Cook Inlet in about 20 miles, and it ranks 71st in prominence for all peaks in Alaska. Double Peak was considered to be a volcano by the International Association of Volcanology and Chemistry of the Earth's Interior in 1973, but subsequent reconnaissance mapping indicates the peak is likely made of plutonic rocks of Jurassic age.
Black Peak is a prominent 6,385-foot (1,946-meter) glaciated mountain summit located in Lake Clark National Park and Preserve, in the Chigmit Mountains of the Aleutian Range, in the US state of Alaska. It is the second-highest non-volcanic peak in the Chigmit Mountains, and fourth-highest overall. The mountain is situated 22 mi (35 km) west of Cook Inlet, 90 mi (145 km) west-southwest of Anchorage, and 10.2 mi (16 km) northeast of Double Peak, which is the nearest higher peak. Although modest in elevation, relief is significant since the mountain rises up 6,200 feet from North Fork Big River in about two miles. The mountain's descriptive name was published in 1912 by the United States Coast and Geodetic Survey. The months May through June offer the most favorable weather for viewing or climbing the peak.
Truuli Peak is a mountain summit located in the Kenai Mountains, in the U.S. state of Alaska. At 6,612 ft, Truuli Peak is the highest mountain in the Kenai Mountains on the Kenai Peninsula in southern Alaska. It is located in the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge in the southwest of the Harding Icefield between the Chernof and Truuli glaciers.
