The bridge that once connected North America and Siberia still exists, and visitors to its unique landscape have the chance to see its unique features
During the last Ice Age, North America and Siberia were connected by the huge Bering Land Bridge. It is believed that this is how people first migrated and populated the Americas. Today that land bridge has practically disappeared. The remains of the land bridge are now protected in the Bering Land Bridge National Preserve in Alaska.
America’s least visited national park is the ultra remote Gates of The Arctic National Park with its wild and unspoiled landscapes. The Aleutian Islands of Alaska are another breathtaking but extremely remote place from the United States, filled with natural beauty, World 2 military history, and Japanese invasions.
What makes the Bering land bridge special
Bering Land Bridge National Preserve is one of the most remote national parks in the United States. It was first established in 1978 as a national monument and redesignated in 1980 as a national reserve.
Located at the crossroads of the continents, this region greatly influenced the distribution of life between the continents during the Pleistocene era.
The reserve allows both subsistence hunting by local residents and sport hunting. According to Alaska.org, today the Eskimos (primarily the Inupiat) continue to lead subsistence lifestyles and manage their reindeer herds in and near the reserve, as they have for thousands of years. .
- Status: As a reserve (not a national park) it is federally protected, but public hunting, trapping, fishing, oil and gas exploration are still allowed.
- Land bridge: The land bridge existed over 13,000 years ago during the Pleistocene Ice Age
- Last name: The land bridge is also called Beringia
- Cut: 2.7 million acres
Most of the land bridge is now submerged under the Chukchi and Bering Seas. at one point it was up to 1,000 miles wide. It wasn’t just the people who used this land bridge as a migration route – plants and animals used it as well, including the ancestors of horses and camels that migrated from North America to Asia.
- Major attraction: Serpentine hot springs
Some of the popular destinations for tourists are the lava flows and the maars filled with lakes and various hot springs. There are over 112 species of migratory birds as well as grizzly bears, foxes, wolves and moose.
It is a wild and unspoiled landscape and ecologically healthy like no other. There is also Caribou – who are the survivors of the Ice Age. Muskoxen were reintroduced to the region while reindeer from the Siberian tundra were introduced in 1894.
Getting to the Bering Land Bridge National Reserve
Access to this remote region is difficult. There is no road access (as there is none for most of Alaska’s national parks). Access is by bush plane only and is normally served from Nome and Kotzebue.
As it is designated as a national reserve, there are no fees or services within the reserve. No reservation is required for entry.
- Admission fees: To free
- Opening hours: Not applicable
- National park services: Nothing
The National Park Service states:
“If you are just using the reserve for hiking, backpacking, biking, camping, rock climbing, hot spring swimming, or other low impact activities, however, it is up to you to enjoy it in a respectful way. and responsible!“
Golden Eagle Outfitters Flights & Air Taxi
Golden Eagle Outfitters provides access to many remote places in Alaska that many tours cannot reach.
These air tours are fully customized and operate from Kotzebue and Delta Junction. They can provide a guided tour of the reserve in flight and one will land normally for a few moments to feel the beauty of the wilderness. Alternatively, if preferred, they offer an air taxi service.
- Season: All year
- Duration: 1+ hours
- Offers: Guided flight tours, taxi services (including assistance with equipment)
They can drop off and pick up tourists in remote areas of Alaska, allowing intrepid travelers to raft, hike, ski, and more in more remote areas of Alaska. They can help organize guides and equipment.
Their flights from Kotzebue only serve national parks, including Gates of the Arctic National Park, Kobuk National Park and Preserve, Noatak National Reserve, 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 peoples – The local center of the region
Bering Land Bridge Guided Tours
There are few 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 begins with a 2-night camping adventure at Serpentine Hot Springs, in the heart of the Bering Land Bridge.
After that you will continue by bush plane to Cape Krusenstern National Monument for another 2 night base camp for more hiking and wildlife viewing adventures.
- Duration: 5 days
- Season: Summer
- Price: $ 4,595
About the Author
