Many captains and ship pilots remember a time when the misty fjords were known only by their individual names – Rudyerd Bay, Walker Cove, Boca de Quadra. But in 1978, by presidential decree, these waterways and the surrounding rain forest, lakes, and peaks were christened Misty Fjords National Monument, becoming part of the multiple-use Tongass National Forest.

There are no visitor facilities here, so you will have to bring with you everything you could possibly need: tide book, topographic maps, nautical charts, compass, matches, stove, tent, food and warm clothes. You will also need rain gear: Misty Fjords receives an average of 160 inches of rainfall a year.

Nearly half of the Southeast’s wild population of Chinook salmon are born in Misty Fjords and return every year to spawn. Chinook salmon can be found in the Wilson Arm and its tributaries, the Blossom and Wilson Rivers.