United States · Field notes

Alaska

Three details to notice, with the sources behind each story.

geography

Ice gives way to a bay

Between visits in 1794 and 1879, glaciers in Alaska’s Glacier Bay retreated dramatically. Ice that had filled the bay gave way to miles of newly exposed shoreline.

Source: National Park Service: Glacier Bay glacial history · Accessed 2026-09-22

A blue-white glacier meeting the water beneath dark, cloud-covered mountains. — Margerie Glacier in Alaska’s Glacier Bay, photographed in 2017.
Diego Delso / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 4.0. Resized and converted to WebP; no cropping. · CC BY-SA 4.0

culture

Carved poles with journeys of their own

Sitka’s park in Alaska displays carved poles made by Tlingit and Haida Indigenous communities. Some travelled to the 1904 St. Louis fair before becoming part of the park’s collection.

Source: National Park Service: Historic Totem Park · Accessed 2026-09-22

A painted carved figure from a totem pole on display inside Sitka’s visitor center. — A Tlingit pole in the collection at Sitka National Historical Park.
Hiart / Wikimedia Commons / CC0. Resized and converted to WebP; no cropping. · CC0

nature

Salmon bring bears to a waterfall

At Brooks Falls in Alaska’s Katmai National Park, migrating salmon gather as they make their way upstream. Brown bears come to the same spot to catch the fish.

Source: National Park Service: Bears at Brooks Camp · Accessed 2026-09-22

Several brown bears fishing in and below the cascading water of Brooks Falls. — Brown bears gather at Brooks Falls in Katmai National Park.
National Park Service / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 3.0. Resized and converted to WebP; no cropping. · CC BY-SA 3.0