Emergency Equipment & Supplies
AOPA has an excellent document covering survival topics. Information specific to Alaska is included. For example, links within the document touch on Aviation survival skills, water purification, Alaska’s emergency equipment statute, post crash care and assembling a survival kit.
Misc FAA Resources
Mountain Flying link
Off Airport Operations Guide link
Denali Nat’l Park Pilot Information page (link)
VFR Raster Charts (georeferenced raster images of charts); Also PDF version of charts (link here)
Misc Safety & Survival Resources
Additional information on the Tips & FAQ page
Alaskan Pilot and Passenger Survival Guide link
Handling Abnormal & Emergency Situations link
Basic Survival Skills for Pilots link
AOPA “Best Practices for Alaska Aviation Survival and Rescue Gear” link
AOPA has an excellent “Backcountry Resource Center” page with many links to helpful articles and videos (link here)
General Interest Items
The Milepost (Target audience is folks driving, but lots of good info). From the Milepost website link. “Legendary Alaska trip planner and Alaska travel guide to the highways, roads, ferries, lodgings, recreation, sightseeing attractions and services along the Alaska Highway…”
Alaska Outdoors: LOTS of information on fishing, hunting and general outdoor activities. Gear lists too. link
Typography of Icy Bay link
Raised Relief Map: Wrangell-St Elias Nat’l Park link
At Work In The Wrangell’s: Photographic History link
Alaska Community Histories link
Sitka History & Culture link
Mountain Flying Service (Haines, Skagway, Glacier Bay) link
Skagway, Haines Glacier Bay Flight Seeing (FlyDrake.com) link
List of the highest major summits of the U.S. link
Article on toxic shellfish poison in Alaska clams…be careful if you’re clamming ! link
Travels in Alaska by John Muir link
Alaska Glacial Studies
Before & After photos of glaciers thru time link
Studying Alaska’s tidewater glaciers link
Repeat photography in Glacier Bay Nat’l Park: capturing change link
Overview of selected glaciers in Glacier Bay Nat’l Park link
Glacier Bay’s glacial history link
Alaska glacier studies: melting faster link
Seward area: The Exit Glacier link
History of Selected Areas
Upper Tanana native history link
Valdez trail history from the late 1800’s link
Mining History Association (Kennicott Mines) link
Chitina Valley mining history link
Railroad History. The Copper River Northwestern RR: link
Copper Deposits in the Nizina District link
Misc
AOPA has a page that links to many (all?) of the articles that they covered in recent (?) years dealing with Alaska link NOTE: AOPA website has occasional issues where it reports this as a broken link.
Alaska Airmen’s Association last published the excellent “Alaska Airmen’s Association Logbook For Alaska” by Don Bowers in 1992. Though out of print, a PDF is available here (167 mb). Good information but seriously out of date.
Alaska Hot Springs (some of them) link
SouthEast Alaska Hot Springs link
Interior Alaska Hot Springs link
Public Lake Cabins of Alaska. Excellent resource put together by Tom Bass (Thank you!); Now updated by RAF Alaska Liaison Jeff DeFreest and his wife Kari and maintained by Bill Rusk. Bill has many Alaska trips under his very experienced belt!: link to Alaska Public Use Cabins. This cabin resource is part of the Seaplane Pilots Association resource site (link here).
Alaska Aurora Forecast link
Wrangell St. Elias Public Use Cabins link
Other Helpful Websites
A group of Alaskan pilots recently launched a website “Tundra Pilot” with both airstrip maps as well as many helpful trip-to-Alaska resources. Check it out here.
Other Pilot Trip Reports
S Smith recently created a wonderful blog post chronicling his flight up the ALCAN. Pictures, tips, suggestions for customs…check it out here.
F. Fernandez recently sent me this trip report. Thank you! (link here)
Rick Hiebert & friends posted a wonderful YouTube video (link) of their 2023 Alaska trip. Here are Rick’s words: “Alaska backcountry, an aviators dream adventure! Visited Talkeetna, McCarthy, Kennecott Mine, Forest Service Cabins – Italio River, Jake’s Bar, May Creek, Peavine, and numerous glaciers including Hubbard Glacier. Five+ onboard cameras rolling to give you as much scenery as possible. Two GoPro Max 360 cameras allow for an “out of airplane” experience. This was a dream trip that we wanted to record for our own memory but hope we can entertain you to a degree as well…maybe even entice you to experience the same adventure yourself. ” To add to this, Curtis Penner added a trip “checklist” they put together after consulting numerous resources: Checklist link here. They also authored a short article with wonderful pictures in Air Facts Journal: link
Bill Rusk is maintaining this new website (by RAF Alaska Liaison Jeff DeFreest and his wife Kari) regarding visits to and information on Alaska Public Use Cabins. If you’re on floats, visiting this website is a “must”: Alaska Public Use Cabins
Three planes travel from Washington state in 2019 PDF Story here or link to EAA article here
Cory Wolf wrote an excellent guide covering his trip to Alaska (link here)
God’s Country Aviation has a great website for operations out of Bethel link
Oregon 180, Kristian (?) has a long thread with inputs from many experienced Alaska pilots re suggested places to visit (link)
Bill Rusk (2016 trip) has many outstanding pictures and offers a wealth of information on float plane destinations in SE Alaska: link)
Bill Rusk (2017 trip) Javron Super Cub trip on floats by Bill Rusk to SE Alaska (link)
Bill Rusk (2018 trip) adventure on floats to Alaska (link)
Bill Rusk (2019 trip) floats to Alaska (link)
Philip Greenspun’s 2002 trip report: excellent advice on weather & patience (link)
Dave Hirschman from AOPA on flying thru Lake Clark Pass & later the Trench (link)
“Going North” …well written engaging article on BackcountryPilot by John Vandene (link)
Alaska Flying Guide for Cirrus Pilots by Ilan Reich (link)
Beechcraft Baron B55 Trip to Alaska (pictures no longer avail; Article still up) link
A Father & Son trip to Alaska along the Alaska Hwy link
William Walker has a multi-part article series covering his 2016 trip link
Trip Report Articles I Authored on Backcountry Pilot
2019 Trip Article on Backcountry Pilot link
2016 Maule Ferry Flight To Alaska link
2015 Memories of an Alaska Adventure link