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Latest Alaska Outdoors

A female brown bear and her cub are pictured near Pack Creek on Admiralty Island on July 19, 2024. (Chloe Anderson for the Juneau Empire)

News

Pack Creek permits for bear viewing area available now

Visitors are welcome from April 1 to Sept. 30.

Herbert River and Herbert Glacier are pictured on Nov. 16, 2025. (Mari Kanagy / Juneau Empire)

News

Forest Service drops Herbert Glacier cabin plans, proposes trail reroute and scenic overlook instead

The Tongass National Forest has proposed shelving long-discussed plans to build a public use cabin near Herbert Glacier.…

The Spruce Root team gathers for a retreat in Sitka. Spruce Root, is an Indigenous institution that provides all Southeast Alaskans with access to business development resources. (Photo by Lione Clare)

Neighbors

Woven Peoples and Places: Wealth lives in our communities

Sustainable Southeast Partnership reflects on a values-aligned approach to financial wellness.

Hiking down from Dan Moller cabin in mid-January 2025. (photo courtesy John Harley)

Neighbors

Sustainable Alaska: Skiing on the edge

The difference between a great winter for skiing and a bad one can be a matter of a…

Jeff Lund photo The author heard what he thought was a squirrel. It was not a squirrel.

Neighbors

I Went into the Woods: A change of plans

It was only a 30-hour trip but it’s always better to bring more food than you count on…

Ned Rozell/Submitted A map showing some of Alaska’s more unique place names.

News

Alaska Science Forum: What’s in an Alaska name?

I once asked a snowmachiner heading out on a trail from Nome where he was going.

Cold water dipping is a centuries old stress reduction technique still practiced today. (Photo by Raven Hotch)

Neighbors

Recipes for stress reduction rooted in Indigenous knowledge

We must choose to live intentionally and learn to commit to our wellbeing.

Tone and Charles Deehr in Fairbanks, October 2021. (Photo courtesy Charles Deehr)

News

Alaska Science Forum: Red aurora rare enough to be special

Charles Deehr will never forget his first red aurora. On Feb. 11, 1958, Deehr was a student at…

Mari Kanagy/Juneau Empire Local artist Johanna Griggs looks at “The Ocean Mirror,” her favorite piece from her exhibit “Landscapes of Southeast Alaska,” on display at the Juneau Arts and Culture Center.

News

Juneau painter explores local color and reflection

The exhibit display at the Juneau Arts and Culture Center through November.

“Hair ice” grows from the forest floor in Fairbanks, Alaska. Photo courtesy of Ned Rozell

News

‘Hair ice’ enlivens an extended fall in Interior Alaska

Just when you thought you’d seen everything in the boreal forest, a reader points out white whiskers sprouting…

Photo by Jeff Lund Cold and damp are defining characteristics of this time of year so the warm couch is always tempting.

Neighbors

I Went to the Woods: The fear of fear

What’s the margin of error for being prepared?

Close up view of an adult male mountain goat in late-winter, near Juneau Icefield, Alaska. In the background, steep avalanche prone slopes are visible. (Photo by Kevin White)

News

Avalanche lessons from mountain goats: A study of ‘Life on the Edge’

Wildlife biologist Kevin White shared the relationship between mountain goats and avalanches.

Photos by Chloe Anderson for the Juneau Empire The Lemon Creek glacier is pictured on Sept. 29, 2025.

Neighbors

Weekly Wonder: Juneau’s ‘seasons’

Dozens of creatures are sensing a change of the season

Photo by Ned Rozell Golds and greens of aspens and birches adorn a hillside above the Angel Creek drainage east of Fairbanks.

Sports

Alaska Science Forum: The season of senescence is upon us

Trees and other plants are simply shedding what no longer suits them

Chloe Anderson for the Juneau Empire A bald eagle is pictured near Eagle Beach on Sept. 16.

Neighbors

Weekly Wonder: Eagles, a symbol of hope and patriotism

Every time I see an eagle down south, I think of Rachel Carson

Things you won’t find camping in Southeast Alaska. (Jeff Lund/Juneau Empire)

Sports

I Went to the Woods: Sodium and serenity

The terrain of interior Alaska is captivating in a way that Southeast isn’t

An albacore tuna is hooked on a bait pole on Oct. 9, 2012, in waters off Oregon. Tuna are normally found along the U.S. West Coast but occasionally stray into Alaska waters if temperatures are high enough. Sport anglers catch them with gear similar to that used to hook salmon. (Photo provided by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration/West Coast Fisheries Management and Marine Life Protection)

Sports

Brief tuna bounty in Southeast Alaska spurs excitement about new fishing opportunity

Waters off Sitka were warm enough to lure fish from the south, and local anglers took advantage of…

A whale breaches near Point Retreat on July 19. (Chloe Anderson/Juneau Empire)

Sports

Weekly Wonder: The whys of whale breaching

Why whales do the things they do remain largely a mystery to us land-bound mammals

The northern lights are pictured near the Mendenhall Glacier on Sept. 3, 2025. (Chloe Anderson for the Juneau Empire)

Neighbors

Weekly Wonder: Chasing the aurora

She’s hard to find, and even trickier to photograph

Photo by Martin Truffer The 18,008-foot Mount St. Elias rises above Malaspina Glacier and Sitkagi Lagoon (water body center left) in 2021.

Sports

Alaska Science Forum: The long fade of Alaska’s largest glacier

SITKAGI BLUFFS — While paddling a glacial lake complete with icebergs and milky blue water, I dipped my…