U.S. Forest Service - Chugach National Forest

U.S. Forest Service - Chugach National Forest The 5.4 million acre Chugach National Forest is located in the heart of southcentral Alaska. Marine mammals and tidewater glaciers beckon kayakers and boaters.
(1)

Located in south central Alaska just 50 miles south of Anchorage, the Chugach forms a great arc around Prince William Sound and the Gulf of Alaska. It stretches more than 200 miles from the Kenai Peninsula to the remote and wild Copper River Delta. More than half of Alaska's population live within a short drive to the Kenai, making it the most accessible area of the Chugach. It hosts residents and

visitors for fishing the Russian and Kenai River, camping, and hiking and biking an extensive trail system. Prince William Sound, the heart of the forest, envelops deep fiords and great walls of glacial ice. communities of the Sound are linked together by its intricate coastline. The Copper River Delta enjoys a well-deserved reputation as a birder's paradise, and is home of the famous Copper river red (sockeye) salmon, on of the most highly prized fish in the world.

โ€œThe National Forest Foundation, chartered by Congress, engages Americans in community-based and national programs that promote the health and public enjoyment of the 193-million-acre National Forest System and administers private gifts of funds and land for the benefit of the National Forests. http://www.nationalforests.org/โ€


The Forest Service manages a system of 155 national forests, 20 national grasslands, and 222 research and experimental forests, as well as other special areas, covering more than 192 million acres of public land. The Forest Service has evolved into a 30,000 employee agency that manages the national forests for a number of multiple uses, including recreation, timber, wilderness, minerals, water, grazing, fish, and wildlife.

๐‘๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ฌ๐ข๐š๐ง ๐‘๐ข๐ฏ๐ž๐ซ ๐Ÿ๐ข๐ฌ๐ก๐ž๐ซ๐ฒ ๐จ๐ฉ๐ž๐ง๐ฌ ๐‰๐ฎ๐ง๐ž ๐Ÿ๐Ÿ ๐ฐ๐ข๐ญ๐ก ๐…๐จ๐ซ๐ž๐ฌ๐ญ ๐Ž๐ซ๐๐ž๐ซ ๐ข๐ง ๐ฉ๐ฅ๐š๐œ๐ž ๐ญ๐จ ๐ฉ๐ซ๐จ๐ญ๐ž๐œ๐ญ ๐š๐ง๐ ๐ฅ๐ž๐ซ๐ฌ ๐š๐ง๐ ๐ฐ๐ข๐ฅ๐๐ฅ๐ข๐Ÿ๐žWe are renewing several pu...
06/11/2026

๐‘๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ฌ๐ข๐š๐ง ๐‘๐ข๐ฏ๐ž๐ซ ๐Ÿ๐ข๐ฌ๐ก๐ž๐ซ๐ฒ ๐จ๐ฉ๐ž๐ง๐ฌ ๐‰๐ฎ๐ง๐ž ๐Ÿ๐Ÿ ๐ฐ๐ข๐ญ๐ก ๐…๐จ๐ซ๐ž๐ฌ๐ญ ๐Ž๐ซ๐๐ž๐ซ ๐ข๐ง ๐ฉ๐ฅ๐š๐œ๐ž ๐ญ๐จ ๐ฉ๐ซ๐จ๐ญ๐ž๐œ๐ญ ๐š๐ง๐ ๐ฅ๐ž๐ซ๐ฌ ๐š๐ง๐ ๐ฐ๐ข๐ฅ๐๐ฅ๐ข๐Ÿ๐ž

We are renewing several public safety orders regulating food storage and pet leashing in anticipation of sport fishing season opening tomorrow.

This Forest Order is mirrored by regulations enforced by the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge, which manages the land on the opposite side of the Russian River accessible by the Russian River Ferry. Thus, anglers using the area only need to learn one common set of rules to be in compliance:

- ๐Š๐ž๐ž๐ฉ ๐š๐ฅ๐ฅ ๐›๐ž๐š๐ซ ๐š๐ญ๐ญ๐ซ๐š๐œ๐ญ๐š๐ง๐ญ๐ฌ (๐Ÿ๐จ๐จ๐, ๐›๐ž๐ฏ๐ž๐ซ๐š๐ ๐ž๐ฌ, ๐ ๐š๐ซ๐›๐š๐ ๐ž) ๐š๐ฌ ๐ฐ๐ž๐ฅ๐ฅ ๐š๐ฌ ๐ž๐ช๐ฎ๐ข๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ž๐ง๐ญ ๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ž๐ ๐ญ๐จ ๐œ๐จ๐จ๐ค ๐จ๐ซ ๐ฌ๐ญ๐จ๐ซ๐ž ๐Ÿ๐จ๐จ๐ ๐ข๐ง ๐š ๐›๐ž๐š๐ซ ๐ซ๐ž๐ฌ๐ข๐ฌ๐ญ๐š๐ง๐ญ-๐œ๐จ๐ง๐ญ๐š๐ข๐ง๐ž๐ซ, ๐ข๐ง ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ ๐ฏ๐ž๐ก๐ข๐œ๐ฅ๐ž, ๐จ๐ซ ๐ฐ๐ข๐ญ๐ก๐ข๐ง ๐Ÿ‘ ๐Ÿ๐ž๐ž๐ญ ๐จ๐Ÿ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ ๐š๐ญ ๐š๐ฅ๐ฅ ๐ญ๐ข๐ฆ๐ž๐ฌ.
- ๐Š๐ž๐ž๐ฉ ๐š๐ฅ๐ฅ ๐ซ๐ž๐ญ๐š๐ข๐ง๐ž๐ ๐Ÿ๐ข๐ฌ๐ก (๐ข.๐ž. ๐ฌ๐ญ๐ซ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ž๐ซ๐ฌ) ๐ฐ๐ข๐ญ๐ก๐ข๐ง ๐Ÿ๐Ÿ ๐Ÿ๐ž๐ž๐ญ ๐จ๐Ÿ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ ๐š๐ญ ๐š๐ฅ๐ฅ ๐ญ๐ข๐ฆ๐ž๐ฌ.
- ๐Œ๐ข๐ง๐ข๐ฆ๐ข๐ณ๐ž ๐Ÿ๐ข๐ฌ๐ก ๐ฐ๐š๐ฌ๐ญ๐ž ๐š๐ฏ๐š๐ข๐ฅ๐š๐›๐ฅ๐ž ๐ญ๐จ ๐›๐ž๐š๐ซ๐ฌ ๐›๐ฒ:
- Taking fish out whole โ€“ Please take fish out whole when possible and manage fish waste offsite in a responsible manner based on local solid waste standards.
- Processing fish only at established fish cleaning facilities. If you clean onsite, please Stop, Chop and Throw. STOP at fish cleaning tables at the confluence or ferry site, CHOP fish waste into numerous small pieces and THROW the pieces into fast-moving river current.
- Helping move fish waste downstream by regularly moving any fish waste you encounter along the shore or hanging up on rocks into faster moving water so it will move downstream.
- ๐‘๐ž๐ฌ๐ฉ๐ž๐œ๐ญ ๐š๐ซ๐ž๐š๐ฌ ๐ญ๐ก๐š๐ญ ๐š๐ซ๐ž ๐Ÿ๐ž๐ง๐œ๐ž๐ ๐จ๐ซ ๐ซ๐จ๐ฉ๐ž๐ ๐จ๐Ÿ๐Ÿ ๐ญ๐จ ๐ฉ๐ซ๐จ๐ญ๐ž๐œ๐ญ ๐ฌ๐ž๐ง๐ฌ๐ข๐ญ๐ข๐ฏ๐ž ๐ฉ๐ฅ๐š๐ง๐ญ๐ฌ ๐š๐ง๐ ๐œ๐ฎ๐ฅ๐ญ๐ฎ๐ซ๐š๐ฅ ๐ฌ๐ข๐ญ๐ž๐ฌ. ๐’๐ญ๐š๐ฒ ๐จ๐ง ๐ž๐ฌ๐ญ๐š๐›๐ฅ๐ข๐ฌ๐ก๐ž๐ ๐ญ๐ซ๐š๐ข๐ฅ๐ฌ ๐š๐ง๐ ๐›๐จ๐š๐ซ๐๐ฐ๐š๐ฅ๐ค๐ฌ ๐š๐ง๐ ๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ž ๐ญ๐ก๐ž ๐ฉ๐ฎ๐›๐ฅ๐ข๐œ ๐ซ๐ž๐ฌ๐ญ๐ซ๐จ๐จ๐ฆ ๐Ÿ๐š๐œ๐ข๐ฅ๐ข๐ญ๐ข๐ž๐ฌ ๐๐ข๐ฌ๐ฉ๐ž๐ซ๐ฌ๐ž๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐ซ๐จ๐ฎ๐ ๐ก๐จ๐ฎ๐ญ ๐ญ๐ก๐ž ๐š๐ซ๐ž๐š.

Read the full news release here:
https://www.fs.usda.gov/r10/chugach/newsroom/releases/russian-river-fishery-opens-june-11-forest-order-place-protect

Heads up! ๐Ÿ“ฃPast the new bridge, Palmer Creek Road is washed out and impassable. For the public's safety the gate at the ...
06/10/2026

Heads up! ๐Ÿ“ฃ

Past the new bridge, Palmer Creek Road is washed out and impassable. For the public's safety the gate at the Couer D'Alene campground will remain closed while the road is under repair.

Beyond the gate is closed to vehicle traffic, however, visitors are welcome to walk or bike.

Habitat fencing has been installed along the Russian River! A big thank you to Backcountry Hunters & Anglers and Kenai ...
06/06/2026

Habitat fencing has been installed along the Russian River!

A big thank you to Backcountry Hunters & Anglers and Kenai Peninsula Stream Watch who joined us in helping protect the Russian River's riparian areas from being trampled by the influx of summer visitors. Every year, thousands of anglers fish the waters of the Russian & Kenai River Confluence.

Do your part in helping prevent the erosion of salmon habitat and don't go beyond the fence! (also don't hang your backpack on the fence either)

๐Ÿ”ฅ"Forecasts show higher chances of above normal temperatures for most of Alaska this month. Precipitation is less certai...
06/05/2026

๐Ÿ”ฅ"Forecasts show higher chances of above normal temperatures for most of Alaska this month. Precipitation is less certain."๐Ÿ”ฅ

We have a hot month ahead! If you spot a wildfire IMMEDIATELY report it to ๐Ÿ-๐Ÿ–๐ŸŽ๐ŸŽ-๐Ÿ๐Ÿ‘๐Ÿ•-๐Ÿ‘๐Ÿ”๐Ÿ‘๐Ÿ‘ and your local emergency responders.

: The is ramping up. As we head into June, the Alaska Interagency Coordination Centerโ€™s Predictive Services is forecasting warmer temps, more lightning, and continued humanโ€‘caused fires.

As fire danger increases, please stay fireโ€‘aware and help keep Alaska safe by preventing avoidable ignitions.

Outlook highlights:
โ€ข Fire activity is increasing โ€” Alaska is now mostly snow free, and small human-caused fires have been on the rise through May. Of the 92 fires so far this year, 87 were human-caused.
โ€ข Lightning season is starting โ€” Three lightning-caused fires have already occurred, and lightning activity will increase through June, potentially leading to more natural ignitions.
โ€ข Snowmelt was slightly delayed โ€” Cooler April and May temps pushed snow free dates later than normal, especially in the Interior.
โ€ข May was wetter than usual โ€” Many areas saw above-normal precipitation, reducing drought conditions across parts of the state.
โ€ข June temperatures likely warmer โ€” Forecasts show higher chances of above normal temperatures for most of Alaska this month. Precipitation is less certain.
โ€ข Overall summer outlook โ€” Fire potential is expected to be near normal this summer. Even with El Niรฑo developing, strong impacts arenโ€™t likely until late in the season.
โ€ข Lightning danger will grow โ€” As fuels warm and dry, deeper duff layers will become more burnable by mid-to-late June. Lightning-caused fires may increase if rainfall doesnโ€™t arrive on time.

Read the entire from the National Interagency Fire Center athttps://www.nifc.gov/nicc-files/predictive/outlooks/monthly_seasonal_outlook.pdf

Image is map of Alaska showing the monthly temperature for June with above normal temps predicted for Interior and Southeastern Alaska.

๐Ÿ”ฅ๐€๐‹๐–๐€๐˜๐’ ๐‚๐Ž๐Œ๐๐‹๐„๐“๐„๐‹๐˜ ๐„๐—๐“๐ˆ๐๐†๐”๐ˆ๐’๐‡ ๐˜๐Ž๐”๐‘ ๐‚๐€๐Œ๐๐…๐ˆ๐‘๐„๐Ÿ”ฅIt's forest fire season and last week we had a close call at one of our cabi...
06/04/2026

๐Ÿ”ฅ๐€๐‹๐–๐€๐˜๐’ ๐‚๐Ž๐Œ๐๐‹๐„๐“๐„๐‹๐˜ ๐„๐—๐“๐ˆ๐๐†๐”๐ˆ๐’๐‡ ๐˜๐Ž๐”๐‘ ๐‚๐€๐Œ๐๐…๐ˆ๐‘๐„๐Ÿ”ฅ

It's forest fire season and last week we had a close call at one of our cabins. Luckily this fire was extinguished before it could spread but signs indicate this fire was human-ignited. We cannot stress enough how important it is to properly extinguish your campfire.

๐€๐ฅ๐ฐ๐š๐ฒ๐ฌ ๐Ÿ๐จ๐ฅ๐ฅ๐จ๐ฐ ๐ญ๐ก๐ž๐ฌ๐ž ๐ฌ๐ญ๐ž๐ฉ๐ฌ:

- ๐ƒ๐‘๐Ž๐–๐. Pour water all over the campfire. Drown the embers.
- ๐’๐“๐ˆ๐‘. Use a shovel to stir dirt and sand into the embers
- ๐ƒ๐‘๐Ž๐–๐ ๐€๐†๐€๐ˆ๐. Pour more water on the embers.
- ๐…๐„๐„๐‹. Hover your hand over the embers. Feel heat? Don't leave it!

Keep your fire contained. There should be a barrier. Clear anything easily ignitable (such as dead leaves) from downwind of your campfire. And never leave a campfire unattended.

Fire danger level is HIGH on the Chugach National Forest. Remember, only you!
https://smokeybear.com/?gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=23276092926&gbraid=0AAAAAD5JQ44nY2rrgkd9qaahDi-XbiLTN&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI-MLFn4LslAMV92dHAR3V-yWnEAAYASAAEgJuLvD_BwE

06/04/2026
05/28/2026
05/22/2026

Go with the flow! ๐Ÿ“‰ I made a chart to keep your road trip on the right track.

Sparks from your vehicle can start a wildfire, so take a look and see if youโ€™re following the safest route. Visit my website, SmokeyBear.com, for more tips.

The Begich, Boggs Visitor Center is open for the summer!The public is welcome to visit and talk to our knowledgeable sta...
05/22/2026

The Begich, Boggs Visitor Center is open for the summer!

The public is welcome to visit and talk to our knowledgeable staff, Thursday - Sunday, 9 a.m. - 5 p.m.

Address

161 E. 1st Avenue, Door 8
Anchorage, AK
99501

Opening Hours

Monday 8am - 12pm
1pm - 4pm
Tuesday 8am - 12pm
1pm - 4pm
Wednesday 8am - 12pm
1pm - 4pm
Thursday 8am - 12pm
1pm - 4pm
Friday 8am - 12pm
1pm - 4pm

Telephone

(907) 743-9500

Website

,

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when U.S. Forest Service - Chugach National Forest posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Organization

Send a message to U.S. Forest Service - Chugach National Forest:

Shortcuts

Share

Category