Sights & Attractions in Kodiak, Nome, and the Bush

Technically, the Bush is any place in mainland Alaska that can't be reached by road. To outsiders the Bush represents three distinct destinations. The southwestern part of the Bush, the Yukon Delta region and Bethel down to the Shelikof Straight, is the preferred territory for sportsmen and those looking to spot big animals. The Aleutian and Pribilof islands and the Alaska Peninsula attract birders and history buffs. And the northern part of the Bush, from Nome to Point Barrow, is for those who see north as a direction to go. It is said that most travel to the north for culture, tundra, and bragging rights—but mostly for bragging rights.

Of course, just going to Alaska is reason enough to boast. The reasons for visiting each region are interchangeable. Kodiak and Katmai are great for grizzly viewing and birding, Nome is known for its large and small wildlife as well as bird-watching in summer, and Alaskan culture is abundant no matter where you go.

A tour of the Bush's southwestern region can begin in Bethel, an important Bush outpost on the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta and surrounded by the Yukon Delta National Wildlife Refuge; off the mainland coast is the undeveloped wilderness of Nunivak Island.

The Alaska Peninsula juts out between the Pacific Ocean and the Bering Sea; here are the Becharof and Alaska Peninsula National Wildlife refuges. To the northeast of the Alaska Peninsula is the Kodiak Archipelago, where you'll find Katmai National Park and Preserve, Kodiak National Wildlife Refuge, and Shuyak Island State Park.

The Aleutian Islands start where the peninsula ends, and sweep southwest toward Japan. The Pribilof Islands lie north of the Aleutians, 200 mi off Alaska's coast. Head north along the Bering Sea coast and you come to Nome, just below the Arctic Circle and the Bering Land Bridge National Preserve. Kotzebue, just above the circle, is a coastal Inupiaq town surrounded by sea and tundra and a jumping-off place for several parklands: Kobuk Valley, Noatak, Cape Krusenstern, and Gates of the Arctic (though the last is more easily reached from the inland village of Bettles). Barrow, another Inupiaq community, sits at the very top of the state, and is the northernmost town in the United States. Follow the Arctic coastline eastward and you reach Deadhorse, on Prudhoe Bay, the custodian to the region's important oil and gas reserves. East of Prudhoe Bay is the embattled Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, the nation's last great chance to truly show that wilderness matters.