Created in 1978 by President Jimmy Carter, Misty Fjords is 2.2 million acres in size. It is very diverse, representing nearly every ecosystem found in S.E. Alaska.

Misty Fjords was carved by glaciers of the last ice age. This period started 75,000 years ago and ended about 8,000—10,000 years ago. Glaciers are rivers of ice. Snow builds up in volume and weight and then gravity forces the glaciers to move downhill. As they move, they carve out valleys, often creating vertical rock walls that are so characteristic of fjords.

The definition of a fjord is a glacially carved valley into which the sea has entered. Evidence of the carving action of glaciers exists in the form of glacial striations which are large horizontal grooves in the rocks on the sides of the cliffs.

Volcanic activity also has left its mark on Misty Fjords. Columnar basalt, magma dikes, a volcanic plug and the recent 100 year old lava flow at the Unuk River Valley provide vivid testimony that fire influenced the land from below, as the ice shaped it from above.

Misty Fjords on Google Maps.