Flying to Misty Fjords

Cockpit of floatplane

One day I was lucky enough to take a float plane to the Misty Fjords. The Misty Fjords is a national monument and wilderness area located within the Tongass National Forest. It covers about 3,570 square miles and is east of Ketchikan. The only ways to get there are boat or plane. Both provide different vantage points and are equally breathtaking. The float plane company who flew me to the Fjords was Taquan Air. I was grouped with several other people, all of whom were couples, so I got to ride in the cockpit.

It was a grey day with low clouds. I wasn’t sure what kind of visibility we would have but the overcast added to the allure of the steep cliffs and numerous mountains. We flew over muskeg and lakes I would have never seen from a boat or on foot. The granite walls rose steeply from the ocean. Many waterfalls coursed down winding their way from top to bottom in small cascades and rivulets. Rivers make their way to the ocean beginning deeper within the forest.  I searched the landscape for goats and bear but saw none. One of the highlights of the trip was landing on a lake.  We were able to get out on the float for a stretch and a look around.

It only takes about 30 minutes to reach Misty Fjords by plane. On the way there, we saw New Eddystone Rock, a 237 foot (72 m) tall column of basalt in the middle of Behm Canal. New Eddystone is the guardian of the fjords. It looks like a great place to have a picnic or kayak, too!

Waterfalls in Misty Fjords

A river seen from a float plane in Misty Fjords.