Finding the most remote, isolated spot in Alaska is truly like searching for a needle in a haystack. As a whole, the last frontier is one big, burly wonderland that is largely uninhabited and filled with hundreds of millions of acres of nothing but raw land. The rugged terrain, extreme temps and limited road system in Alaska keep the crowds to a minimal and the year-round population much lower than anywhere else in the U.S. If you ask the locals, they will all tell you that they love it that way.
We will take peace and quiet over hustle and bustle any day of the week. After searching far and wide, we discovered that out of all of Alaska’s 2,670 named islands and the 663,268 square miles that make up the state, St. Matthew Island in the Bering Sea takes the cake when it comes to being the most remote place in the state.
Wikipedia Located far, far away in the middle of the nowhere is a place called St. Matthew Island. Okay, so it’s not actually in the middle of nowhere. It’s actually in the middle of the Bering Sea.
Wikimedia On the map, this tiny remote island is located in Southwest Alaska. It is north of the Aleutian Islands and west of Bethel.
Flickr - jomilo75 The island is said to have been originally inhabited by members of the Aleut tribe. However the first recorded attempt at settlement on the island was in 1809 by a group of Russians. During the 1940s the US Coast Guard manned a radio navigation station on the island, but since then there has been little action in the way of human life.
Flickr - jomilo75 The island itself is tiny (just under 138 square miles) and today it is completely uninhabited and undeveloped. You will not find any industry here or any access to any of your beloved creature comforts like running water and electricity.
Flickr - Kevan Dee Well, when we said uninhabited, we meant by humans. There are some pretty cute critters roaming around the island though.
Flickr - Elizabeth Haslam Arctic foxes and insular voles are two types of mammals that can be found on St. Matthew Island. Occasionally you might find polar bears roaming on the ice packs in the Bering Sea. Interestingly enough, St. Matthew Island actually represents the southern limit of the range of polar bears in the Bering Sea. So spotting the massive white bears here might be a rare occurrence.
Wikipedia Cape Upright is at the southernmost end of the island and has large, towering cliff faces that stand over 1,000 feet tall.
Flickr - jomilo75 The large rocky and sandy beaches on the island are seemingly endless. Visitors can go beach-combing and check out all the driftwood scattered throughout the shore. If you like long walks on the beach without any crowds in sight, dare to make the long journey out to this incredibly remote area.
Flickr - jomilo75 This remote island actually does get a little bit of all the four seasons. The fall foliage as the tundra turns bright red is a spectacular sight to behold. If you blink, you just might miss it though - the seasons are truly THAT short.
Flickr - jomilo75 There are two lakes on the island (North Lake and South Lake) which are said to be filled with fish. The exact species of fish in the lakes is not specifically determined yet it is said that there are over five different kinds on the island, which is more than many other remote islands in Alaska.
Flickr - jomilo75 The weather conditions on the island are varied but are said to be generally cool, cloudy, humid and windy. In the wintertime the temps can drop pretty low and well below the freezing mark. The average annual temperature is around 38 degrees with roughly 15 inches of precipitation.
Flickr - jomilo75 In true ‘island life’ fashion, even the most remote places in all of Alaska offer some of the most glorious sunsets in the world. St. Matthew Island is no exception to that rule. When you’re here, you are guaranteed to be rewarded with breathtaking vistas, incredible wildlife and the most raw, rugged displays of the mighty last frontier.
If you love remote areas, you’ve got to check out these 12 small towns in Alaska that offer nothing but peace and quiet. Also, these 20 photos prove that rural Alaska is the best place to live. Do you agree or do you prefer the hustle and bustle of the city life?
Wikipedia
Located far, far away in the middle of the nowhere is a place called St. Matthew Island. Okay, so it’s not actually in the middle of nowhere. It’s actually in the middle of the Bering Sea.
Wikimedia
On the map, this tiny remote island is located in Southwest Alaska. It is north of the Aleutian Islands and west of Bethel.
Flickr - jomilo75
The island is said to have been originally inhabited by members of the Aleut tribe. However the first recorded attempt at settlement on the island was in 1809 by a group of Russians. During the 1940s the US Coast Guard manned a radio navigation station on the island, but since then there has been little action in the way of human life.
The island itself is tiny (just under 138 square miles) and today it is completely uninhabited and undeveloped. You will not find any industry here or any access to any of your beloved creature comforts like running water and electricity.
Flickr - Kevan Dee
Well, when we said uninhabited, we meant by humans. There are some pretty cute critters roaming around the island though.
Flickr - Elizabeth Haslam
Arctic foxes and insular voles are two types of mammals that can be found on St. Matthew Island. Occasionally you might find polar bears roaming on the ice packs in the Bering Sea. Interestingly enough, St. Matthew Island actually represents the southern limit of the range of polar bears in the Bering Sea. So spotting the massive white bears here might be a rare occurrence.
Cape Upright is at the southernmost end of the island and has large, towering cliff faces that stand over 1,000 feet tall.
The large rocky and sandy beaches on the island are seemingly endless. Visitors can go beach-combing and check out all the driftwood scattered throughout the shore. If you like long walks on the beach without any crowds in sight, dare to make the long journey out to this incredibly remote area.
This remote island actually does get a little bit of all the four seasons. The fall foliage as the tundra turns bright red is a spectacular sight to behold. If you blink, you just might miss it though - the seasons are truly THAT short.
There are two lakes on the island (North Lake and South Lake) which are said to be filled with fish. The exact species of fish in the lakes is not specifically determined yet it is said that there are over five different kinds on the island, which is more than many other remote islands in Alaska.
The weather conditions on the island are varied but are said to be generally cool, cloudy, humid and windy. In the wintertime the temps can drop pretty low and well below the freezing mark. The average annual temperature is around 38 degrees with roughly 15 inches of precipitation.
In true ‘island life’ fashion, even the most remote places in all of Alaska offer some of the most glorious sunsets in the world. St. Matthew Island is no exception to that rule. When you’re here, you are guaranteed to be rewarded with breathtaking vistas, incredible wildlife and the most raw, rugged displays of the mighty last frontier.
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