Misty Fjords National Monument is 2.3 million acres of wilderness east of Ketchikan, carved by glaciers into deep fjords with sheer granite walls rising thousands of feet from the sea. It is one of the most dramatic landscapes in North America and receives a fraction of the visitors of Glacier Bay or Denali.
The most efficient way to see it is by floatplane — operators in Ketchikan run half-day tours that include a landing on a lake or fjord, which transforms the experience from aerial sightseeing into something immersive. Sea kayaking is superb, with the main access via the small settlement of Neets Bay or by water taxi to a trailhead; the narrow fjords concentrate the scale. There are Forest Service cabins available by reservation for multi-day trips. The monument has no road access and no services.
The name comes from the genuine phenomenon: low cloud and mist sit in the fjords for much of the year, obscuring and revealing the walls in a way that is moody rather than disappointing.