From the dense, misty rainforests of the Alaskan Panhandle to the last desolate, treeless island in the Aleutian chain, North America’s northwest lives up to its own mythologies. Along the coast, sharp mountain peaks jab skyward from the water’s edge, calving chunks of glacier into the ocean at their bases. Human settlements pock the bays and river crossings, but vanish beyond them, leaving most of the land not only untouristed, but also uninhabited. Hikers who stray away from town get to experience the challenge of traveling where no one may has traveled before, and where no one can provide a quick rescue if something goes wrong. Though most of the land is wilderness, the geography and climate vary wildly, and there are even farm tracts, rolling meadows, and beaches where the water gets (almost) warm enough for a summer swim.

For thousands of years, human settlement in the region has relied on natural resources. In the last two hundred years, human activities have significantly impacted the land—enthusiastic logging, mining, and fishing proved the land isn’t inexhaustible—however, modern moderation has lead to the creation of huge wilderness tracts, preserving the region’s natural charm. These wilderness spaces have led to the explosive growth of tourism in the past few decades, creating crowds and RV logjams in some spots—but with so much land, outside of a few key touristed areas, there is still mostly emptiness.

Winter visits promise hundreds of miles of skiing, snowboarding, snowshoeing, and snowmachining out of snow-bound cities. Farther south along the Panhandle, winter is more wet than white, and temperate rainforests keep things lush from fall to spring.