Page 237 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide 2017 - Alaska

ARC TIC AND WESTERN ALASK A  235

Lawrence Island, which measures
70 miles (112 km) in length
and includes the even more
isolated village of Savoonga.
Lying near the Siberian coast,
the island is one of Alaska’s most
remote outposts.
When ANCSA was passed in
1971 (see p60), Gambell and
Savoonga decided not to
participate, and thus gained title
to about 1,780 sq miles (4,600 sq
km) of land. The villagers are
therefore able to charge an
Granite tors at the Bering Land Bridge National Preserve “outsider tax” from non-residents
wishing to access the lagoons
q Bering Land share the space with other and areas around the village and
Bridge National parties. The preserve’s visitor farther afield.
Preserve center in Nome has exhibits, Getting around the island
maps, and videos showcasing
requires an ATV, and visitors
100 miles (160 km) N of Nome. its cultural and natural history. can usually get rides from the
Transport map C2. ~ charter bush Access into the preserve is villagers for a small fee. Most
plane from Nome or to Deering, then almost exclusively by bush visitors to the island come to
hike. n Sitnasuak Building, 214 Front plane in the summer and view birds not seen elsewhere in
St, Nome; 471-2352. Open year- snowmachine in the winter, North America, including several
round.  ∑ nps.gov/bela although a few people do incidental Eurasian species such
hike the 40 miles (64 km) to as Lapland longspurs. Summer
Designated a National Serpentine Hot Springs from visitors can also spot flocks of
Monument in 1978, Bering Kougarok Bridge. eider ducks, murres, kittiwakes,
Land Bridge received National puffins, and auklets either
Preserve status when ANILCA nesting or heading north.
was passed in 1980 (see p61). w Gambell In addition to the birdlife, the
Encompassing 4,200 sq miles 230 miles (370 km) E of Nome. island’s main attractions include
(10,900 sq km), the preserve Transport map B3. * 680. ~ from the unique boneyards south of
commemorates the 55-mile- Nome. Permits: needed to access the village and at the base of
(88-km-) long and 1,000-mile- lagoons and other areas. Sivaquaq Mountain, where
(1,600-km-) wide land bridge waste from Native hunts –
that once connected North The small Siberian Yup’ik village mainly whalebones – is tossed.
America and Asia (see p53). It is of Gambell sits on beach gravel Walrus ivory from the yards is
believed that during the last at the northwestern corner of St. now carved and sold to visitors.
major Ice Age, this bridge
allowed the passage of both
prehistoric wildlife and early
human settlers from Asia into
North America. Around 15,000
years ago, the melting of the ice
caused a gradual rise in sea level,
and the land bridge disappeared
beneath the waves of the newly
formed Bering Strait.
The broad Arctic landscape
of the preserve includes wide
expanses of tundra, as well as
scenic granite tors that bear
testament to the area’s distant
volcanic past. The six public use
cabins scattered around the
preserve, and the 20-bed
bunkhouse and hot tub at the
preserve’s main attraction,
Serpentine Hot Springs, may
be used free of charge and
require no reservations,
although users may have to The remote Yup’ik village of Gambell on St. Lawrence Island
For hotels and restaurants in this area see p245 and p255

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