Aniakchak National Monument and Preserve

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Aniakchak National Monument and Preserve
IUCN Category III (Natural Monument)

Location:	Alaska, USA
Nearest city:	King Salmon, AK
Coordinates:	56°54′0″N, 158°9′0″W
Area:	602,779 acres (2,439 km²)
Established:	December 1, 1978
Visitation:	285 (in 2004)
Governing body:	National Park Service

Aniakchak National Monument and Preserve is a U.S. National Monument and National Preserve, consisting of the region around the Aniakchak volcano on the Aleutian Range of south-western Alaska.

Aerial-view of the caldera of Mount Aniakchak from the west

The area was proclaimed a national monument on December 1, 1978 and established as a national monument and preserve on December 2, 1980. The national monument is 137,176 federal acres (555 km²) and the preserve is 465,603 acres (1,884 km²) of which 439,863 are federal. The area is maintained by the National Park Service. With only 285 documented recreational visits in 2004, this remote place is perhaps the least visited unit of the National Park System. Most visitors fly into the area, but the frequent fog and other adverse weather conditions make landing difficult.

The Aniakchak region is part of the Pacific Ring of Fire, and the national monument consists of the caldera around Mount Aniakchak, with notable examples of several volcanic features - such as lava flows and cinder cones. Surprise Lake, located within the caldera, is the source of the Aniakchak River, a National Wild and Scenic River. The "Aniakchak Bay Historic Landscape District" surrounds the Aniakchak River from Aniakchak Crater to Aniakchak Bay and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on February 14, 1997.