| Aniakchak National Monument and Preserve | |
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Aerial view of the caldera of Mount Aniakchak from the west
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| Location: | Lake and Peninsula Borough, Alaska, USA |
| Area: | 602,779 acres (2,439.36 km2) |
| Founded: | 1917 |
| Visitation: | 14 (in 2009)[1] |
| Governing body: | National Park Service |
| U.S. National Register of Historic Places | |
| Official name: Aniakchak Bay Historic Landscape District | |
| Type: | U.S. historic district |
| Designated: | February 14, 1997[2] |
| Reference #: | 97000016 |
| Area: | 2,100 acres (8.5 km2) |
| U.S. National Monument | |
| Designated: | December 1, 1978 |
| Area: | 137,176 acres (555.13 km2) |
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.
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 acres 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.[3]