Hyder Alaska - Unique and remote
(July 27, 2007)
(July 27, 2007)
Lou says....
One thing I hope to accomplish in these web pages is to give you the a feeling of De-ja-vu should you ever visit the places we have visited.
The first thing you notice when approaching the American/Canadian border here is the lack of a U.S. customs check point. Canada has one but the U.S. does not. To my knowledge this is the only U.S. border without customs.
Once you cross the border between Stewart B.C. and Hyder AK you will get the feeling that you just passed through a time portal and arrived back in the 1950's. There are no paved streets and most all of the buildings are vintage 1950's or earlier.
One thing you need to do is disregard your first impressions. Hyder is a jewel in the rough! The people are warm and friendly and the natural beauty of this remote area is unforgettable.
We had planned to stay for only a couple of days but have been here now for 9 days and plan to stay for another 2-5 days depending on when our mail arrives. The mail is delivered by float plane on Mondays and Thursdays weather permitting. There is no UPS, Fed Ex etc. here.
The two attractions in this area are the National Forest Service bear viewing platform and Salmon Glacier. Besides these, there are many other scenic sights to delight you. This region is named "Misty Fiords" and extends from the Ketchikan costal area inland and includes Hyder which lies in the most northerly temperate rain forest in North America.
In the early days, Hyder was a booming gold and copper mining community. There are still a few mining companies in the area and you are constantly being reminded of this each time a helicopter passes overhead taking supplies to the remote mining camps.
Today Hyder is mostly visited by tourists and photo enthusiasts. A few photographers spend a couple of months here each year photographing bears. Photographing bears takes a lot of patience waiting for those perfect shots.
While you are in Hyder I would recommend a few places not to miss.
The "Bus" restaurant serves fresh sea food which the proprietors's husband catches. If you happen by in the middle of the night you might catch a glimpse of the owner cleaning fish from the days catch which will be served the next day. The house specialty is Mermaid Chowder and Val says it is excellent. I am not a fish eater so I can't comment on the fish but I can say the the shrimp I had were also excellent.
The "Boundary Gallery & Gifts Shop" is also very unique. A good many of the items there are hand made by the owner, Caroline Stewart and her husband. Caroline and her husband are very ingenious and inventive with the ideas they turn into products. When you visit you will no doubt hear her story of the ancient Sitka Spruce tree frm which the dulcimers are made from. If you are a music fan don't miss hearing her play a tune. The tone quality of her dulcimers is something to behold!
When you look at the Hyder Photo Gallery be sure to read the captions as they tell far more of the Hyder story not covered here.
One thing I hope to accomplish in these web pages is to give you the a feeling of De-ja-vu should you ever visit the places we have visited.
The first thing you notice when approaching the American/Canadian border here is the lack of a U.S. customs check point. Canada has one but the U.S. does not. To my knowledge this is the only U.S. border without customs.
Once you cross the border between Stewart B.C. and Hyder AK you will get the feeling that you just passed through a time portal and arrived back in the 1950's. There are no paved streets and most all of the buildings are vintage 1950's or earlier.
One thing you need to do is disregard your first impressions. Hyder is a jewel in the rough! The people are warm and friendly and the natural beauty of this remote area is unforgettable.
We had planned to stay for only a couple of days but have been here now for 9 days and plan to stay for another 2-5 days depending on when our mail arrives. The mail is delivered by float plane on Mondays and Thursdays weather permitting. There is no UPS, Fed Ex etc. here.
The two attractions in this area are the National Forest Service bear viewing platform and Salmon Glacier. Besides these, there are many other scenic sights to delight you. This region is named "Misty Fiords" and extends from the Ketchikan costal area inland and includes Hyder which lies in the most northerly temperate rain forest in North America.
In the early days, Hyder was a booming gold and copper mining community. There are still a few mining companies in the area and you are constantly being reminded of this each time a helicopter passes overhead taking supplies to the remote mining camps.
Today Hyder is mostly visited by tourists and photo enthusiasts. A few photographers spend a couple of months here each year photographing bears. Photographing bears takes a lot of patience waiting for those perfect shots.
While you are in Hyder I would recommend a few places not to miss.
The "Bus" restaurant serves fresh sea food which the proprietors's husband catches. If you happen by in the middle of the night you might catch a glimpse of the owner cleaning fish from the days catch which will be served the next day. The house specialty is Mermaid Chowder and Val says it is excellent. I am not a fish eater so I can't comment on the fish but I can say the the shrimp I had were also excellent.
The "Boundary Gallery & Gifts Shop" is also very unique. A good many of the items there are hand made by the owner, Caroline Stewart and her husband. Caroline and her husband are very ingenious and inventive with the ideas they turn into products. When you visit you will no doubt hear her story of the ancient Sitka Spruce tree frm which the dulcimers are made from. If you are a music fan don't miss hearing her play a tune. The tone quality of her dulcimers is something to behold!
When you look at the Hyder Photo Gallery be sure to read the captions as they tell far more of the Hyder story not covered here.
Issue #6
July 27th 2007
July 27th 2007
Page 1 of 4
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