National Parks 2021: Aniakchak National Monument & Preserve

It’s time for the annual National Parks Club/KAL!

Every month from May-August, we’ll be releasing 4 new parks colorways. We have exhausted all of the traditional US National Parks, save one, so this year, we’ll be showcasing other National Parks areas, such as National Recreation Areas, Heritage sites, etc. Most will fall under one of 4 categories:

National History – Eastern USA
National History – Western USA
Indigenous Culture
Human Rights Leaders/notable people

Check out our Socks and Hats on Vacay/Staycay summertime KAL with our friend Shannon Squire, too: https://shannonsquire.com/socks-hats-on-vacay-staycay-2021/

Thanks for exploring parks and making socks with us once again this summer! To get your yarn, check out our list of LYS’s offering National Parks (Parks yarn will ONLY be available at our LYS partners through the summer): https://knittedwit.com/parks-2021/

Where is it located?

Aniakchak National Monument and Preserve is located about 450 miles/720 km southwest of Anchorage on the Alaskan Peninsula.

Whose land does it reside upon?

Archeologists believe that the massive volcanic eruption that occurred 3500 years ago created a “dead zone” that couldn’t be reoccupied for generations. The oldest known archeological sites date to around 2,000 years ago, and showed prehistoric communities that hunted, fished, trapped, picked berries, and gathered shellfish. By 1,200 years ago, the strategy had proven so successful that the population had expanded dramatically, and eventually segued into a community that utilized the land’s rich fishing resources to build a commercial fishing and canning industry. The modern Alutiiq people descended from the early inhabitants of Aniakchak, and continue to maintain cultural traditions.

When was it established?

December 1, 1978

Why is it amazing?

Given its remote location and challenging weather conditions, Aniakchak is one of the most wild and least visited places in the National Park System. The landscape is a vibrant reminder of Alaska’s location in the volcanically active “Ring of Fire,” as it is home to an impressive six mile/10 km wide, 2,500 ft/762 m deep caldera formed during a massive volcanic eruption 3,500 years ago. In 2018, only 100 people visited, likely because it is so very isolated. Much of the National Monument is not accessible by road, and the only way to reach much of it is by floatplane, boat, or airplane to coastal towns near preserve lands followed by overland or overwater traverse.

Why did we choose these colors?

Flip through the scant images on the NPS website and you’ll surely see why we chose these colors: the clear blue of the mountain lakes set against the soft greys and greens of the mountains in the caldera are perfectly echoed in our Aniakchak colorway.