American wilderness is an exercise in enormity. And by going there, and living on the land’s terms, we open ourselves to a primal sort of awe. Nowhere is this more true than in Alaska, home to 57 million acres of designated wilderness (half the country’s total), much of it accessible only by plane or boat. This valley, beneath the granite spires of horned, 7,181-foot Caliban, lies 9 miles from the Alatna River above the Arctic Circle. Access is via bush plane from Bettles; set up basecamp beneath the Arrigetch Peaks and explore. Go in August for the best weather. This trip is once-in-a-lifetime, and the rewards are pristine landscapes busy with grizzlies, musk ox, caribou, wolves—and not much else. You’ll never ask yourself if the trip was worth it. Info nps.gov/gaar. Photo by – Patrick Endres
