The Lovely Little Town of Wiseman, Ak
Wiseman, about 75 miles north of the Arctic Circle and a few miles off the Dalton, was founded in the early 1900s as a gold mining town and there are remnants of its mining and frontier past throughout the town.
I spent three days here for the arctic adventures during the Summer Solstice.
Boreal Lodge: An off the Grid Cabin
My base was at the Boreal Lodge, off-the-grid bucolic cabins in the middle of the boreal forests of the arctic. The cabin itself was comfortable, had indoor plumbing and a full kitchen.
The proprietors couldn’t be more friendly and both Heidi and her husband took time to tell me the story of Wiseman and provided me some local knowledge (history, fishing , hunting, winter life and sites).
There is no cell service and internet via satellite was was basically not usable. This suited me just fine as I really wanted an off the grid experience and this is the place for it.
The Lodge is 100% off the grid, suing a combination of solar and wind and durning the winter months a diesel generator. In fact the whole town is off the grid!
Wiseman’s Mining Past
Founded by gold miners in the early 1900s, there are many relics from its mining past throughout the town. From the old post office to the old trading post (museum) with plenty of rusted relics in front (see video below).
Outside of town there is an old abandoned mining road which I drove up towards the Gates of the Arctic national park before having to turn around due to the road being washed out!
Rivers and Roads
The Wiseman creek bisects the town and there is a small bridge that crosses the creek. The creek flows from within Gates of the Arctic National park a few miles upstream and flows into the Middle Fork of the Koyukuk River (see video below).
More Dogs Than People
Wiseman has more dogs than humans. Way more dogs. With a full-time population of 11 people, Wiseman has a few dozen dogs, including hunting dogs, mush dogs and pets.
