The High Bluffs Trail on St. Paul Island

A windswept walk above sea cliffs teeming with seabirds and along shores pounded by the Bering Sea has been named a National Recreation Trail, one of 15 in Alaska.  The High Bluffs Trail is located on the Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge on remote St. Paul Island, more than 300 miles from mainland Alaska in the heart of the Bering Sea.  St. Paul is part of the storied Pribilof Islands known for their wealth of marine wildlife including three million seabirds and nearly a million fur seals.  The six mile long trail is used mainly by Pribilovians on foot and by ATVs.  The trail, running through fields of tundra wildflowers and along rocky volcanic outcrops, provides access to some of the finest bird cliffs and scenery on the 30,000 acre island.  The St. Paul Tribal Government, the City of St. Paul, World Wildlife Fund and the Tanaqdusix Corporation participated in recent trail improvements to prevent tundra damage from vehicles during the wet season and to provide public information and parking.

There are only two other National Recreation Trails on National Wildlife Refuges in Alaska:  The Swan Lakes Canoe Trail and the Swanson River Canoe Trail, both on the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge.  Designation as a National Recreation Trail provides recognition, technical assistance and funding opportunities.