Southeast Alaska is composed of a series of islands packed together in the Inside Passage. They are protected from the harsh conditions of the open ocean by other islands that bear the brunt of the Pacific Ocean’s weather. Island weather and abundant wildlife have attracted people to live in Southeast for a millennium. Prince of Wales Island, in particular, is the longest inhabited place in Alaska or Canada.
It appears to have avoided the ice ages and been a paradise for humans and animals throughout the ages. Most of the research that leads to these conclusions have come from El Capitan, the largest above-ground cave in Alaska! Visit for yourself to learn more about the history of the wildlife and people of the island. With a hard hat and an adventurous spirit, you can explore the underground world and see how the animals of the area make the cave their home.
Prince of Wales Island is in southeast Alaska and is about the same size as Delaware. El Capitan lies in the island's forested hills.
The USDA Forest Service has free, naturalist-guided cave tours from May-October, but reservations are required. Tours last about 2 hours with a maximum of 6 people. No children under 7 years are allowed, but it is a great adventure for bigger kids.
El Capitan is located up a steep hill and there is a 370-step staircase and boardwalk that leads to the cave entrance. Visitors gear up with hard hats, headlamps, flashlights and a safety briefing before heading inside.
Inside the cave, the darkness is all encompassing and the floor is slick and uneven, but the interior walls and ceiling are covered with sparkling minerals and signs of life from the both the distant past and today. are visible to the trained eye.
Naturalists will point out signs of wildlife and answer questions about how they use the cave. Sea otters, bats, foxes, bears, and wolverines have used the cave for shelter.
El Capitan is the oldest cave in Alaska and the first one where fossils were discovered. After further exploration of the caves on the island, the On Your Knees Cave was found to have human remains. Named Shuká Káa, extensive research has looked into his life and ancestry.
Bats and river otters are the most likely wildlife to be seen in the cave, although it has also been inhabited by wolverine, fox and bears. The oldest remains on found in the cave were that of a smaller brown bear dated to 12,295 years ago.
The Tlingit and Haida people have both occupied the area near the cave at different times throughout history. The oldest human remains found in all of Alaska or Canada were found on the island.
A visit to El Capitan will bring out the explorer, scientist and wildlife biologist in anyone. It'll be easy to see why people and animals have lived in and around the cave since time immemorial.
