x
Flora
Fauna
Forest
Beneath the seas
We have been amazed sitting on our deck and watching whales breach out of the water mere feet from shore. This is possible because the ocean has a steep wall that drops off to hundreds of feet deep. Lynn Canal has many deep canyons between the land and reefs.
Our local oceans are a haven for wildlife. Due to nutrients from marine life, the glacial silt and the many hours of sunlight, we have massive plankton blooms in the summer. This plankton is the base of a food chain - it feeds baitfish which feed salmon, sea lions, whales and more. This complex food chain allows orcas to flourish and bear to pack on enough fat for winter.
The intertidal
Our region can experience tidal swings of 30 feet - entire landscapes change between high and low tide. In areas with silt, a mile or more of beach can become exposed. In rocky areas, entire underwater rocky seascapes can appear at low tide.
At 18,000 miles of coastline, Southeast Alaska accounts for a fifth of all the coastline in the Unites States. Our rocky shores are filled with marine life from giant pacific octopus to blood stars to king crab.
Tidepooling is an activity that we recommend to most guests. Near the treehouse, there is a trail to beach access with miles of tidepools. There are easy tidepools at the Shrine of St. Therese, Lena Beach, Favorite Channel, the points at Sunshine Cove and Auke Rec, Ann Coleman, along North Douglas and many areas that don't have names.
There are tidepools at the end of a great number of hiking trails, such as Point Bridget, as well as on all the rocky shores of the islands around us.