Alaska isn’t all snow-capped mountains, glaciers, and northern lights, like everywhere else it also has its dark side. Alaska is known for its bad weather, you can go weeks at a time here without even seeing the sun. Because of that though depression is very prevalent here. It also doesn’t help that many tourist destinations close down almost entirely in the off-season, leaving the locals without much to do. This in turn indirectly leads to many teenagers experimenting with illegal drugs, which are plentiful in this state. Many villages and towns in the rural parts of the state don’t even have a police presence. https://veryinformed.com/why-is-alaska-so-dangerous/#:~:text=Highest%20Violent%20Crime%20Rates%20In,enforcement%20officers%20and%20report%20it.

Due to the remoteness of Alaska, law enforcement is often limited and lacking in its capabilities which just leads to a worsening crime problem in much of the state. Alaska has one of the highest violent crime rates in the nation and one of the highest drug use rates. If you walk around nearly any city here for long enough you will see someone who is either drunk, high, or both. They’re more common to see than the local bears. They are also probably more dangerous to encounter than a local black bear, mainly because a black bear will run away most of the time.

Many of the Native American villages are hit the hardest by the drug epidemic. Due in large part to the lack of resources needed to properly combat it. As of 2021, the Native American population was seeing an overdose rate of 77/100,000 people. Many of these overdoses are attributed to Fentanyl brought in from Mexico.

But it’s not just in the cities where you can run into trouble. I don’t think I need to explain again how dangerous wild animals are, and Alaska is home to plenty of incredibly dangerous ones. When hiking around in Alaska, it is recommended you carry Bear spray (pepper spray on steroids). Grizzly Bears are highly territorial animals and being attacked by one would not be a fun way to die. If you’d like to see how much damage a grizzly bear can do you’ll have to look it up. Those pictures are disturbing. But anyway, Grizzly Bears often do what is called a “False charge,” it’s meant to scare you off because you’re entering their territory. Now here’s the thing, a false charge can bring the bear within 5 feet of you… That doesn’t leave you with a lot of time to figure out how to react. Here are some tips on how to handle bears.

https://www.nps.gov/subjects/bears/safety.htm#:~:text=If%20the%20bear%20is%20stationary,racehorse%20both%20uphill%20and%20down.

I would also like to add that along with carrying bear spray, don’t hike alone, bring a dog if possible. You could also bring a gun, but if you don’t bring one big enough all you will do is piss off the bear. AND NEVER TRY TO PET A BEAR CUB. A Bear cub is quite possibly one of the most dangerous things you can ever come across.

To learn more about dangerous animals in Alaska, check out this link. https://a-z-animals.com/blog/discover-the-most-dangerous-deadliest-animals-in-alaska/

In conclusion

Alaska is a beautiful state, but like anywhere else in the world there are dangers here and things tourists don’t often see. The hikes are beautiful but can turn dangerous quickly. Make sure someone knows where you were hiking at the very least, and when they should expect to hear from you, especially if you’re entering a region with poor cell service. If you find yourself on a glacier keep in mind that the cracks in the ice can be over 100 feet deep. So do your best not to fall into them.