Misty Fjords National Monument
Misty Fjords National Monument is a national monument and wilderness area administered by the U.S. Forest Service as part of the Tongass National Forest. Misty Fiords is about 40 miles (64 km) east of Ketchikan, Alaska, along the Inside Passage coast in extreme southeastern Alaska, comprising 2,294,343 acres (928,488 ha) of Tongass National Forest in Alaska's Panhandle. All but 151,832 acres (61,444 ha) are designated as wilderness.
One of the thousands of ocean inlets at Misty Fiords.
Some of the fjords, accessible by floatplane, have tiny islands that rise only a few feet above water level, like Ethan Island seen here.
National monument (United States)
In the United States, a national monument is a protected area that can be created from any land owned or controlled by the federal government by proclamation of the president of the United States or an act of Congress. National monuments protect a wide variety of natural and historic resources, including sites of geologic, marine, archaeological, and cultural importance. In contrast, national parks in the U.S. must be created by Congressional legislation. Some national monuments were first created by presidential action and later designated as national parks by congressional approval.
Devils Tower National Monument, Wyoming
Navajo National Monument, Arizona
Statue of Liberty National Monument, New Jersey and New York
Fort Matanzas National Monument, Florida