Forget the bayous of Louisiana and the Everglades. When it comes to wetlands, one state outsoaks them all: Alaska. According to the EPA, the largest state holds roughly 174 million acres of wetlands — more than the other 49 states put together. It accounts for about 63% of all wetlands in the country, and over 40% of Alaska's entire surface area is wetland of one kind or another.
The reasons are a mix of geography and climate. In parts of the state, permafrost keeps water pinned near the surface instead of letting it drain away, creating huge saturated zones in the warmer months. Big rivers build out deltas along the coast, and with plenty of precipitation and a cold climate where evaporation is slow, water simply sticks around. The result is an unusually diverse range of wetland types spread across a state more than twice the size of its nearest rival.
For scale, Florida — famous for the Everglades' 1.5 million acres of 'River of Grass' — ranks second in total acreage with about 11.4 million acres. Louisiana, home to the Atchafalaya Basin (America's largest swamp) and roughly a third of the state under wetland, comes fourth in total area but second in percentage of land covered, just behind Minnesota in total acres.
The good news for travellers: you don't need a bush plane to see this for yourself. Potter Marsh, at the edge of the Anchorage Coastal Wildlife Refuge, is a 300-acre watershed park with miles of boardwalks and trails — and it sits just 15 minutes from downtown Anchorage. It's a genuinely easy wildlife stop: expect migratory birds in season and views over the coastal flats. If you're willing to drive a bit further, Chugach National Forest begins about 35 miles from the city and contains the largest contiguous wetlands in North America.
So why should this matter on a trip itinerary? Wetlands are where Alaska feels most alive — salmon streams, moose browsing in shallow water, sandhill cranes and waterfowl passing through, all in landscapes that photograph beautifully at golden hour. Because most visitors stick to cruises and a handful of big-name parks, spots like Potter Marsh stay refreshingly uncrowded and free to access. If your Alaska plans centre on Anchorage as a base — which many do — weaving in a wetland walk adds a low-effort, high-reward nature fix between bigger excursions. Pair it with a day in Chugach and you'll have seen a side of the state most visitors never register: not just mountains and glaciers, but the vast, spongy, waterlogged two-thirds of America's wetland estate.
