Best Soil for Gardening in Alaska

Alaska

Alaska has 137 USDA soil survey areas, and they vary considerably in how friendly the ground is for growing things. We ranked every survey area by the percentage of well-drained soil — the single most important soil property for most garden plants.

At the top, Southern Wood-Tikchik Area, Alaska has 100% well-drained soils — conditions where most vegetables, herbs, and flowers can thrive with basic soil preparation. At the other end, Lower Kenai Peninsula - Northern Chugach Islands Area, Alaska comes in at 0%, meaning more of the landscape has drainage challenges that may require raised beds, soil amendments, or careful site selection for a productive garden.

Remember that these are area-wide averages. Even in a low-ranking survey area, individual properties can have excellent garden soil. Look up your specific address for exact conditions.

#Survey AreaWell-Drained SoilsDominant DrainageDominant Soil Order
1 Southern Wood-Tikchik Area, Alaska 100% Well drained Inceptisols
2 Chugach Mountains - Eagle River Area, Alaska 100% Well drained Spodosols
3 Boundary Range - Chilkat River Area, Alaska 100% Moderately well drained Histosols
4 St. George Island Area, Alaska 100% Well drained Andisols
5 Aleutian Islands - Sanak Islands Area, Alaska 100% Well drained Andisols
6 Aleutian Islands - Unalaska and Andreanof Islands Area, Alaska 100% Well drained Andisols
7 Aleutian Islands - Semisopotchnoi Island Area, Alaska 100% Well drained Andisols
8 Aleutian Islands - Amchitka Island Area, Alaska 100% Well drained Andisols
9 Aleutian Islands - Little Simkin, Khvostof, Segula and Davidof Islands Area, Alaska 100% Well drained Andisols
10 Aleutian Islands - Kiska Island Area, Alaska 100% Well drained Andisols
11 Alaska Range - Revelation Mountains and Stink River Area, Alaska 99% Well drained Inceptisols
12 Skagway-Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park, Alaska 98% Well drained Entisols
13 Lower Kenai Peninsula Area, Alaska 97% Well drained Spodosols
14 Saint Paul Island Area, Alaska 95% Well drained Andisols
15 Alaska Range - Tordrillo Mountains and Happy River Area, Alaska 95% Well drained Spodosols
16 Kodiak Archipelago Area, Alaska 93% Well drained Spodosols
17 Togiak National Wildlife Refuge-Ahklun Mountains Area, Alaska 91% Well drained Inceptisols
18 Chugach National Forest - Kenai Peninsula West Area, Alaska 89% Well drained Inceptisols
19 Alaska Range - Parts Of Mentasta Mountains Area, Alaska 89% Well drained Inceptisols
20 Ray Mountains and Bordering Area, Alaska 88% Well drained Gelisols
21 Aleutian Mountains - Lake Clark Area, Alaska 87% Well drained Spodosols
22 Yukon Tanana Uplands West and Bordering Area, Alaska 87% Well drained Gelisols
23 Katmai National Park and Preserve Area, Alaska 86% Well drained Entisols
24 Aleutian Islands - Attu Island Area, Alaska 86% Well drained Inceptisols
25 Tongass National Forest - Klukwah and Takshanuk Mountains Area, Alaska 84% Moderately well drained Histosols
26 Talkeetna and Chugach Mountains - Cook Inlet Area, Alaska 84% Well drained Spodosols
27 Arctic National Wildlife Refuge - Brooks Range West Area, Alaska 81% Well drained Gelisols
28 Bristol Bay-Northern Alaska Peninsula, North and Bordering Areas, Alaska 81% Well drained Inceptisols
29 Yukon Tanana Uplands East and Bordering Area, Alaska 81% Well drained Inceptisols
30 Brooks Range - Gates Of The Arctic National Park and Preserve Area, Alaska 80% Well drained Gelisols
31 Anchorage Area, Alaska 79% Well drained Spodosols
32 Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve-Gustavus Area, Alaska 78% Well drained Entisols
33 Greater Delta Area, Alaska 77% Well drained Inceptisols
34 Haines Area, Alaska 77% Well drained Spodosols
35 Alaska Range - Nelchina Public Use Area, Alaska 77% Well drained Inceptisols
36 Arctic National Wildlife Refuge - Brooks Range East Area, Alaska 74% Well drained Gelisols
37 North Ogilvie Mountains - Step Mountains Area, Alaska 73% Well drained Gelisols
38 Brooks Range and Davidson Mountains Area, Alaska 72% Well drained Gelisols
39 Brooks Range and Ray Mountains Area, Alaska 72% Well drained Gelisols
40 Alaska Range - Granite Mountains Area, Alaska 71% Well drained Inceptisols
41 Alaska Range - Clearwater Mountains and Susitna River Area, Alaska 71% Well drained Inceptisols
42 Kenai National Wildlife Refuge Area, Alaska 70% Well drained Spodosols
43 Parts Of Wrangell - St. Elias National Park and Preserve Area, Alaska 69% Well drained Inceptisols
44 Stewart River Training Site, Alaska 67% Well drained Inceptisols
45 Alaska Peninsula - Aniakchak and Unimak Area, Alaska 67% Well drained Andisols
46 Western Ahklun Mountains Area, Alaska 66% Well drained Gelisols
47 Western Interior Rivers Area, Alaska 65% Well drained Inceptisols
48 Nulato Hills - Continental Divide and Blackburn Hills Area, Alaska 64% Well drained Inceptisols
49 Cantwell Area, Alaska 62% Well drained Inceptisols
50 Reindeer and Iditarod Rivers Area, Alaska 61% Well drained Inceptisols
51 St. Mathew Island Area, Alaska 61% Well drained Gelisols
52 Greater Nenana Area, Alaska 59% Well drained Inceptisols
53 Gerstle River Area, Alaska 59% Well drained Inceptisols
54 Kuskokwim - Kilbuck Mountains Area, Alaska 59% Well drained Gelisols
55 Matanuska-Susitna Valley Area, Alaska 58% Well drained Spodosols
56 North Copper River Area, Alaska 58% Well drained Inceptisols
57 Western Kenai Peninsula Area, Alaska 58% Well drained Spodosols
58 Yentna Area, Alaska 58% Well drained Spodosols
59 Yukon Flats Area, Alaska 57% Well drained Gelisols
60 Greater Fairbanks Area, Alaska 57% Well drained Inceptisols
61 Cape Krusenstern National Monument and Bordering Area, Alaska 56% Well drained Gelisols
62 Ray Mountains - Kokrines Hills and Yukon River Area, Alaska 55% Well drained Gelisols
63 Nulato Hills Area, Alaska 54% Poorly drained Inceptisols
64 Kobuk Ridges and Valleys - Alatna Hills and Bordering Area, Alaska 53% Well drained Gelisols
65 Alaska Peninsula - Iliamna and Bristol Bay Lowlands Area, Alaska 52% Well drained Entisols
66 Brooks Range and Kobuk River - Nana Area, Alaska 52% Well drained Inceptisols
67 Purcell Mountains, Pah River Flats and Koyukuk River Area, Alaska 51% Well drained Gelisols
68 White Mountains Area, Alaska 50% Well drained Gelisols
69 Alaska Range - Brushkana Area, Alaska 49% Poorly drained Inceptisols
70 Interior Rivers - Lime Hills and Kuskokwim Mountains Area, Alaska 47% Well drained Gelisols
71 Southern Baird Mountains and Kiana Hills Area, Alaska 47% Well drained Gelisols
72 Alaska Peninsula - Port Heiden and Port Moller Area, Alaska 45% Well drained Entisols
73 Yakutat Area, Alaska 44% Well drained Entisols
74 North Ogilvie and Yukon - Old Crow Basin Area, Alaska 44% Poorly drained Gelisols
75 Copper River Area, Alaska 42% Well drained Gelisols
76 Southern Nulato Hills Area, Alaska 42% Well drained Inceptisols
77 Chatham Area, Alaska 42% Very poorly drained Spodosols
78 Fort Greely and Donnelly Training Area, Alaska 42% Poorly drained Gelisols
79 Denali National Park and Preserve Area, Alaska 41% Poorly drained Gelisols
80 Upper Tanana Area, Alaska 40% Very poorly drained Inceptisols
81 Ray Mountains and Yukon River Lowlands Area, Alaska 36% Well drained Gelisols
82 St. Lawrence Island Area, Alaska 36% Very poorly drained Gelisols
83 Totchaket Area, Alaska 36% Very poorly drained Inceptisols
84 North Star Area, Alaska 34% Poorly drained Inceptisols
85 Kanuti National Wildlife Refuge Area, Alaska 33% Poorly drained Gelisols
86 Chugach St. Elias and Boundary Ranges - Coastal Rainforest Area, Alaska 32% Very poorly drained Histosols
87 Ketchikan Area, Alaska 31% Very poorly drained Spodosols
88 Ray Mountains - Yukon Flats National Wildlife Refuge Northwest Area, Alaska 31% Poorly drained Gelisols
89 Tanana - Kuskokwim Lowlands - Snohomish and Trimokish Hills Area, Alaska 31% Poorly drained Gelisols
90 Yukon Delta National Wildlife Refuge - Western Part Area, Alaska 31% Very poorly drained Gelisols
91 Kuskokwim - Kaiyuh Mountains Area, Alaska 29% Poorly drained Gelisols
92 Kuskokwim Mountains and Bordering Area, Alaska 29% Poorly drained Gelisols
93 De Long Mountains West and Noatak River Area, Alaska 29% Poorly drained Gelisols
94 Togiak National Wildlife Refuge - Southwestern Part and Bordering Area, Alaska 27% Somewhat excessively drained Gelisols
95 Yukon River Lowlands and Innoko National Wildlife Refuge, North Area, Alaska 27% Poorly drained Inceptisols
96 Gulkana River Area, Alaska 25% Poorly drained Gelisols
97 Stikine Area, Alaska 25% Very poorly drained Spodosols
98 Delta River Area, Alaska 25% Somewhat excessively drained Entisols
99 Brooks Range - Kobuk Valley National Park and Noatak Preserve Area, Alaska 24% Poorly drained Gelisols
100 Fort Wainwright Area, Alaska 23% Very poorly drained Inceptisols
101 Aleutian Islands - Agattu Island Area, Alaska 23% Poorly drained Inceptisols
102 Yukon Delta National Wildlife Refuge - Nunivak Island Refuge Area, Alaska 22% Very poorly drained Gelisols
103 Arctic National Wildlife Refuge - Davidson Mountains and Coleen River Area, Alaska 21% Poorly drained Gelisols
104 Kantishna Area, Alaska 18% Somewhat excessively drained Inceptisols
105 Yukon Delta National Wildlife Refuge - Yukon River Area, Alaska 18% Very poorly drained Gelisols
106 Nowitna National Wildlife Refuge Area, Alaska 17% Poorly drained Gelisols
107 Chugach National Forest - Kenai Peninsula East Area, Alaska 17% Very poorly drained Spodosols
108 Yukon River Lowlands - Koyukuk National Wildlife Refuge Area, Alaska 14% Poorly drained Gelisols
109 Tetlin National Wildlife Refuge - Tanana Kuskokwim Lowlands Area, Alaska 14% Very poorly drained Gelisols
110 Seward Peninsula - Kotzebue Sound and Kivalik River Area, Alaska 13% Very poorly drained Gelisols
111 Seward Peninsula and Nulato Hills Area, Alaska 13% Very poorly drained Inceptisols
112 Selawik National Wildlife Refuge Area, Alaska 9% Very poorly drained Gelisols
113 National Petroleum Reserve - Brooks Foothills South Area, Alaska 8% Somewhat poorly drained Gelisols
114 Yukon Delta National Wildlife Refuge - Kuskoskwim River Area, Alaska 8% Very poorly drained Gelisols
115 Brooks Range - Brooks Foothills - Lisburne Peninsula Area, Alaska 6% Somewhat poorly drained Gelisols
116 Brooks Range - Brooks Foothills Area, Alaska 5% Somewhat poorly drained Gelisols
117 Bering Land Bridge National Preserve and Shishmarev Area, Alaska 4% Very poorly drained Gelisols
118 Yukon-Charley Rivers National Preserve, Alaska 3% Poorly drained Gelisols
119 Yukon River Lowlands and Innoko National Wildlife Refuge South Area, Alaska 3% Poorly drained Gelisols
120 Brooks Foothills - Killik, Chandler, and Anaktuvuk Rivers Area, Alaska 2% Somewhat poorly drained Gelisols
121 Brooks Foothills - Toolik River Area, Alaska 1% Somewhat poorly drained Gelisols
122 Tanana and Chatanika River Area, Alaska 0% Very poorly drained Gelisols
123 Tatlanika and Wood River Area, Alaska 0% Poorly drained Gelisols
124 Arctic National Wildlife Refuge - Beaufort Coastal Plain Area, Alaska 0% Poorly drained Gelisols
125 Kenai Peninsula - Kenai Fjords National Park and Bordering Area, Alaska 0% Very poorly drained Spodosols
126 Chugach National Forest - Prince William Sound Area, Alaska 0% Very poorly drained Histosols
127 Seward Area, Alaska 0% Very poorly drained Histosols
128 Robinson Mountains and Gulf of Alaska Coast Area, Alaska 0% Very poorly drained Entisols
129 National Petroleum Reserve - Beaufort Coastal Plain Area, Alaska 0% Very poorly drained Gelisols
130 National Petroleum Reserve - Brooks Foothills North Area, Alaska 0% Somewhat poorly drained Gelisols
131 Beaufort Coastal Plain - Deadhorse Area, Alaska 0% Very poorly drained Gelisols
132 White Hills - Kuparuk River Area, Alaska 0% Somewhat poorly drained Gelisols
133 Kenai Mountains and Kachemak Bay State Park Area, Alaska 0% Very poorly drained Histosols
134 Kachemak Bay State Wilderness Park Area, Alaska 0% Very poorly drained Histosols
135 Barren Islands Area, Alaska 0% Very poorly drained Histosols
136 Middleton Island Area, Alaska 0% Very poorly drained Histosols
137 Lower Kenai Peninsula - Northern Chugach Islands Area, Alaska 0% Very poorly drained Spodosols

See also: national gardening soil rankings | Alaska drainage rankings | all Alaska survey areas