Russell Fjord is a fjord in the U.S. state of Alaska. It extends north to

Disenchantment Bay Disenchantment Bay extends southwest for from the mouth of Russell Fiord to Point Latouche, at the head of Yakutat Bay in Alaska. Named "Puerto del Desengano", Spanish for "bay of disenchantment", by Alessandro Malaspina in 1792, upon finding ...

, the terminus of Hubbard Glacier, at the head of Yakutat Bay. The fjord was named in 1901 by Marcus Baker of the U.S. Geological Survey for explorer

Israel Russell Israel Cook Russell, LL.D. (December 10, 1852 – May 1, 1906) was an American geologist and geographer who explored Alaska in the late 19th century. Early life and education Russell was born at Garrattsville, New York, on December 10, 1852. He r ...

, who discovered the estuary in 1891 while exploring the Yakutat region. The opening into

was periodically blocked by the glacier and the Russell Fjord turned into a lake collecting freshwater run-off from the glacier. The entrance closed from May to October 1986, and again briefly in 200

Russell Fjord Wilderness

The Russell Fjord Wilderness is a National Wilderness Preservation System, wilderness area within the Tongass National Forest, protecting surrounding the fjord. The wilderness was established by the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act in 1980 and is managed by the

U.S. Forest Service The United States Forest Service (USFS) is an agency of the U.S. Department of Agriculture that administers the nation's 154 national forests and 20 national grasslands. The Forest Service manages of land. Major divisions of the agency in ...

. The Wrangell-Saint Elias Wilderness borders it to the northwest. Fjords of Alaska Bodies of water of Yakutat City and Borough, Alaska {{YakutatAK-geo-stub