Life where people have to fly to the supermarket

Going to the supermarket to buy groceries is a simple thing for many people, but Salina Alsworth will have to fly more than 320 km to do this.

“The village is so remote, I have to fly more than 200 miles just to buy groceries,” said Salina Alsworth, who lives in Port Alsworth, Alaska. Her grandparents, Babe and Mary Alsworth, were two of the village’s first residents, settling here in the 1940s.

Port Alsworth is accessible only by small plane because it is not connected to the interstate road system, according to the National Park Service. The village has two cafes but no pub, restaurant or hospital. If they want to go on a romantic dinner date, they have to fly to Anchorage.

Salina next to the plane she usually sits on when she wants to go to the supermarket to buy things. Photo: Instagram

“The only shop in the village is the small gift shop at my family’s resort,” Salina said. The resort also has a small clinic for basic first aid. If you need medical treatment, childbirth or surgery, you have to fly elsewhere.

The nearest city is Anchorage, more than 320 km away, about an hour flight away. Salina is not alone, more than 130 residents in the village consider “taking a plane to the supermarket” a normal thing.

About every three months, Salina would board a plane to go to the supermarket. She would buy enough food to last her for the season. Salina said life in the village “can be complicated at times” because of the elaborate planning required to stock up on supplies. Salina’s purchases would be carefully packaged and shipped on another plane.

Shopping is not always easy. In winter, flying to neighboring cities is difficult because of snow and heavy fog. Sometimes there is only one flight for weeks.

Life where people have to fly to the supermarket

Salina sits on an all-terrain vehicle used to move around the village, behind her are boxes containing things she bought from supermarkets in other cities. Photo: Insider

Despite its remote location, Port Alsworth is a popular tourist destination. During peak tourist season, the village’s population can reach 400. The Salina family also runs a resort called Lake Clark, which welcomes hundreds of tourists each year.

Port Alsworth is home to Lake Clark National Park and Preserve Headquarters, known for its “astonishingly beautiful” wilderness scenery.

Life where people have to fly to the supermarket

Natural scenery at Lake Clark National Park.

However, Salina has no intention of moving elsewhere because she loves the life surrounded by nature, the simplicity and familiarity of the village. “I fly over some of the most rugged and beautiful terrain in the world ,” Salina said, describing the distance she has to overcome to get to the supermarket.

Salina met her husband, Jared, a fishing guide, when he came to work at her family's resort. They married in May 2020. Her husband moved from Detroit, Michigan, to live with his wife. Salina feels "extremely grateful" to have found a man who wants to live in the village with her. "He loves the Alaskan lifestyle. We hope to have a piece of land to build our own house on soon," Salina said.

Most visitors must fly to land on one of the two airstrips in the village. Seaplanes can also land on the sea near the village but often have trouble finding parking because the areas near the coast are private land. As a result, few seaplanes choose to fly there.

Visitors are encouraged to walk around the village as the roads are often paved with gravel. Alternatively, people can use bicycles with large wheels, special cars that can move on all terrains. The best time to visit this place is summer, when the weather is warm and there is not much fog.

According to Anh Minh/VNE

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