Alaska Blueberries and Cranberries

Alaska’s wild berries include nearly 50 species. Bog blueberry, crowberry, lowbush cranberry and salmonberry are widely picked on tundra slopes from about July until the first frost.[1]

Main species

The Bering Land Bridge National Preserve describes four common Seward Peninsula berries. Bog blueberry (Vaccinium uliginosum) grows in bogs, tundra and alpine slopes, is harvested about July to August and has tart fruit. Crowberry (Empetrum nigrum) grows in heaths, bogs and alpine slopes, is one of the most abundant tundra berries and is firm, juicy and edible but seedy.[1]

Cranberry and salmonberry

Lowbush cranberry (Vaccinium vitis-idaea), also called lingonberry, is a tiny evergreen shrub of bog hummocks and low alpine slopes that ripens in August and September and is tart and bitter, with the best flavour after a frost. Salmonberry, listed as Rubus chamaemorus and also called cloudberry, grows in wet areas, ripens from mid-July to August and has juicy orange fruit eaten raw or used in jams and jellies.[1]

Gathering

Locals and subsistence gatherers pick the berries on slope tundra from about July until the first frost. Some Alaska berries are poisonous, so the preserve advises knowing a plant’s identity before eating it.[1]

FAQs

How many wild berry species grow in Alaska? Nearly 50.

When are lowbush cranberries ripe? August to September, with the best flavour after frost.

Are all Alaska berries safe? No, some are poisonous, so identify a plant before eating it.

Sources

1. National Park Service: Wild Berries, Bering Land Bridge National Preserve

Editorially reviewed by Specialty Digest Editorial TeamLast reviewed November 14, 2026Researched and drafted with AI assistanceReport an issue