Holy Cross, AK

Holy Cross is a small, quiet village set along the lower Yukon River in western Alaska. Like many off-the-grid river towns, it has no connecting highways, so getting around means taking bush planes year-round or traveling by boat during the ice-free summer months. Community life centers around the local K-12 school, the tribal council, and Alaska Native corporations like Deloycheet and Doyon, which oversee local land and community programs. Residents lead a largely subsistence lifestyle based on salmon fishing and moose hunting, making Holy Cross a tight-knit place grounded in Athabascan heritage and deep ties to the river.