In the midst of dark winter, Alaskans burn the midnight oil to complete necessary tasks.

To prepare for a dark and cold winter, Alaskans must harvest necessary resources in unfamiliar territories.

Alaskans struggle to survive the brief, cold and dark days as winter overtakes the land.

Alaskans race to secure resources and ready their camps for the coming dark winter.

An exploration of the remote corners of Alaska.

As summer continues in the Arctic, Alaskans work to stockpile resources and explore remote terrain; in Kavik, caribou have arrived, and Sue Aikens jumps at this new hunting opportunity on the tundra, while Jessie Holmes embarks on a major move.

Endless daylight allows Alaskans to seek resources and make repairs to vital equipment.

Alaskans must maximize the longer summer days in the Arctic before the freeze returns.

Alaskans work to gather newly available resources with the spring season underway.

Life in the isolated wilderness is possible only when people work together.

When confronted with a threat, Alaskans must make quick decisions to survive.

For Alaskans living off the land, timing is everything.

For isolated Alaskans, strenuous labor is just a part of life.

Even the toughest Alaskans sometimes need a helping hand.

At the apex of winter, a lack of snowfall in the Arctic makes basic tasks more difficult.

Alaskans scurry to find precious resources in a constantly changing winter landscape.

The Arctic is melting at a rapid rate, and residents of Alaska must scramble to adapt.

Treacherous conditions make roads and waterways tough to navigate in Alaska.

In the dead of winter, Alaskans must endure the brutal elements with no end in sight.

To survive winter in Alaska, its residents brave life-threatening challenges every day.

Winter has arrived with a vengeance, and Alaskans prepare for the worst-case scenario.

Each year adventurers make Alaska's mighty Yukon River their home for five weeks. They float downstream on homemade log rafts to sell firewood and other supplies to remote villages. The reality-documentary "Yukon River Run" presents hourlong episodes tracking the progress of various crews. As harsh winter months approach and threaten both safety and success, stakes are heightened as rafters endeavor to cash out and escape from the cold.

Extreme survivalists go head to head in a race across the Alaska wild. Using ingenuity, experience and just the gear they can carry in their packs, the participants have 60 hours to reach the finish point of each leg of the adventure -- the series features 13 legs -- and in addition to navigating treacherous glaciated river valleys, barren ridgelines, and high mountain peaks, the challengers battle hunger, dangerous predators and unpredictable weather. There is no grand prize awaiting each leg's winner, other than the pride of accomplishing a grueling feat. For season three, the 12 competitors are divided equally into four teams -- Military, Endurance, Alaskans and Lower 48.

The breathtaking beauty of Alaska sometimes hides the fact its winters can be incredibly harsh, especially for those who live in the state's outlying areas. "Alaska: The Last Frontier" perfectly illustrates this reality, as the series profiles life for the Kilcher family in the isolated community of Homer. For four generations the Kilchers have lived off what their 600-acre homestead has provided, but cultivating that living is never easy. Led by patriarch Atz Kilcher and his brother Otto, the family spends the short summer and fall gardening, hunting and fishing for food, gathering supplies from the land and preparing their animals for the winter. Viewers, who may or may not have a fancy phone by their side while watching on their big-screen high-def TV, also see the Kilchers living off the grid, where running water and electricity aren't daily staples, nor is contact with the outside world. Atz, by the way, is the father of music superstar Jewel.

Patrolling America's largest state is the job of roughly 400 troopers in one of the toughest law enforcement agencies in the nation. Essentially, these cops say, nearly every Alaskan resident is armed and they know how to use their weapons, which makes any scenario a trooper encounters a potentially fatal one. Follow along as the "blue shirt" Alaskan State Troopers police the towns and villages, and the "brown shirt" Alaska Wildlife Troopers enforce regulations covering both commercial and sport fishing and hunting activities.

Tradition collides with transformation in McCarthy, Alaska. The isolated town -- once considered to be the state's version of "Sin City" -- flourished during the Gold Rush but is now home to roughly 40 people, a mix of mavericks, risk takers and rabble rousers willing to brave extreme conditions to live free. While some believe in continuing the town's frontier way of life, others feel the future of McCarthy depends on dragging it into the modern age. Long-standing resident Jeremy Keller fights to protect its roots, while Neil Darish has purchased multiple properties in town and plans to restore its vibrancy. "Edge of Alaska" tells the story of a hinterland at a crossroads.

Tanana, Alaska, is like the Pacific Northwest's version of Hotel California: You can check out any time you like, but you can never leave. Well, not exactly, but describing the town as remote is akin to saying the winters are chilly. Located at the junction of the Tanana and Yukon rivers deep in the state's interior, the town has no roads in or out, and for its 200-plus residents, survival in the winter is a daily challenge. "Yukon Men" unveils the people of Tanana, who struggle to find food, heat their homes, and ward off predators. But they stick together, a bond that helps them overcome the harsh conditions.

Back to the beautiful state of Alaska for another reality-documentary series, this one set in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, a protected area home to thousands of native animals... and a handful of people. In 1980, the U.S. government banned human occupation in the refuge, and only residents in seven permitted cabins are allowed to remain. The series depicts the daily rituals of four families living in isolation and contending with bitter weather, frustrating setbacks, and aggressive wildlife in an unspoiled and unforgiving wilderness. The nonconformists include Heimo Korth, the "godfather of the final frontier," and wife Edna; Bob Harte, who has spent 40 years living by his own rules; and young couple Bob and Ashley Selden, who admit that they've survived by trial and error, learning day by day the harsh reality of frontier living.

Money and goods mean nothing to the people in "Live Free or Die." The series depicts a trend called "rewilding" -- the undomestication of humans -- and follows those who've rejected a mainstream existence to live off the land, in simple homes without electricity or running water. Being self-sufficient is a constant challenge, as obstacles like brutal weather and depleted food stocks require quick, innovative solutions. Modern pioneers include Colbert, a former financial adviser now living in a Georgia swamp; Gabriel, whose California lifestyle alternates between the mountains and the sea; and Tony and Amelia, who turned a hillside in the Blue Ridge Mountains into a garden.

The life of an Alaskan bush pilot is never dull.

The survivalists living on Great Slave Lake in Canada's Northwest Territories say it's not man that threatens their existence, it's woman: Mother Nature. "Ice Lake Rebels" follows a handful of residents who willingly face food shortages, dangerous terrain and deadly weather conditions for off-the-grid freedom. Because they reside in floating homes or houseboats and not on land, the denizens of Great Slave Lake are not subjected to taxation and the rule of law. However, their frozen utopia isn't always what it's cracked up to be, especially when the ice begins to thaw beneath their homes. The unpredictable conditions mean competition is fierce for the lake's most secure locations and for its scarce supplies.