Kodiak, Aleutians & SW Things To Do

This is Kodiak’s most popular mountain, and for good reason: It’s a challenge, the views are stunning, and it feels like a true mountain climb—there’s a 2,073-foot elevation gain in just a few miles. A well-trod trail leads up the ridge, which you can access from the end of the airport runway. Follow an old gravel road to the northeast ridge, where a trail  More...

A scenic 45-minute floatplane ride from Kodiak brings you to Uyak Bay in the remote southwest of Kodiak Island. The bears here aren’t congregated by a falls or river, but rather are spread out in the bay and among several spawning streams.  The number of bears depends on the tides, ranging from a handful of bears to as many as 20. 

Kodiak Island was a strategic outpost for both Russians and Americans, first used by Russians as the headquarters of the Russian American Company (now Kodiak Harbor). Take a tour at this museum with knowledgeable veterans and volunteers and learn the history of the Army and Navy on Kodiak Island and the Harbor Defenses front. Make sure you check out the eight-inch gun barrel, part of  More...

Mayflower Beach is a black sand and stone beach with views across the bay to forested hills and mountains. Listen to the waves crash against the shore and smell the fresh ocean smell. Beachcombing, picnicking, & hiking are all great things to do in this area.

The Pasagshak State Park provides a spectacular setting for anglers, beachcombers, hikers, and explorers. There is developed camping for both tent and RV campers, a boat launch, two modern pit toilets, and numerous picnic sites.    

A museum without walls, this organization has been working since 1996 to preserve and recognize the island’s maritime history. Their displays around town include 14 interpretive signs at St. Paul Harbor as well as three satellite exhibits. Check out the large, full-color panels that showcase the work of the Coast Guard, fishermen, and the species of fish they seek. The satellite  More...

To silver and pink salmon fishing at Twin Creeks. Note: Neketa Hump floods at high tide and may not be fordable at extreme high tides.  Western Twin Creek is fordable at low tide; at high tide follow alternate route.

Hundreds of pink salmon run up this creek during the summer. You can watch them at the culvert as hundreds of them hurry past on their way to spawn. Peak times for viewing is mid-July to late-August.

Only limited access is allowed to this military reservation.  Access the trails through the pedestrian gates in the fence at the end of Woodland Drive.  Walk along an old road to the cape.  There are nice short hikes along the sea cliffs and a northeasterly beach.  This area is especially recommended on stormy nd rainy days when easterly gales will unveil the  More...

This is a great place to spot fishing boats as they come in and out of the dock.

Used during WWII and up to 1967, this airstrip was a remote “dispersal” station for planes, in case of an attack or bad weather. There are no buildings out here anymore, but the strip is still partially cleared with the old metal grate plankings of the runway still in place.

This was the largest base on Kodiak Island during WWII, and the center of the Harbor Defenses for Kodiak. At the peak, some 8,000 troops were stationed here. Now all that remains are some unmarked buildings.

Popular with Asian executives and workers visiting Dutch Harbor, the place serves up surprisingly good Chinese food, and they have a very fresh sushi bar. The ambience and décor is quite nice; it doesn't feel like a place in a remote fishing town in the middle of the ocean. The place has a good reputation, and it lives up to it. Sometimes they host karaoke!

Located in southwest Alaska and flowing out of the Ahklun Mountains to the Bering Sea, the North Fork of the Goodnews River is an ideal family and/or friends, 5 day float trip of 60 miles on an easy river that is choked with fish in the summer months. The upper half lies within designated wilderness in the Togiak National Wildlife Refuge and is surrounded by green tundra covered  More...

Hopefully this life-size bronze statue is the closest you’ll come to a Kodiak brown bear. The statue honors Charles Madsen, Kodiak’s pioneer-era bear-hunting guide and one of the first registered guides in Alaska. It was commissioned by his son Alf in 1957, sculpted in Seattle, housed in front of the Madsen family hotel until the 1964 earthquake and tsunami, and moved here  More...

Located in southwestern Alaska, in one of the richest fisheries in the world, the Wood-Tikchik State Park has a great, easy to moderate float trip that is perfect for families with wilderness camping experience and for diehard fishing enthusiasts. From the furthest inland lake to Dillingham, Alaska is a 130-mile trip that involves paddling your way the length of 4 large lakes  More...

An assortment of homes and cabins dots the road for the next two miles and comprises the town of Chiniak. Originally a native Alutiiq outpost, the population here exploded during WWII, following construction of a road from Olds River. The Army, Navy, and Air Force have based operations here, with workers living in Quonset huts and military housing. But following the closure of the  More...

Whether it’s your first or last stop on the island, make sure you visit this museum, which offer the best insight into the island’s heritage. Not only will you find an impressive collection here, but also a great staff; they’ll share stories about village life, continued traditions, and archaeology projects.

With 100,000 artifacts, some 50,000 photos, and a  More...

One of the area’s more popular hikes (or drives, as there’s a road to the top), Pillar Mountain offers a moderate, 2.5-mile climb to an alpine summit overlooking town. Your heart, lungs, and legs may burn, but you’ll have great views and see excellent wildflowers, as most of the trail is above treeline. You’ll recognize the peak, since it dominates the sky  More...

One of the few dining options in Sand Point, the Harbor Café serves up breakfast, lunch and dinner from a large menu, with rotating specials. Alaska seafood, burgers, sandwiches, salads, pork chops, chicken dishes…they cook it all. It's the only way to make it as a restaurant in such a small, remote place. Always cook new stuff, make it good, affordable with large  More...

Drive over Anton Larsen Pass and down the other side until you come to the Red Cloud River Bridge.  Park in the turnout to the right just beyond the bridge.  Cross the road and walk past the cottonwood trees where you'll find a faint trail leading through tall grass toward the mountains.  This trail can be hard to follow as it meanders through wet areas, thick vegetaion  More...

This trail provides access to the open tundra areas of Eagle Cape. The marked trail ends just past edge of forest and if you continue you'll get spectacular views of the Katmai Mountains and Afognak Island.

Loved by locals and travelers alike, this 182-acre state park has numerous trails, beaches, and rocky viewpoints. For history buffs, the trails take you past bunkers and relics from WWII outposts in the area. You’ll also find summer naturalist programs where you can learn about ecology as well as ocean and forest creatures.

You’ll find numerous paths to follow, just  More...

Old Womens Mountain hike provides great views of Chiniak Bay, the Coast Guard base and Kodiak city and harbor.  The surrounding mountain scenery is breathtaking.  About 1/2 mile south of the airport road, take a right turn on the paved road up to "Aviation Hill."  Turn left at the entrance to the subdivision and park at the end of the road behind the Coast Guard Loran  More...

Drive past Salonie Creek and contiue up a hill until you se a gravel parking lot on the right just after milepost 14.  This is the trailhead.  Cross a little swamp and pick up the trail through the dense alders and high vegetation.  Follow the trail that winds upward through tall grass crossing some wet places.  After about 1.5 miles, you come to the lake, which  More...

This is a quick hike to do. You can get great views of the surrounding area and to the top in less than an hour. There is also a spur trail within 200 feet of the trailhead. It can get wet during the spring because of the snow runoff.

Take a short floatplane ride from Kodiak to the destination lake of the island's second-largest sockeye run.  You'll hike 3/4 of a mile to a viewing area overlooking the falls and fish ladder. The bears know there’s a feast to be had, so during peak times, it’s normal to see five to ten bears roaming around at a time.

Located in the oldest standing building in Alaska, this museum is filled with artifacts, photography, and artwork recording the history of Kodiak. You’ll find exhibits from the time of the Alutiiq and Aleut Natives, to king crabbing and daily life in the 1980s, all the way up to the present. Their focus, though, is Russian-American history and the island’s early American  More...

Just over the bridge, this park offers easy beach walking and great photo opportunities of Kodiak. Snap shots of the waterfront, have a picnic, or enjoy quiet beaches. The park is forested, with excellent spruce groves that are silent havens for birds and squirrels. There’s excellent bird watching at the end of the trail. Walk the mossy earth and head over to the pebble  More...

During August and September, the ditch on the left of the Chiniak Highway at MP 29.0 becomes an active spawning area for salmon.

A popular place for viewing wintering Emperor Geese.

Forest trail connects the two cabins along the Carry Inlet.

Sheer cuts along river bank reveal a heavy volcanic ash layer from the eruption of 1912.

Easy Trail.  Also leads to junctions of Neketa Hump and Eagle Cape Trails.