Kodiak, Aleutians & SW Things To Do

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.

Follow this trail to access silver and pink salmon fishing at Twin Creek.

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.

Perhaps the crown jewel of Alaska bear viewing, McNeil River has only 13 permits available each day and requires a floatplane trip from Anchorage or Homer.  This location is spectacular because getting a permit means the possibility of seeing up to 70 bears at a time, gathered around the falls fishing.  Nearly 150 bears frequent the area throughout the summer! 

Enjoy hiking, camping, & picnicking on this remote beach.

This is the end of the road, and outside intrepid surfers and beachcombers, you won’t find many people here. The road maintenance ends and it’s tough to get here, but if you make it, you’ll find great beachcombing and fossil hunting. The beach is at the mouth of a small river, which drains Twin Lakes. And the fossils are in cliffs located at the left side of the  More...

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...

One of the last ranches on the island, this cattle company is run by Bill and Kathy Burton, who started their 20,000-acre lease in 1967. With 60–70 cows, 400 buffalo, 70 elk, and 14 yaks, the ranch is a place for domesticated meat and guided hunts.

Ranching was first brought to Kodiak by the Russians, who took advantage of the natural grasslands on the green, temperate  More...

From this bridge on Kodiak's Chiniak Highway it's possible to see spawning salmon in August and September. There’s also potential to see brown bears here during the late summer as they feast on salmon, especially around dawn or dusk.  The road on the south side of the bridge leads to Bell’s Flats.

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.    

Just beyond Mill Bay Beach is a lovely improved trail that starts a short way up Antone Way on the left.  There is a nice parking area and trailhead sign.  The trail parallels Island Lake Creek, which tumbles steeply through the woods over falls and boulders.  This is a good place to see dippers, as well as forest birds such as winter wrens, varied thrush, chickadees,  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.

A popular place for viewing wintering Emperor Geese.

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. 

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...

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...

The mountain range to the right is Devil’s Prongs and Barometer Mountain is to the left.  

This area, just 40-minutes by floatplane from Kodiak, was recently re-opened to the public, and restrictions are strong. There is a four-day minimum stay and an 6-person limit for those hoping to access the amazing 1.5 mile stretch of river connecting Karluk and O’Malley Lakes.  The river fills with sockeye salmon, attracting brown bears from miles around.

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.

This is where the walrus head from August through November, as they move north in preparation for the winter pack ice. Visit only if the walruses have already left Round Island.

The Kanektok River is located in the Togiak National Wildlife Reserve of Southwest Alaska and flows westward 85 miles from Pegati Lake and into the Bering Sea at the city of Quinhagak. It starts in the scenic Ahklun Mountains then spills out across the Kuskokwim lowlands and is a fly fisherman's paradise. It is a world class fishing destination and sees quite a bit of fishing  More...

One of the float plane landing sites near downtown, Trident Basin, is a great place to watch planes coming and going from remote villages, hunting camps, or fishing lodges. Alaska is a land lacking roads, so businesses and individuals get around by plane, and this state has more private planes than any other. Residents and visitors rely on these machines for daily life, whether  More...

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.

It’s rare when a National Wildlife Refuge has an amazing visitor center, but this one is a must-see. Kids and adults will love the displays, including the complete skeleton of a grey whale. You can learn about the grey whale migration from Baja to the Bering Sea, the food they eat, their evolutionary developments, and the seven-year process of discovering and transporting the  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...

For a gentle stroll on a surfaced path, Kodiak's Biking & Walking Path begins at the corner of Benny Benson and Rezenof Road, and parallels Rezanof northward 2 miles to the entrance to Fort Abercrombie State Historical Park.  This is a relatively flat path used by joggers dog walkers, bikers and walkers, that travels past Mill Bay Beach, a French pastry and coffee shop and the  More...

The brown bears here feed on razor clams on the beach, and are consistently spotted all summer. There are males, females with cubs and juveniles, and they roam from grazing on sedges and beaches to fishing for salmon in the rivers. It is common to see a handful, and not unheard of to see 12.

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.

A six-mile round-trip hike that climbs to just over 2,000 feet, this climb will get you great views of Women’s Bay and the rolling mountains of the island. Park your car at the Salonie Creek Bridge. Walk back and across the road, and you’ll find a four-wheeler trail—this is the trailhead. The hike crosses some boggy, wetland areas, so bring appropriate footwear.  More...

This trail is mainly in the forest and passes some great beaver ponds.  It can be used to reach Eagle Cape trail from Mulcahy View Trail.

Surrounded by volcanoes, Airplane flats is a remote beach on the Aleutian Peninsula. It is the most westerly location on the Aleutian chain one can reach that is still connected to the mainland.

One of the easiest beaches to access from town, this park has a nice overlook and excellent waterfront with picnic sites. In late July through September, you can fish from the beach for silver and pink salmon. Wander down the beach to a small creek (on the left side) that is filled with salmon in late summer. Surfers ride storm waves here, and some locals even scuba dive in the cove  More...

The town’s most recognizable building, with iconic blue onion-like cupolas capped by crosses, this cathedral was established in 1794. That’s the year Russian monk St. Herman arrived in Kodiak. A benevolent force in the colonization and exploitation of the Aleuts and Alutiiqs, he was known for his care of the sick and dying during Western-introduced epidemics, as well as  More...

Remote and exotic landscape

Class III

5 days/4 nights

30 miles hiking, 30 miles floating. Fly-in to Port Heiden, fly-out from Aniakchak Bay

Port Heiden