Kodiak Island

Kodiak Island is the largest island in Alaska and the second-largest island in the United States, lying in the Gulf of Alaska south of the Alaska Peninsula — a rugged, mountainous and largely forested island of extraordinary wildlife richness and remote beauty. The island is the home of the Kodiak brown bear (Ursus arctos middendorffi) — the largest subspecies of brown bear in the world, with adult males averaging 800-1,000 pounds and occasionally reaching 1,500 pounds. Approximately 3,500 Kodiak bears inhabit the island (about one per square mile) and the Kodiak National Wildlife Refuge (covering two-thirds of the island) offers some of the world’s finest bear-viewing.

Beyond its bears, Kodiak Island offers outstanding sportfishing (for halibut, salmon, and Dolly Varden), Alutiiq cultural heritage stretching back 7,000 years, dramatic coastal scenery (fjords, bays and mountains dropping to the sea), and a working fishing port (the city of Kodiak is one of the largest commercial-fishing ports in the United States). Wild, remote and extraordinary, Kodiak Island is a treasured natural and cultural icon of Alaska.

Kodiak Island offers bear viewing in the Kodiak National Wildlife Refuge (fly-in bear-viewing trips to remote bays and rivers within the refuge are the primary wildlife draw — guide services fly visitors to remote locations for close viewing of Kodiak bears; the most famous site is Frazer Lake, where bears gather for the red salmon run), world-class sportfishing (halibut, king salmon, sockeye salmon, silver salmon and Dolly Varden in the bays, rivers and offshore; charter boat fishing from the city of Kodiak is widely available), sea kayaking the bays and fjords of the refuge and Shuyak Island State Park (a beautiful and remote outer island), hiking on the island’s trail network (particularly around the town of Kodiak and on Pillar Mountain), wildlife watching (Kodiak bears are the headline attraction, but the island also has Sitka black-tailed deer, sea otters, Steller sea lions and rich seabirds), and Alutiiq cultural exploration at the Alutiiq Museum in the city of Kodiak. Bear viewing and fishing are the signature draws.

Summer (June through September) is the primary season, with the salmon runs (and the associated bear activity) at their peak in July and August; June brings king salmon; July brings the sockeye (red) salmon run that draws the bears to the rivers; August and September bring silver salmon. The Kodiak National Wildlife Refuge is open for bear-viewing trips primarily in late June through September. Halibut fishing is excellent May through September. The city of Kodiak is accessible year-round by air and ferry. Summer for bear viewing and salmon fishing is the clear highlight — book bear-viewing fly-out trips and fishing charters well in advance (they fill early for July and August).

Kodiak Island has been inhabited by the Alutiiq (Sugpiaq) people for approximately 7,000 years — one of the longest-inhabited places in Alaska. The Alutiiq developed a sophisticated maritime culture perfectly adapted to the island’s rich marine resources (salmon, marine mammals, seabirds), and their heritage is preserved at the Alutiiq Museum in Kodiak. The Russians established the first permanent Russian settlement in Alaska on Kodiak Island in 1784 (Three Saints Bay), making it the first colonial capital of Russian America; the Russian Orthodox Church (established in the 1790s) remains a significant cultural presence on the island today. The island was devastated by the 1964 earthquake and tsunami (the Good Friday Earthquake’s tsunami waves reached 30 feet on Kodiak, destroying the waterfront). The Kodiak National Wildlife Refuge was established in 1941 to protect the Kodiak bear. Today Kodiak is one of the largest fishing ports in the United States.

Kodiak Island is a mountainous, glacially shaped island composed primarily of Mesozoic graywacke and slate (marine sedimentary rocks accreted to the North American continent as the Pacific Plate subducted beneath Alaska). The island was heavily glaciated during the Pleistocene ice ages (the mountains rise to over 4,000 feet and the valleys are deeply carved U-shapes filled with fjords and bays). The island’s location on the Gulf of Alaska’s north coast exposes it to the extreme precipitation (100-250 inches per year in some areas) that maintains the island’s lush Sitka spruce and alder forest. The 1964 earthquake caused significant subsidence and uplift across the island. The accreted graywacke, the Pleistocene glaciation, the maritime climate and the earthquake history define Kodiak’s geology.

Kodiak Island is defined by its extraordinary wildlife — the Kodiak brown bear (the world’s largest land predator, with approximately 3,500 bears on the island; the bears are larger than their mainland counterparts due to the island’s rich salmon resources and the genetic isolation of several thousand years), Sitka black-tailed deer (introduced in the early 1900s; now numerous throughout the island), sea otters (recovering strongly in the bays and kelp beds), Steller sea lions (hauling out on rocky islands), harbor seals, Kodiak Island’s large population of bald eagles, puffins, murres, kittiwakes and other seabirds, and the five species of Pacific salmon that run the island’s rivers. The salmon are the keystone species sustaining the bears, eagles and the entire island food web.

Kodiak Island’s ecology is structured around the Pacific salmon — five species run the island’s rivers and streams each summer and fall, and the energy they bring from the ocean sustains the Kodiak bears, bald eagles, Dolly Varden, and the forest itself (salmon carcasses fertilize the surrounding vegetation with marine nutrients). The island’s lush Sitka spruce and alder forests are sustained by the extreme maritime precipitation from the Gulf of Alaska. The Kodiak National Wildlife Refuge (two-thirds of the island) protects this ecosystem with minimal human intrusion. Protecting the salmon runs, the salmon-sustaining rivers, the bears and the refuge from development and disturbance sustains the extraordinary wildlife richness of Kodiak Island.

Kodiak Island holds a treasured place among the natural and cultural icons of Alaska — home of the world’s largest land predator (the Kodiak brown bear), site of the first permanent Russian settlement in Alaska (1784), homeland of the Alutiiq people for 7,000 years, one of the largest commercial-fishing ports in the United States, and a destination for world-class bear viewing and sportfishing. Its combination of extraordinary wildlife, deep indigenous heritage, Russian colonial history and remote island grandeur makes it exceptional. Kodiak Island is a cherished natural and cultural icon of Alaska.

Kodiak Island is served by Alaska Airlines (daily flights from Anchorage, approximately 1 hour) and the Alaska Marine Highway ferry system (a scenic 9-10 hour ferry from Homer or a 12-hour ferry from Seward to the city of Kodiak). The city of Kodiak has hotels, restaurants, gear shops and fishing-charter services. The Kodiak National Wildlife Refuge headquarters is in the city of Kodiak. Bear-viewing fly-out trips depart from the Kodiak airport via licensed air-taxi operators (book well in advance for summer). Much of the island (outside the road system near Kodiak) is accessible only by floatplane or boat. Check the Kodiak National Wildlife Refuge for bear-viewing rules, access information and current conditions before planning a trip.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service manages the Kodiak National Wildlife Refuge (two-thirds of the island). The Kodiak brown bear is the refuge’s primary conservation focus; visitors help by maintaining required distances from bears (bears are hunted in the refuge in spring and fall under a carefully managed permit system; be aware of hunting seasons), booking only licensed and reputable bear-viewing operators, respecting the salmon streams and the bears’ access to them, packing out everything, and following all refuge rules. The salmon runs are the foundation of the entire island ecosystem; protecting Kodiak’s rivers and watersheds from pollution and degradation sustains the bears, the eagles and the island’s extraordinary richness.

Kodiak bears are the world’s largest brown bears and are wild — always use licensed and experienced guides for bear-viewing fly-out trips, maintain required distances, carry bear spray, and treat all encounters with the utmost respect. Kodiak’s coastal waters and the Gulf of Alaska are cold, rough and unpredictable — sea kayaking and boating require cold-water safety equipment and experienced seamanship; the island’s frequent fog, rain and wind can change conditions rapidly. The island’s terrain is rugged; hiking off established routes requires navigation skills and preparation. Respect the Kodiak bears, the cold and rough coastal waters, the rugged terrain and the island’s remote conditions.

The Kodiak National Wildlife Refuge requires that bear-viewing visitors follow strict approach distances and use licensed air-taxi and guide services. Hunting (brown bear, deer, elk, waterfowl) is permitted in the refuge under state and federal regulations (check USFWS and Alaska Dept. of Fish & Game for current seasons and permit requirements). Fishing requires an Alaska license (check regulations for specific rivers and species). No motorized vehicles in the wilderness portions of the refuge. Pack out all trash; follow Leave No Trace. Pets must be under control. Check the Kodiak National Wildlife Refuge and Alaska Dept. of Fish & Game for current regulations, access and conditions before visiting.

The city of Kodiak (the island’s only city, with the Alutiiq Museum — one of the finest indigenous cultural museums in Alaska — the Baranov Museum of Russian colonial history, the active fishing harbor, and access to bear-viewing and fishing services), Shuyak Island State Park (an outer island north of Kodiak, accessible by floatplane, offering remote sea kayaking and wildlife in a virtually undisturbed setting), the Katmai National Park coast (across Shelikof Strait, visible from Kodiak on clear days), and the ferry routes to Homer and Seward define the region. Kodiak Island is both a destination in itself and a gateway to some of Alaska’s most remote and extraordinary wildlife country.

Book a bear-viewing fly-out trip with a licensed Kodiak air-taxi operator for July (sockeye run peak) — the experience of sitting on a riverbank watching a dozen Kodiak bears fish for sockeye at close range, with no other visitors present, is one of the most extraordinary wildlife encounters available anywhere on Earth. Visit the Alutiiq Museum in the city of Kodiak before or after your bear trip — it offers remarkable insight into 7,000 years of Alutiiq culture and is one of Alaska’s finest indigenous museums. If you fish, book a halibut charter from Kodiak harbor for world-class halibut fishing in the rich Gulf of Alaska waters. Come on the Alaska Marine Highway ferry from Homer for the scenic sea approach to the island.