Alaska region guide

Kodiak Island

The Emerald Isle — giant bears, salmon rivers and green coastal peaks.

Gateway towns: City of Kodiak
Nearest major airport: Kodiak Airport (ADQ)
Best months: June – September
Getting there: About an hour's flight from Anchorage, or the Alaska Marine Highway ferry from Homer

Overview

Kodiak is the largest island in Alaska and the second largest in the United States, at roughly 3,600 square miles. Together with Afognak, Shuyak and dozens of smaller islands it forms the Kodiak Archipelago, lying across Shelikof Strait from the Alaska Peninsula.

The island's interior is a tangle of rugged coastal mountains, deep fjord-like bays and green tundra slopes — so lush in summer that locals call it the Emerald Isle. Most of it lies within the Kodiak National Wildlife Refuge, home to roughly 3,500 Kodiak brown bears, among the largest bears on earth.

The City of Kodiak is one of the busiest fishing ports in the country, and a short road system links it to beaches, rivers and old WWII sites. Beyond the roads, everything is reached by floatplane or boat: remote lodges, refuge cabins, salmon rivers like the Karluk and Ayakulik, and hunting country for deer, goats, elk and bears.

Sub-regions

Inside the Kodiak Island

City of Kodiak & Road System

A busy fishing port with about 100 miles of roads to explore.

Kodiak National Wildlife Refuge

Nearly two million acres of bear country, reachable only by air or sea.

Afognak & Shuyak Islands

Old-growth spruce, sheltered kayak waters and Roosevelt elk.

Mountain ranges

The high country

Kodiak coastal mountains

A spine of rugged, glacially carved mountains runs down the center of Kodiak Island. Long fjord-like bays — Uyak, Uganik, Kiliuda and others — cut deep into it, so almost no point on the island is far from salt water.

Notable peaks

— Koniag Peak (about 4,470 ft, the island's highest)
— Pyramid Mountain (2,401 ft, near town)
— Barometer Mountain (2,452 ft)

Terrain

Steep green slopes of grass, alder and tundra above rocky shores; few trees outside the northeast. Weather changes fast.

Hiking & backcountry

Trails and routes

Pyramid Mountain

Moderate · About 2 mi one way, ~1,400 ft gain

Steep, open climb with views across the archipelago.

Access: Anton Larsen Pass on the road system

Barometer Mountain

Strenuous · About 2.5 mi one way, ~2,000 ft gain

Relentlessly steep local favorite with big views over town and the bays.

Access: Near the airport, off Chiniak Highway

Fort Abercrombie trails

Easy · Short loops

Spruce forest, WWII bunkers and sea cliffs.

Access: Fort Abercrombie State Historical Park

Fishing

Species, waters and run timing

Sockeye salmonKing salmonSilver salmonPink salmonChum salmonSteelheadPacific halibut

River

Karluk River

The refuge's most famous river, with king, sockeye, silver and steelhead runs; reached by floatplane.

River

Ayakulik (Red) River

Remote southwestern river with strong king, sockeye and silver runs.

River

Buskin, Olds & Pasagshak rivers

Road-accessible salmon fishing near town.

Saltwater

Kodiak nearshore waters

Halibut, lingcod, rockfish and salmon charters out of Kodiak harbor.

Run timing	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
King salmon
Sockeye salmon
Pink salmon
Silver salmon
Steelhead
Halibut

Peak FairApproximate — runs vary year to year.

Hunting

Game and terrain

Main species

— Kodiak brown bear (limited draw permits)
— Sitka black-tailed deer
— Mountain goat
— Roosevelt elk (Afognak & Raspberry islands)

Terrain

Steep coastal mountains, alder thickets and open alpine slopes; access is by floatplane or boat.

Seasons

Brown bear hunts are by draw permit in spring and fall, and nonresidents must hunt with a licensed guide. Deer seasons run late summer into winter; goats and elk are mostly permit hunts in the fall.

Seasons, bag limits and permit rules change every year. Always check current Alaska Department of Fish and Game regulations before you plan a hunt.

Wildlife & scenery

What you'll see

Kodiak brown bears
Sitka black-tailed deer
Mountain goats
Sea otters, sea lions and whales
Bald eagles in huge numbers

Getting there & around

Logistics

Scheduled flights

Daily flights from Anchorage to Kodiak (ADQ), about an hour.

Ferry

The Alaska Marine Highway runs from Homer to Kodiak, roughly a 10-hour crossing.

Road

About 100 miles of roads radiate from the city; rental cars available.

Bush & floatplane

Floatplane operators fly from Trident Basin and Lilly Lake into the refuge, lodges and cabins.

Water taxi

Charter boats reach coves, cabins and hunting areas around the archipelago.

Seasonal guide

What's best, month by month

Jan

Stormy, quiet

Feb

Winter halibut lull

Mar

Deer & eagles

Apr

Spring bear permits

May

Bears emerge, kings arrive

Jun

Sockeye & green hills

Jul

Peak bear viewing & salmon

Aug

Pinks & silvers begin

Sep

Silver salmon, fall hunts

Oct

Steelhead, deer hunting

Nov

Late steelhead

Dec

Dark & windy

Gallery

In pictures

Keep exploring

Nearby regions

Kenai Peninsula

Icefields, salmon rivers and fjords, all within a drive of Anchorage.

Southwest

Brown bears, the world's largest sockeye run and volcanoes.