Kodiak Island and National Wildlife Refuge, Southwest Alaska

Kodiak Island, also known as the Emerald Isle, is Alaska’s largest island and the second-largest island in the United States. Its main city Kodiak has several boat harbors along its waterfront where Alaska Marine Highway ferries, fishing boats and luxury yachts dock. Two-thirds of the island though is covered by the Kodiak National Wildlife Refuge, which includes a diverse habitat ranging from rugged mountains and alpine meadows to wetlands, spruce forest, and grassland, and is home to nearly 3,500 Kodiak brown bears, the largest land carnivore in the world. Male Kodiak bears found in the refuge can weigh as much as 800 to 1,500 pounds and stand more than 10 feet tall! The Refuge is also home to more than 250 species of birds and 117 salmon-bearing streams that support all five species of Pacific salmon. As the Refuge cannot be accessed by road, the most popular activity in Kodiak is bear viewing by flight or multi-day bear viewing tours offered by one of the many remote wilderness lodges that are accessible by boat or plane.

Kodiak Island and National Wildlife Refuge, Southwest Alaska

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