Kodiak National Wildlife Refuge Cabins

Kodiak National Wildlife Refuge is known world-wide for its iconic wildlife. Visitors journey here to view Kodiak brown bears and majestic bald eagles, fish for all five species of Pacific salmon, hunt big game, watch marine life and pursue plenty of other wildlife related activities. The refuge is located on the rugged Kodiak Archipelago in the Gulf of Alaska, 252 miles southwest of Anchorage, and covers 1.9 million acres on Kodiak, Uganik, Ban and Afognak Islands. It is only accessible by float-plane or boat. The refuge is an ideal destination for wildlife viewing, hunting, hiking, kayaking, fishing, camping and other outdoor adventures, and adventurous full or half-day flight-seeing trips are also popular in this vast and beautiful area. Popular fishing destinations such as the Uganik, Karluk and Ayakulik Rivers offer world-class angling. With elk, Sitka black-tailed deer, mountain goats and brown bears in the area, the refuge offers multiple hunting possibilities. The refuge maintains 10 public-use cabins. They are rustic and equipped with basic amenities including bunk beds without mattresses, a table and chairs, and an exterior storage cache for supplies or for fish and game meat. Outhouse-style toilets are provided. Cabins are equipped with Nordic-brand stoves for heating, which can burn kerosene, home heating oil or automotive diesel; 1-3 gallons per day is usually sufficient. Never use gasoline, Blazo, Coleman fuel or similar products, and be sure to use heating stoves according to posted directions. Plan on being self-sufficient during your stay: bring everything you need, take everything back out, and do not leave any items behind, such as salt or food. Misty fiords, deep glacial valleys and lofty mountains distinguish the refuge landscape. Diverse habitats encompass 117 salmon-bearing streams, 16 lakes, riparian wetlands, grasslands, shrub lands, Sitka spruce forest, tundra and alpine meadows. Collectively these habitats are home to approximately 3,000 brown bears, account for up to 30 million salmon caught by the Kodiak-based fishing fleet, support more than 400 breeding pairs of bald eagles and provide essential migration and breeding habitats for another 250 species of fish, birds and mammals. Kodiak has a maritime climate. The weather is variable, but cool, wet and windy conditions prevail, and hypothermia is a possibility at any time of year without the proper attire. Regardless of the season, always bring warm, waterproof gear and be prepared for weather delays during arrival or departure. Kodiak Island houses six permanent villages, four of which are surrounded by refuge lands: Karluk, Larsen Bay, Akhiok and Old Harbor. Port Lions and Ouzinkie are several miles north of the refuge, and two small airlines service these villages on a daily basis.