Kodiak

WILDLIFE VIEWING

Bear Viewing

Visitors come from around the world for a chance to see the island’s own subspecies of grizzly bear, the Kodiak Bear (or Kodiak Brown Bear). Guided bear viewing offers the best option, since bears are not usually seen along the roads, and there are no viewing tours. Popular sites for bear viewing include Frazer Lake and the Katmai Coast, both a 45-minute flight away.

Birding

More than 240 species of birds have been identified in Kodiak partly for the relatively mild climate due to a Japanese current. In winter, so many migratory birds come to Kodiak, giving it the richest diversity of wintering birds in Alaska. Here is a bird list of the 247 species found in Kodiak.

Common birds: South America’s Bank Swallows, the North Pacific’s Puffins, fox sparrows, golden-crowned sparrows, Wilson’s warblers, golden-crowned kinglets, winter wrens, pine siskins, water pipits, and rock and willow ptarmigan.  You can see eagles, seabirds and sea ducks everywhere.

Pillar Mountain

Great views of the town, harbor,

HISTORY

Alutiiq Museum

Explore 7,500 years of history of the Alutiiq people. Exxon Valdez Oil Spill Trustee Council granted the museum $1.5 million to develop a state-of-the-art repository and regional research facility.

215 Mission Road,  907-486-7004

Hours are Tues. – Fri. 10am – 4pm, Sat. Noon – 4pm

Closed Sun. & Mon.

Baranov Museum (Pronounced Bah-RON-ov)

The museum includes a collection of Native Alaskan artifacts from the 18th and 19th century. See a 26-foot wood-frame Alutiiq baidarka (kayak), covered in lion skin from the 1800s.

101 East Marine Way, 907-486-5920

Summer hours are 10 – 4pm Mon. – Sat.

Winter hours are 10 – 3pm Tues. – Sat.

Visitor Center at the Kodiak National Wildlife Refuge

See the complete skeleton of a 36 foot Gray Whale and much more at the refuge. Get a copy of the bird list, maps, pamphlets, and watch by park rangers.

402 Center Ave., 907-487-2626