Hiking and Packrafting the Kodiak National Wildlife Refuge on Afognak Island, Alaska
Trip Month
Report / Notes
In the northwest corner of the Kodiak Archipelago is a 50,000-acre annex of the Kodiak National Wildlife Refuge on Afognak Island. It is characterized by old-growth, moss-enrobed Sitka spruce forest, steep mountains that stood as nunataks during the most recent glacial maximum, and a myriad of large and small mountain lakes. It is home to one of the largest Roosevelt elk herds on Afognak Island, the ‘Waterfall’ herd. There are only a small number of salmon streams in the area due to the steep gradients and waterfalls limiting spawning habitat. The coastline is convoluted and rugged, facing the Shelikof Strait across which “Ring of Fire” volcanoes dominate the Katmai skyline. This is one of the most remote and least visited parts of Alaska. And also, one of the most beautiful.