Unalaska forms part of the Aleutian Islands and has a colourful history of native Alaskans, Russian occupation and WW2 defences. Today it is the fishing powerhouse of America. Allied with plentiful marine and animal life, it is a fascinating place to explore by car and foot and best of all: no bears!

DAY 1 

To Unalaska 

It is rather worrying when you arrive at airport check in and they ask you to stand on the weighing scales! But that is the start of the adventure of getting to Unalaska. 

The little island nestles amidst the Aleutian Islands chain and is connected to another smaller island called Amaknak by a bridge. Dutch harbour lies on the eastern side of Amaknak but they are all generally grouped under the one Unalaska appellation.

Why Unalaska you may ask? Simply because I looked at a map and it is the end of the Alaskan Marine Highway System – and you have to start somewhere! We decided to fly in so we would have lots of time to explore and then take the ferry back towards the mainland.

So it is also the end of the line as it were – and quite an appropriate term as people are more likely to know Unalaska and the port of Dutch Harbour as home to the popular TV programme World’s Deadliest Catch. It has a population of about 4,500 people but this can swell by another 5000 – 10,000 with seasonal workers.

There was no hanging about with Aleutian Airways at Anchorage. With the added bonus of no security clearance (when was the last time you got on an aeroplane and didn’t have to go through security!?)  we were bundled aboard a Saab 2000 which was ancient enough to still have ashtrays, and off we went, the heights of the Denali massif visible to the north.

We were lucky in that it was a day of scattered sun as this was no flight on which to pull the blind down and watch a film – which wasn’t an option anyway although we did have the most amount of legroom of any aircraft I had ever been on.

We soared out over the Kenai Peninsula, a forested wilderness of rivers and lakes, before swinging westwards over snowy mountains and glaciers. Lake Clark was visible in the distance: it is a popular fly-in bear viewing spot.

The clouds finally moved in and all was lost to view until our final approach. The plane swept through a gap in the mountains and turned into the runway, seemingly landing about 10 metres from the edge of the sea. I was instantly reminded of the Faroes by high treeless mountains and steep cliffs with tumbling waterfalls.

I confess I knew little about the Aleutians before I booked the trip. The chain stretches 1000 miles from the Alaska Peninsula towards Asia, forming part of the Pacific Rim of Fire with 57 volcanoes. They separate the Bering Sea from the Pacific Ocean and include boreal forests, swamps and Highlands.

Our first impression of the island on stepping out of the aeroplane was unanimous:

“It smells fishy!” we both exclaimed in unison, and indeed this was more than likely as the place is home to the largest fishing industry in America. It was also about 10° cooler than Anchorage.

We collected a hire car at the airport from B. C. Rentals. The key was handed to us and the chap waved us in the direction of the car park where we found a Subaru Forester. I had read that this was one of the best cars for Alaskan conditions so we werey happy to have the opportunity to try one. It even came with automatic windows, central locking and a reversing camera so was a big step up on our Anchorage jeep!

We had asked him for some tips on where to go but with only 6 miles of bitumen – and about 35 miles of unpaved road – he obviously felt it was fairly obvious. His major warning was to look out for nesting bald eagles which are inclined to bomb people if they get too close to their nests.

“Carry a stick!” he advised, and we were away – albeit rather slowly as the highest speed limit appeared to be 30 mph.

Safeway was our first stop to buy provisions for the week. We were delighted to find that pretty much everything was available – including chicken feet (there must be some Chinese workers in town!) – albeit at rather higher prices.

We were briefly distracted by God’s Closet at 70 East Broadway, the only thrift shop in town. Within the United Christian Fellowship Church there was a small but comprehensive collection of second hand garments – it is a much cheaper option for souvenir Dutch Harbour sweatshirts if you can find the right size! 

With the falling temperature, we emerged with a woolly hat and gloves. It was one of those confusing shops were nothing is priced, just a donation requested!

The Museum of the Aleutians 

After a quick picnic lunch by the Nirvana, a picturesque wreck at an old ruined harbour area before the bridge, we thought a little background information was needed so we visited the Museum of the Aleutians.

This is behind the Grand Aleutian Hotel on Margaret Inlet where there were a couple of sea otters – our first sighting of these whimsical animals who were once virtually exterminated for their fur. There is nothing as obviously happy with life as an otter; we watched as they cavorted though the water with lots of back floating and flips. 

The museum has a $10 entry fee and probably won’t detain you much over an hour but it is actually worth the visit, with a well laid out history of the native people who have lived in Alaska for 9000 years,  their life under the Russians and later under the Americans, culminating in deportion of the Attu natives to Japanese prisons when Japan invaded in 1942.

The displays on their traditional lifestyle were particularly interesting: they basically invented the waterproof cagoule which they called the kamlieka (complete with drawstring arms and hood, albeit made from walrus or sea lion intestine), the bird skin or fur lined parka and the kayak. Their colourful hunting visors, festooned with walrus whiskers, completed the ensemble and they were adept with bone harpoons.

There is a good gift shop with an excellent book selection at the end. The felted animals were quite cute, especially the tufted puffin which we had yet to see.

In fact the one thing we really wanted we could not find. We had already purchased our recreation permit online ($25 for a family for a week), allowing us to walk, camp and pick berries on native land. Unfortunately the natives had shut down for the weekend and we could not get the detailed hiking map that we wanted.

The Peace of Mind Trail

Using a combination of Google and MapsMe, we came up with the Goose Lake trail, now called the Peace of Mind trail. Quoted distances varied, but it ended up being nearly 7 miles (9.2 km) return with a 190 m climb.

The trailhead starts on the Overland Track, a scenic loop through the mountains above Unalaska which has fabulous views on a good day. We set off on a gravel path which rapidly became a pleasant trail through bare jumbled mountains. A fox fled ahead of us.

The trail dropped steeply down hill to a pretty waterfall and the valley bottom which was quite scrubby and marshy. Flowers were everywhere, including a wild iris in a vivid purple.

Finally we skirted a little lake and crested a rise to see the shore just below us with dark volcanic sands. Steep sided mountains fringed both side of Beaver Inlet and apart from the occasional silver flash of a jumping salmon, it was all very serene.

We set up camp above the beach and explored the area. To one end by a stream was a tiny cabin. Bizarrely, writing on the wall inside seemed to indicate it was designed as a sauna!

Cosy at last in the tent we suddenly found we had a visitor: a red fox was peeking in. We shooed him away and fell asleep to the gentle sound of waves – peace of mind? It came close! 

Sunset was now at 11.38 pm!

DAY 2

The Ugadaga Trail

We moved slowly in the morning so that we didn’t get back to the car until 1 pm. En route we met a couple of chaps who worked at the health clinic and were amused to hear that one of them was allergic to fish.  

Mussels and shellfish cannot be eaten locally due to a disease they have which causes paralysis. I think the animals are just getting their own back for centuries of extermination and turning poisonous so we cannot eat them – unfortunately though, they are also poisoning the sea lions.

They were heading home to Montana the following week after a 2 year stint and sounded as if they were looking forward to it. It is funny that very few people in Alaska are actually from Alaska, if they are not native Alaskans that is!

We were so late that we decided to have lunch at the car, which gave me the opportunity to dry my shoes and socks out, then drive 4 km up the scenic mountain pass above us and do the Ugadaga Trail, a mere 2 miles (3.5 km) down another hill with a 230 m drop – it was actually only one bay down from the previous night.

The track was rather better though and avoided most of the marshy ground. There were high green mountains again, the path this time enlivened by a picturesque ravine with a waterfall and wonderful wild flowers. We found Venus fly traps and lots of orchids and were only sorry we were too early for the berries. 

We dropped down steadily to reach an indented pebbly beach with views across the inlet. We went south along it to where a creek entered; it was all quite narrow so we ended up erecting our tent on the bank above amidst the lupins.

Another peaceful evening followed. It was a quieter cove than the previous night with only the odd duck. There was hardly even any driftwood on the beach. Later the sun shone brightly on the peaks across the bay.

DAY 3

The Russian Church, the Rat and the WWll Museum

The hike back up the following day was steady and we were back at the car at 11 am on a cold windy day. We drove into town and managed to get in to see the Russian Orthodox Church which was open due to there being a cruise ship in the harbour.

This was completed in 1896 although the original dated back to 1808 – it’s original Royal doors are housed in the chapel dedicated to Saint Innocent of Irkutsk whilst the original iconostasis is in the Saint Sergei of Radonez chapel to the other side. 

It is all quite colourful. Outside there is a cemetery with the strange Russian 3 armed crosses and the Bishops House which was shipped from San Francisco in 1883 – it fared better than the first bishop who drowned en route and never got to use it!

We then visited the Ounalashka Corporation’s office where a friendly girl directed us towards an Ordnance Survey size map of the hiking routes for $15. We just photographed it instead.  

Later at the tourist office I was met with a blank stare when I mentioned English Bay.

‘Where’s that?’ the boy asked. 

I showed him on his map and explained that Captain Cook landed there (twice) in 1778 ((shortly before meeting his death in Hawaii in February 1779). I thought for a second that he was going to ask me who Captain Cook was! I don’t think the island is really geared up for tourists other than those on the cruise ships and there is a great lack of information on the islands.

It was time to retreat to the Norwegian Rat, or simply ‘the Rat’ to locals.  Although an ordinary looking black shed from the outside, it is quite spacious inside in a traditional American bar style, with screens and pool tables. The burgers were good and we ate them at a window seat where we could watch the boats heading out to sea. 

We had spoken to someone who worked in Dutch Harbour 40 years ago when the saloon of choice was the Elbow Inn. He told us it was so rough that they only served drinks in cardboard cups. One night Jimmy Buffet even gave an impromptu concert, having flown himself to the island.

It was time to check out the war history of the islands. An interesting, mostly unknown, fact about the Aleutians is that they are the only part of America to have been invaded and fired upon by a foreign power since the War of 1812.

The Naval Air Station and Fort Myers at Dutch Harbour was bombed by the Japanese on the 3rd and 4th June 1942 with fairly minor effect. During the action, a Mitsubishi A6M2 Zero fighter crash landed on Akutan Island after a bullet severed its fuel lines. It was discovered some weeks later and was to provide valuable information on its type to the Americans.

The invasion of Kiska followed on the 6th June 1942 with Attu secured the next day. The 42 native inhabitants of Attu were taken prisoner and interned in Japan.

The Americans also relocated 881 natives from 8 island villages for the duration of the war. They were housed in questionable conditions in south west Alaska where, amongst other more serious complaints, one was that there were too many trees! 10% died and when they were finally allowed back in 1945 they found that their villages had been looted and destroyed.

It took a while for the Americans to get organised but they landed on Attu on the 11th May 1943 and defeated the Japanese in fierce fighting, culminating in a final banzai charge on 29th May.

549 Americansl died in combat and a further 614 from other causes. Anticipating another fierce fight to regain Kisku, a huge aerial bombardment was undertaken in preparation for a landing on 15th August 1943.

Once there, it was discovered that the Japanese had quietly pulled out, probably on 28th July. Nevertheless, a further 313 troops died in the excitement, due to friendly fire, booby traps and accidents.

Our first visit was to the old Aerology Operations Building from 1941. This once housed meteorological equipment on the first floor which was used to provide sailors and airmen with weather forecasts. The Naval Air Transport Service was housed on the ground floor.

Now it is the Aleutian World War ll Visitor Centre and provides a good overview of the war in the Aleutians. Entry is $5; there are various displays on the ground floor and the first floor is still largely as it was. There is coffee by donation and we had a pleasant hour learning more about this forgotten war.

We ended the day with a gentle mile out-and-back walk along Dutch Harbour spit which was also a WWll construction. It curves gently around the harbour and provides an easy opportunity to observe the harbour and wild life. 

Sea lions were arrayed on a huge buoy and barked noisily, a lazy otter had totally wrapped himself in kelp so he didn’t float away and was fast asleep. The fishy smell was tracked down to a factory ship tied up at the end of the harbour! There were several fishing boats so maybe they were in the television series but there seems to be fish processing plants and boats scattered everywhere these days.

We drove over to Morris Cove, a scenic coastal run past old WWll remnants. At Summer Cove everyone was frantically fishing but we proceeded to Morris Cove where we put the tent up and were soon in bed.

DAY 4

Bunker Hill 

We woke up to a rainy day and it continued to rain lightly all day. Ballyhoo, which was Number 1 on our things-to-do list, was swathed in cloud, so we diverted to Bunker Hill which has more war remnants.

Parking at the quarry below, which was both a short cut and nimbly bypassed the ‘no foot traffic’ sign, we headed up the gravel road. There was some digger work going on higher up, but we cut up onto the mountain ridge and easily avoided them. En route there were various ammunition stores and fox holes but the main thing to see on the top was the Base End Station, a solid block of reinforced concrete used to triangulate points for aiming the guns.

There were were great 360° degrees views over Captain’s Bay, Amaknak Island and Iliuliuk Harbour, as well as several scattered 15 mm gun emplacements with accompanying shelters and collapsed ruins. We weren’t seeing the town at its best in the drizzle but it was a good way to orientate oneself.

Wandering down again, we parked at the end of the road, looking out to sea and over to another distant, inaccessible headland which was also once armed. Chilling out in ceaseless rain, we waited for it to die down a bit then did the easy 2 mile loop around the headland, known as the Little South America Loop due to it’s shape on a map.

We started off by making our way over Glass Beach, know for its sea washed glass, but didn’t find that very exciting. As Simon remarked, it was probably just the town drunks throwing their beer bottles away!

The track followed the edge of Airport Beach Road and then the Carl E. Moses small boat harbour. We went past an area where someone had thrown a heap of fish entrails out, much to the delight of the great bald eagle gathering.

Bald eagles are the number one bird on Unalaska. We were actually surprised generally by the great lack of bird life in the areas we explored, but there is a bald eagle for every lamppost!

We drove out to Morris Cove for another night’s scenic camping.

DAY 5

Fort Schwakta & Mt. Ballyhoo

The morning was fine and calm, the sea molten metal in its stillness.

I had my feet up enjoying breakfast, Simon was scanning the sea with his binoculars as a yacht was making its leisurely way towards town.

“Google who owns the Samsara”, he said. I did and was surprised to find it belongs to J.K. Rowling; the 88 m yacht is valued at $150 million and costs $15 million a year to run with a crew of 26 and space for 12 guests (and two dogs as we were to find out!)

We shadowed it’s tender as we drove into town and out the other side to take the Fort Schwakta road. Annoyingly one can no longer drive all the way to the top so we had a good 40 minutes walk uphill to where it mostly started at an orientation board. One can also pick up a guide leaflet at the museum although it is rather out of date and some of the structures in the photographs no longer exist. 

There had been a fort at Dutch harbour protecting  the Naval Operating Base from seaborne invasion since 1940 but this was greatly ramped up after the Japanese attack in 1942.

At its height, there were over 100 structures supporting the two coast artillery units manning the guns, including barracks, storehouses, officers quarters, recreation rooms, latrines and administrative buildings. Some 250 soldiers were stationed on the mountain. 

There wasn’t actually a huge amount to see near the board, just scattered piles of collapsed wood to mark where various huts and the hospital once stood (the latter had the luxury of a concrete floor).

We set off again to Ulakta Head passing a large ammunition store. It had the most amazing echo inside and I had great fun singing very loudly and very badly, much to Simon’s mortification. I emerged with my ears ringing – if you ever get there, do try it – it’s great fun!

Towards the end we got to Battery 402, a big magazine complex which had two 8 inch gun platforms on each end of its horseshoe shaped design, once approached by sod covered walkways which are now lost. The ammunition was stored on shelves in an underground chamber where we walked through damp concrete tunnels. There was also a crew room, a latrine and even a generator room.

I wandered along the cliff edge where bald eagles perched. There was a sickeningly steep drop to the bottom but stunning scenery.

Two white crosses remembered two teenage girls who died on the same day in May 2019. Apparently a truck driven by a Dustin Ruckman went over the cliff, falling 900 ft to the sea. He was thrown clear and survived but the two girls died.

He was accused of criminal negligence but due to COVID and a mistrial, he has yet to be finally tried. The trial has been moved to Anchorage due to the unsurprising lack of impartial jurors in Unalaska and may take place in May 2026. I suspect he is probably the reason we now have to walk up the road rather than drive!

We picnicked on top of a prominent base end station with wonderful views, spending some time watching humpback whales feeding below us, breaking the surface with huge open mouths.

Climbing down a metal ladder to the interior an alternative view was visible through the narrow observation windows.

Backtracking to the huge central gun position, we then followed the edge of the cliffs back to modern towers, passing more observation posts and Panama gun mounts for the 155 mm guns on our way. Some had underground passages, partially caved in, a jumble of collapsed wood and turf.

We also found the remains of a sled which ran on a cable and was used to haul supplies up the mountain before the road was built.

Arriving back at the central orientation board we followed the road in the other direction up the hill, past various flattened old buildings of wood and iron.

When the road ended, we traversed upwards to reach the top of Ballyhoo, the highest mountain on Amaknak Island. The views were glorious in all directions, the cliffs falling away steeply on the seaward side. We followed a knife edge track along the ridge to eventually arrive at the summit (1,634 feet / 498 m).

Clouds came and went but overall the views were stunning although we have yet to see Makushin, the highest point on Unalaska and an active volcano – it last erupted in 1995. 

The summit was well worth the effort although I think ours was the perfect approach: having done the Fort Schwakta ruins, we were already three quarters of the way to the top.

Otherwise it is steep all the way on the direct South Face Trail from sea level up its slope. As we descended, we had an excellent view of the airport and watched a Lear jet land, then later take off then land again before finally taking off and disappearing – maybe a passenger had forgotten something!

At least our exertions of the day justified the Wednesday night seafood buffet at the Grand Aleutian Hotel, a pricey $69 plus tax, plus tip, but probably worth it! We were concerned that the Chart Room was billed as the fine dining option in town as we did not have any smart clothes with us but I need not have worried: it is America plus the footwear of choice on Unalaska is a rubber welly and there were plenty of those in evidence!

The restaurant was full when we arrived at 6.30 with what looked to be mostly locals. Simon ordered an Alaskan Amber ale as we dithered between smoked salmon, King crabs, seared tuna, sushi and cerviche but all were excellent.

We struggled to prise open the crabs with picks and scissors and Simon made his eyes water with the wasabi sauce on his sushi. The crabs are caught locally and bought in alive for processing and freezing. Indeed Dutch Harbour really owes it’s early fish industry to the King crab which reached it’s peak in 1980. The population then crashed in 1983 and has never recovered; surprise, surprise!

Main courses were also fishy with a strong Asian influence, although there was also a tasty beef carvery. A slice of banoffe pie finished us off – it had been quite a feast!

The Grand Aleutian Hotel is actually the only hotel on the island and although it looks fairly functional from the outside, with the most unwelcoming front door, it is actually quite nice once in. There is a large airy atrium with a hanging kayak and a choice of about 5 different restaurants, cafes and bars. Unfortunately we missed their Tuesday night taco deal of three tacos for $15 which didn’t sound bad either!

If you are staying (and it is over $200 a night) it is actually better to get a room that looks towards the back of the hotel, with a view over Margaret Inlet with its peaceful swimming otters and the mountains beyond.

After a long day, we drove back out to camp once again at Morris Cove. It was a beautiful evening and three people were giving their dogs a run on the beach. The dingy was close by and we realised that they were J.K. Rowling’s West Highland terriers.

I don’t think they picked up after themselves.  Later we watched as the yacht made its way out to open water and disappeared from view.

DAY 6

Agamgik Bay Trail 

We awoke to a grey morning of drizzle and low cloud so delayed the departure of our next walk.

Instead we visited the Memorial Park on Summer Bay Road which had a lot of memorials: to WWll, to the War in the Aleutians, the Coastguard (although two of them had actually been killed climbing the island’s peaks) and even a memorial tree planted to commemorate all the trees planted on the island – unfortunately it seemed to share the fate of many of them and didn’t exist anymore!

There was also a giant propeller from the Northwestern, the only boat damaged by the Japanese in their raid on Dutch Harbour. She had actually been long retired but was been used as accommodation for civilian contractors – no-one died on her.

The remains of the boat were actually towed to Captain’s Bay where they can still be viewed at a distance where the road runs out.

It is a not so scenic route through a variety of giant fish factories and worker accommodation, although a quick detour up Pyramid Creek Road revealed a couple of red fox cubs and the pretty Veronica Lake.

By midday the clouds had lifted somewhat and it was dry which is probably as much as anyone can hope for in the Aleutians. We parked at the Humpy Cove bridge and set off on the Agamgik Bay trail, about 4 miles and 200 metres of undulating trail through wild, chaotic mountains.

It started off by following an old military road which crossed a very dodgy rusty bridge then petered out to a rough track. The bridge over an early ravine was long gone and we had to climb steeply up and down. The old track had left a deep scar on the hillside so was easy enough to follow although quite overgrown and narrow. It eventually completely disappeared out but a faint trail continued on.

We eventually turned a corner and saw the sea ahead of us.The sun even came out!

Simon remarked now strange it is that one sees no sign of life, not a house, not a person.

“Although we will probably get to the beach and see J. K. Rowling with her dogs having a shit!”

It was very bizarre that this was not totally impossible but thankfully when we did reach it, there was not a soul in sight. One doesn’t even see any boats in the inlet.

Strangely though, we had seen horse droppings and hoof prints on the second half of the trail but they weren’t totally fresh and the horses never materialised – there are supposed to be a few wild ones, descendants of working horses, which are no longer allowed to breed – the stallions were all gelded in 2008 when the herd size got up to 16 – so they are gradually dying out. I don’t know how they survive the winters when wind speed can get up to 175 mph!.

The beach was narrow and rocky but there was a stream entering to one end for water, so the tent went in the vegetation behind,  We had a wander to a nearby flowery headland, searching for agates en route. There was a little lake at its base.

From Agamgik Bay it is possible to walk a further 5.5 miles to English Bay where Captain Cook landed in 1778. However, we were not going to make it as we needed two days for the return trip and simply did not have time.

Sadly we had to content ourselves with Agamgik Bay, getting a nice driftwood fire going and watching the salmon jumping nearby.

DAY 7

Back to town

We did not have much planned for the day so we had a leisurely breakfast and didn’t actually leave the beach until 11 am. A fox was foraging in the rocks exposed by the low tide: he looked as if he was having just as much trouble with the slippery seaweed covered rocks as we were!

It was a straightforward walk back up and actually less steep than the other two walks we did as spread out longer.

At 5 pm when all the workers supposedly knock off we returned to the Rat which did appear to have a fairly local audience, helped by the lack of cruise ships in port.

We snacked on sweet potato fries and onion rings then headed out to camp at the lake near the start of the Ugadaga Trail which we thought would be a quiet alternative to Morris Cove, just in case the locals got lively on Friday nights and drove out to the beach to party!

We did indeed enjoy a quiet night. The following morning we packed up and headed back into town: there were a couple of minor things left to do.

DAY 8

Forest & Trees

Firstly, the Sitka spruce plantation which contains a small huddle of spruce trees that were planted by the Russians in 1805 and which have somehow managed to survive, although in a rather stunted fashion. 

Nevertheless, a tree is a tree. The place is understandably popular with dog walkers but also offers a respite from the treeless tundra and there is a small lake with benches in the middle – in short, I found it quite charming!

We also checked out the mini walkway on the little peninsula, once an island, off Gilman road. Now called Expedition Park, it once housed a short lived brothel in war times when it was known as Pleasure Island – until the US Navy closed them down. 

These days the trail provides access to a small picnic area with a covered stand and no view and a short section of bald eagle stained boardwalk, but 10/10 for effort!

We thought of lunching at the Aleutian but it looked very dull so we decided to do a last whisk out to the beautiful Morris Cove for a picnic lunch. It had been a lovely place to stay and we decided we had both thoroughly enjoyed quirky little Unalaska.

That afternoon we dropped the car at the ferry terminal – despite the lack of roads on the island, we had managed to put 200 miles on the clock.

We boarded the Tustumena ferry for the 2½ day trip to Kodiak Island and sailed away. It was grey and cloudy and Unalaska was soon lost to sight – find her if you will, it is worth it! 

NOTES

The Grand Aleutian Hotel is the best accommodation option if you are looking for a roof over your head. You might be lucky to find the odd Airbnb or apartment but they don’t seem to be much cheaper.

For food and drink, there is the Rat, Amelia’s tex-mex menu, the Grand Aleutian and a sushi bar at the airport.

The island can be reached via Aleutian Airways from Anchorage or on the Alaskan Marine Highway System from Homer. Either way is expensive: a one way flight was $600, the ferry from Unalaska was a basic $400. Book through Alaskan Airlines for points and if you have any, it is a good time to use them!

Safeway has everything you may need in the food department and the Alaskan Ship Supply store also has food and everything else useful including souvenir clothing.

There are two car hire options: B. C. Rentals and North Port Rentals. A 4WD is unnecessary. Budget at least $130 a day. 

Visit the Ounalashka Corporation behind the Museum of the Aleutians to buy a hiking map. Permits to access their land for hiking, camping and berry picking are $25 for a week and can be bought online. The Morris Cove camping area is actually on private land so no permit needed.

TIP: If you use hiking poles, make sure to use them with a basket as they sink into the tundra very readily and you will be pulling them out at every stride! Expect wet feet and legs: the vegetation can be very thick so dress accordingly.