Visit Prince of Wales Island, Alaska!
  • Travel to P.O.W.!
  • Getting to Prince of Wales Island Getting Around P.O.W. Lodging and Camping Harbors
  • So Many Possibilities! Dining Bear Viewing at Dog Salmon Creek
  • Coffman Cove Craig Hollis Hydaburg Kasaan Klawock Naukati Bay Point Baker Port Protection Thorne Bay Whale Pass
  • POW Blog
  • POW Island Culture POW Events Contact

Visit Prince of Wales Island, Alaska!

  • Travel to P.O.W.!/
  • Plan Your Trip/
    • Getting to Prince of Wales Island
    • Getting Around P.O.W.
    • Lodging and Camping
    • Harbors
  • Activities/
    • So Many Possibilities!
    • Dining
    • Bear Viewing at Dog Salmon Creek
  • 11 Towns/
    • Coffman Cove
    • Craig
    • Hollis
    • Hydaburg
    • Kasaan
    • Klawock
    • Naukati Bay
    • Point Baker
    • Port Protection
    • Thorne Bay
    • Whale Pass
  • POW Blog/
  • More!/
    • POW Island Culture
    • POW Events
    • Contact
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Visit Prince of Wales Island, Alaska!

So Many Possibilities!

Fishing, hunting, hiking, kayaking! And that’s just the beginning.

Visit Prince of Wales Island, Alaska!

  • Travel to P.O.W.!/
  • Plan Your Trip/
    • Getting to Prince of Wales Island
    • Getting Around P.O.W.
    • Lodging and Camping
    • Harbors
  • Activities/
    • So Many Possibilities!
    • Dining
    • Bear Viewing at Dog Salmon Creek
  • 11 Towns/
    • Coffman Cove
    • Craig
    • Hollis
    • Hydaburg
    • Kasaan
    • Klawock
    • Naukati Bay
    • Point Baker
    • Port Protection
    • Thorne Bay
    • Whale Pass
  • POW Blog/
  • More!/
    • POW Island Culture
    • POW Events
    • Contact

Oh, the choices! Check out some ways to enjoy your time on Prince of Wales Island.

Take a Long, Scenic Drive!

Spend a day - or more! - driving through rich, green scenery, finding impressive overlooks, spotting wildlife, and visiting interesting small towns. Prince of Wales Island has a road system that is unmatched in Southeast Alaska. Here it is by the numbers:

Travel to see Calder Mountain on Prince of Wales Island for a great Southeast Alaska vacation
  • Over 1000 miles of road on Prince of Wales Island!

  • 260 miles of designated Scenic Byways!

  • 200 miles of paved roads.

  • 9 P.O.W. communities are on the road system.

  • 7 P.O.W. communities are on the paved road system.

  • Over 800 miles of gravel roads access remote fishing streams and forests.

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Experience Alaska Native Culture!

Visit totem parks and carving sheds in Hydaburg, Kasaan, and Klawock. You can also take classes at the Hydaburg Culture Camp. Check to see if there will be a totem raising! It’s worth planning your trip around an event like that.

Wildlife Watching!

It is common to see eagles, deer, and bears while driving on Prince of Wales Island, but there's much more. Take a whale watching tour to see humpback and killer whales as well as sea lions, seals, and sea otters. Stop by the Dog Salmon Fish Pass bear viewing site to see black bears fishing for salmon. Watch for Alexander Archipelago wolves. And don't forget the little guys! P.O.W. has river otters, mink, marten, flying squirrels, Western Boreal toads, rough-skinned newts, and many more interesting critters.

Black bears don't care about human rules of the road.
Black bears don't care about human rules of the road.
Sitka Blacktail buck in velvet. In a few weeks he'll shine up his antlers and spar with other bucks.
Sitka Blacktail buck in velvet. In a few weeks he'll shine up his antlers and spar with other bucks.
Go whale watching! You might see a humpback whale breaching.
Go whale watching! You might see a humpback whale breaching.
River otters are more active in the early morning
River otters are more active in the early morning
Bull sea lion contemplating how a photographer would taste.
Bull sea lion contemplating how a photographer would taste.
Seals are a common sight along the coast
Seals are a common sight along the coast
This sea otter wrapped up in kelp to hold himself in place while he naps.
This sea otter wrapped up in kelp to hold himself in place while he naps.
Sitka Blacktail Fawn
Sitka Blacktail Fawn
Mink cruise the beach at low tide looking for food.
Mink cruise the beach at low tide looking for food.
Black bears chow down on grass in spring and early summer.
Black bears chow down on grass in spring and early summer.
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Humpback whales bubblenet feeding
Humpback whales bubblenet feeding
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Sea lions sacked out in the sun
Sea lions sacked out in the sun

Birding!

From hummingbirds to sandhill cranes, birdwatchers will find plenty to delight in. Over 80 species of birds grace POW Island. In springtime the forests are alive with birdsong. Seabirds abound in the waters near POW. Ducks and geese rest and feed on grass flats during their migrations. Hawks and owls are special sightings.

A mature bald eagle picking up some herring for lunch.
A mature bald eagle picking up some herring for lunch.
Immature bald eagle eating lunch on the fly
Immature bald eagle eating lunch on the fly
Female common merganser
Female common merganser
Male spruce grouse
Male spruce grouse
Spruce hen
Spruce hen
Yellowlegs at Thorne River
Yellowlegs at Thorne River
Steller's jays are pretty flashes of blue
Steller's jays are pretty flashes of blue
Barn swallow feeding it's fledgling
Barn swallow feeding it's fledgling
Western sandpiper on Memorial Beach
Western sandpiper on Memorial Beach
It is a joy to watch sandpipers fly
It is a joy to watch sandpipers fly
This immature bald eagle is happy that the rain stopped. Doesn't it look happy?
This immature bald eagle is happy that the rain stopped. Doesn't it look happy?
Ravens keep a lookout for unattended food
Ravens keep a lookout for unattended food
Ravens love to pester eagles
Ravens love to pester eagles
Immature black-legged kittiwake at Point Baker
Immature black-legged kittiwake at Point Baker
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Fly fishing in the Thorne River Prince of Wales Island POW Southeast Alaska

Fishing!

Whether you prefer fly fishing a secluded river bend or slammin' salmon in salt water, P.O.W. is the place! Guides and charter captains can put you on the fish, or you can explore to your heart's content to find your own special fishing hole.

Sitka Blacktail Deer Buck in Velvet Southeast Alaska
Red Bay Lake with skiffs on Prince of Wales Island in Southeast Alaska

Hunting!

Prince of Wales Island is home to Sitka Blacktail deer and trophy black bear. Lodges and outfitters will be sure that you are all set for a great hunting experience.

Kayaking and Canoeing!

Paddle and explore to your heart's content! You can have a relaxing afternoon on a lake or glide past rocky ocean shorelines. In addition to innumerable places to put in to salt and fresh water, there are two canoe trails laid out by the U.S. Forest Service. The difficult Honker Divide Canoe Trail and the mid-level Sarkar Canoe Trail are multi-day experiences.

Fossil brachiopods on Prince of Wales Island in Southeast Alaska
Beaver Falls Karst Trail boardwalk sinkholes Prince of Wales Island Southeast Alaska

Explore the Geology of P.O.W.!

Beaches, road cuts, and rock pits are good places to look at interesting rocks and fossils.

Tour an amazing cave at El Capitan Passage! The Forest Service gives guided tours in the summer months. Visit this Forest Service page to find more information.

See karst formations, including impressive sinkholes, at the Beaver Falls Karst Trail boardwalk.

Hiking trail Prince of Wales Island Southeast Alaska big trees

Hiking and Camping!

Put yourself into this amazing environment! Hike in old growth forest, along streams and on wild Alaskan beaches. Easy to difficult trails give you the right level of challenge.

There are Forest Service cabins to rent in remote places. Several campgrounds on the island provide improved camping spots. RV parks are available in Craig, Klawock, and Thorne Bay.

Photography!

Give yourself the gift of extra travel time to spend on photography. Your adventures and the amazing sights on POW are worth preserving.

POW has beauty every in every directions, so bring extra memory cards!

Tidepooling and Beachcombing!

Visit the wonders of the intertidal zone! Interesting shells, intriguing anenomes, starfish in wonderful colors, and fascinating tidepooling will make your beach outing a series of delights. Find that special piece of sea glass or a pretty pebble as a memento of the day.

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Waterfall on Prince of Wales Island in Southeast Alaska

Find Your Special Place!

Whether its an panoramic mountaintop view, a mossy forest, a relaxing beach, or a waterfall to meditate on, Prince of Wales Island has extra special places just for you!

Distant view of Prince of Wales Island in Southeast Alaska

I just started work in this page, so don't worry! Lots more will be added. I’ll put in more links to give you more great info about things to do on POW.

  • Travel to P.O.W.!/
  • Plan Your Trip/
    • Getting to Prince of Wales Island
    • Getting Around P.O.W.
    • Lodging and Camping
    • Harbors
  • Activities/
    • So Many Possibilities!
    • Dining
    • Bear Viewing at Dog Salmon Creek
  • 11 Towns/
    • Coffman Cove
    • Craig
    • Hollis
    • Hydaburg
    • Kasaan
    • Klawock
    • Naukati Bay
    • Point Baker
    • Port Protection
    • Thorne Bay
    • Whale Pass
  • POW Blog/
  • More!/
    • POW Island Culture
    • POW Events
    • Contact

Visit Prince of Wales Island, Alaska!

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