Located 55 miles southwest of Juneau, Angoon is the gateway to Admiralty Island National Monument. The Tlingit community of 430 residents is perched on a strip of land between Chatham Strait on the island's west coast and turbulent Kootznahoo Inlet, which leads into the heart of the 1,493-square-mile island. A stroll through Angoon quickly reveals the resident’s strong indigenous heritage in the painted fronts of the 16 tribal community houses and their traditional lifestyle. A day in the village can be spent observing and gaining an understanding of the Tlingit culture.
But more than anything else, Admiralty Island is known for its bears. The island has one of the highest populations of bears in Alaska, with an estimated 1,500 to 1,700 living among the forested mountains, thick rainforest of Sitka spruce and western hemlock, lakes and rivers. Several lodges scattered in and around Angoon offer world-class sport fishing and prime wildlife viewing. More than 90 percent of Admiralty Island is a federally designated wilderness and home to a wide variety of wildlife beyond bears, including one of the highest densities of nesting bald eagles in the world; humpback whales, which are often seen feeding in the bays; Sitka black-tailed deer; and spawning salmon that choke the island’s streams in August.
The top bear viewing area in the national monument, and a popular one among photographers, is Pack Creek. The area’s extensive tidal flats attract a large number of bears that feed on spawning salmon. Within this area is the Stan Price State Wildlife Sanctuary, named for an Alaskan woodsman who lived on a float house here for almost 40 years. The sanctuary includes sand spit; an observation tower along the creek reached by a mile-long trail; and an area that has been closed to hunting since the mid-1930s. Most visitors are day-trippers who arrive and depart on floatplanes with guides from Juneau. A permit system regulates the number of daily visitors. Information about permits, guides and nearby U.S. Forest Service cabins is available at the Admiralty Island National Monument office in Juneau (907-586-8800).
Angoon also serves as the departure point for many kayak and canoe trips into the heart of the national monument, including the 32-mile Cross Admiralty Canoe Route.