Yakutat

Attractions

• Charter Fishing +

  Protected by an 18-mile wide reef, Yakutat Bay offers excellent natural fishing structure that is only a short boat ride from the harbor. The community is home to charter fishing captains that target halibut, ling cod, king and silver salmon, red snapper, black bass and rock fish throughout the summer

• Hubbard Glacier +

  Located 30 miles northeast of Yakutat is Hubbard Glacier, the longest tidewater glacier in the world. The 76-mile-long glacier captured national attention by galloping across Russell Fjord in the mid-1980s and again in 2002. The 8-mile-wide glacier is easily Alaska's most active. Most visitors view Hubbard Glacier as part of cruise ship trip across Gulf of Alaska. Others reach the icy phenomenon through flightseeing or boat tours arranged in Yakutat.

• Native Culture +

  Life in Yakutat is rich with the culture of the Native people of the area. Here the elders share their knowledge and wisdom through storytelling in the local community gathering place. Hear their story and see the traditional dress regalia of the Tlingit people.

• Sea Kayaking +

  Excellent sea kayaking exists in Russell Fjord Wilderness, a 545-square-mile preserve that includes Hubbard Glacier. Most kayakers arrive with folding kayaks and then utilize float plane transportation to land deep in the fjord. Outfitters also offer guided kayak expeditions into the wilderness and sea kayaks are available for rent to explore the bays nearer to the town of Yakutat.

• Sportfishing +

  The Yakutat road system provides access to a variety of sport fishing opportunities in rivers that drain into the Gulf of Alaska. King, sockeye and silver salmon are available to stream anglers during spawning runs while resident rainbow trout, steelhead trout, cutthroat trout and Dolly Varden are present in many stream and lake systems. The Situk River, 12 miles south of town by road, is often rated as one of Alaska's top fishing spots.

• Surfing +

  More than 100 surfers will visit Yakutat every summer for the unusual experience of surfing in Alaska. The best waves occur from mid-April to mid-June and mid-August through September. The Japanese current pushes summer water temperatures into the mid-60s while during the rest of the season, temperatures range from the mid-40s to the mid-50s.

• US Forest Service Cabins +

  There are 12 U.S. Forest Service cabins available for rent in the area with five of them accessible by Forest Highway 10, which extends east from Yakutat.