We're often asked if there is a beautiful wild place where a family or group of families can gather in a cozy, private cabin, and spend the days fishing, kayaking, watching bears, hiking, and beachcombing, without spending a fortune. We've found it! Join us for a stay in a two-story log cabin on Kodiak Island's southwest coast, where brown bears roam freely through pristine watersheds and salmon follow ancient migration routes to their birthplace. Fish migration begins in late May with the arrival of king salmon. King salmon run from late May through June. Sockeye salmon arrive in May and stay until mid-September. Silver salmon run from late August through September.
We fly from Anchorage to Kodiak, then fly about an hour by small plane to Karluk. This stunning village sits beside the Karluk River overlooking Shelikof Strait. Our floatplane drops us in front of
Our cabin sits on Karluk Lagoon, at the mouth of the river. The Karluk is one of the best producing salmon and trout rivers on Kodiak Island, with runs of king, sockeye and silver salmon. The season the cabin. After we get settled, we have all day every day to explore. The tiny Native village of Karluk lies on the opposite side of the lagoon, a historic Russian Orthodox church, built in 1888 watching over the settlement. The Russians established an outpost here in the late 1700s and stayed throughout the 19th century. At the time, Karluk had the world's largest sockeye salmon run and operated the largest cannery in the world. Just three dozen people live here year-round now. In the summer, residents set fishing nets at the mouth of the lagoon, to take advantage of the incredible salmon runs.
The area is treeless, with grassland, alpine meadows and tundra vegetation. Steep cliffs and mountains rise above the lagoon and hiking routes lead up to pristine peaks. The highest mountain is 1600 feet. Along with Kodiak brown bears, we may see Sitka blacktail deer, red foxes, river otters, and snowshoe hares, and lots of birds, especially bald eagles.
The lagoon is a great place to fish for salmon or Dolly Varden-either by casting from shore, or by wading in the shallow waters along the lagoon. Daily tidal fluctuations concentrate fish in the lagoon before they move upriver. Bears are common in the area, and they may be seen fishing in the shallow waters, or on the uplands, grazing in the grass, or rolling with their cubs.
We can spend a day kayaking on the ocean, and we also have a motorized skiff, so we can get out on the water to look for seabirds and do some saltwater fishing. The waters off Kodiak Island nurture large populations of Pacific halibut. If anyone is interested in floating the Karluk River, for an extra fee, we can charter a floatplane to take us up to Karluk Lake or the portage area, where there is a hiking trail to Larsen Bay. The float back to the lagoon allows us to fish, view and photograph bears, and to see more of this rich area.
Your guide will provide orientation to the area, accompany the group on hiking or fishing excursions, and prepare camp-gourmet meals on the cabin's stove. If you wish to take independent explorations, we'll prepare a bag lunch and send you on your way!
For a unique combination of beautiful scenery, abundant wildlife, outstanding fishing, Native culture exchanges, and great walking, our family cabin adventure offers a peaceful vacation at a relaxed pace.
