Prince Of Wales Island is truly wild……

The area around Whale Pass is rich with wildlife. Whale Passage itself, and the surrounding waters of the Clarence Straight abound with whales, seals, sea lions, and otters. Humpback, fin and killer whales frequent the area, and are particularly abundant at Snow Pass, a natural feeding area for the whales. On a smaller scale, crabbing and clamming are excellent in the area! It's easy to catch a mess of dungeness crabs for dinner.

On the island and along it's streams, encounters with wildlife are also a daily occurences. Black bears are routine visitors to the streams, particularly in the morning and evening. As summer wears on, the bears often are out at any time of day, and can often be seen from the deck of the cabin as the feed on salmon at the Neck Lake outlet. Bald Eagles are everywhere. Sitka black-tailed deer are common road and trail side visitors, and are seen almost daily.

Exploring the Tongass National Forest

There are also superb opportunities to experience nature along the Prince of Wales road system. The forests surrounding Whale Pass are part of the Tongass National Forest, and as a result, offer many opportunities through the parks service. Visits can be arranged to the spectacular El Capitan caves, some of the most facinating spelunking in all of Alaska. A number of outstanding hiking oppotunities exist as well, from easy hikes such as the Beaver Falls boardwalk and interpretive trail, which meanders through old growth rain forest and past cavernous sink holes, to a number of longer more strenous hikes on trails maintained by the Tongass Forest Service.