Page Type: | Mountain/Rock |
---|---|
Lat/Lon: | 57.75449°N / 152.54942°W |
County: | Kodiak (borough) |
Activities: | Hiking |
Season: | Fall |
Elevation: | 2500 ft / 762 m |
This is reputed to be Kodiak, Alaska’s most popular mountain and is located at the end of the airport runway about 4 miles from town. There is a well defined path heading up the east ridge once you gain several hundred feet. I encountered a tough bushwhack to get there from the end of the runway in 5 – 6 foot brush. The views from along the route are outstanding and you get a nice view of Kodiak from near the top. I enjoyed watching an Alaska Airlines 737 take off while I was climbing. The roundtrip distance is about 4 miles and elevation gain is near 2,500'.
I suppose getting to Kodiak is the main challenge! I spent 6 hours there during a cruise port call. Due to the brevity of our visit, I took a taxi along with fellow passengers Jill and Russ to the end of the airport runway on Rezanoff Drive West. We were unable to locate the reputed broad trail leading up the road bank into the brush from that area and ended up fighting the Alaska bush going in. Coming out we tried an alternate which is as follows:
After you cross the Buskin river heading toward the airport, take the first right up a gravel road beside a power line. Walk around a gate and take a left fork continuing to follow the power line for 2-3 minutes and look for a path off the road on your left. This path is a shortcut to basically rejoin the power lines and at the end of the path, scramble up a small rise to rejoin the power line and related road. Turn left onto a decent road beside the power lines and head toward the east ridge near the base of the mountain. Watch for a small path on your right as you near the ridge and this will take you through the brush and onto the nice path up the east ridge to the summit.
There is no red tape involved to climb this mountain
Probably most of the year due to the moderate climate and low elevation
Hiking trails in Kodiak
Hiking the Alaska Adventurer Cruise