Welcome to Admiralty Island National Monument

This monument is a 955,000 acre covering all of Admiralty Island located off the coast of Juneau in Southeast Alaska. Most of the monument is designated as the Kootznoowoo Wilderness to protect the protect the prolific rainforest vegetation and abundant wildlife, including Grizzley and Black Bears. Many species of salmon, whales, mountain goats, and deer live here.

Admiralty Island also has a rich cultural heritage, which is evident in the traditional native village of Angoon, the island's only permanent settlement.

Alaska Adventure Tours
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Private boats and chartered or private float planes are the primary modes of access, with most originating from Juneau. Canoes and kayaks are also used, beginning usually in Juneau or the small community of Angoon. Angoon is serviced by ferry and float planes year round. Juneau has a major airport, ferry and marine docking facilities.

Seymour Canal and other bays such as Mitchell, Hood, Chaik, Whitewater, Pybus and Gambier contain marine mammals such as harbor seals and porpoises, sea lions and occasionally humpback whales. Waterfowl and seabirds overwinter in these bays in abundance and many of the tributary streams have strong runs of salmon in the late summer and fall.

Kootznoowoo Wilderness

The native Tlingít people call this island "Kootznoowoo," meaning "Fortress of the Bear." Admiralty Island is home to the highest concentration of brown bears (1,600?) in the world; more than all the Lower 48 states combined. Spectacular runs of wild salmon fill the island's creeks each summer, while remote mountain lakes offer the ultimate in wilderness fishing.

The majority of Admiralty is spruce-hemlock rainforest interspersed with small areas of muskeg. The timberline is typically 2000 to 2,500 feet. Above the timberline the forest gradually changes to alpine-tundra with rock outcrops and permanent to semi-permanent ice fields.

Cross Island Canal Route

A unique feature of Admiralty is the Cross Island Canoe Route which connects Mole Harbor in Seymour Canal to Angoon. The route passes through as many as eight lakes connected by maintained portage trails dating back to the l930's. Some of the lakes have Forest Service public recreation cabins available for rental from the Forest Service. Others have rustic three-sided shelters and others have only primitive campsites. Ducks and loons nest on the lakes, and most have good populations of cutthroat trout and Dolly Varden char.

Major marine transportation routes and boating waterways surround the island, including Stephens Passage to the east, Chatham Strait to the west and Frederick Sound to the south.

Greens Creek Mine
The Greens Creek Mine is an underground silver, gold, zinc and lead mine located on the northwest end of the island.

Tour Tongass Rain Forest
One of the last unspoiled and largest temperate rain forests of the world, the Tongass Rain Forest hugs the North American Coastline from Kodiak Island in Alaska and stretches as far south as Northern California. It is home to the densest biomass on Planet Earth.

Park Ranger
Federal Building, 648 Mission Street, Ketchikan, AK 99901; 907-225-3101;
Tongass Forest Ranger Service oversees the Admiralty Island National Monument and Kootznoowoo Wilderness.

Admiralty Island Tours
There are exciting several options available to explore the wonders of this area.

Alaska Adventure Tours
Our most Popular Adventure Tour
Choose from one of many tour packages (Keyword Alaska):

Helicopter Tour -
Wildlife Viewing - Whalewatching and more
Glacier Cruise -
Klondike Gold Rush Tour -

SouthEast Alaska Area Attractions

Alaska State Museum - Juneau - exhibits the history and culture of Alaska
Sheldon Jackson State Museum - Sitka - oldest museum with the best Alaska ethnographic collections.
Juneau-Douglas City Museum - Juneau - Cultural History of the Alaska Panhandle.
Douglas Island Pink & Chum - Juneau - Giant fish hatchery center tour.
Icy Strait Point - Hoonah - historic salmon cannery, museum, mall and giant zip line.
Mount Roberts Tramway - Juneau - At the top you will find trails, an observatory, nature center, restaurant, bar, theater and two gift shops.
Red Dog Saloon - Juneau - Historic goldrush saloon - hats, shirts, novelties, and glasses and bar ware.
Perseverance Theater - Juneau - Alaska's only professional theater -
Tongass Rain Forest Festival - [SEP] Petersburg - nature walks and wildlife artshows.
Juneau Opera - Juneau
Opera to Go - Juneau
Juneau Symphony - Juneau
Alaska Folk Festival - Juneau - 2nd week in April.
Juneau Jazz Festival - Juneau - 2nd week in May
Last Chance Mining Museum - Juneau