In May of 2019 I was fortunate enough to return to the island of Kodiak, Alaska to kick off my summer! A friend and I visited Crab Fest over Memorial Day weekend, spent time with great people, and even snuck in a little dancing! (If you’re interested in jumping straight to a quick Kodiak highlights list, click here!)
A side-note about my planning for this trip has to include some background on one of my other passions: I love country swing dancing, two-step, and line dancing. When I’m not traveling or working, there’s a good chance you can find me on a dance floor! Through dance connections in Anchorage, my friend and I knew that there was a Country Night on Thursdays in Kodiak and that it may be a great opportunity to pick up some new moves. Between Country Night and Crab Fest, we figured it would be a great weekend away!
Flights were ready, work responsibilities had been squared away, bags were packed, and the night before we left we got a notification that Kodiak Country Night had been CANCELLED. I was devastated. I had put so much extra time and effort into work to make sure we could leave early enough, all for nothing. Or so I thought!
Once we arrived in Kodiak we snagged a Best Western hotel shuttle into town and then made our way to our AirBNB. It was a tiny, beautiful little house up on the hillside overlooking the harbor. We settled in and got a hold of the Kodiak dancing crew we had been planning to see at Country Night. Since that had been cancelled, they had pulled together an impromptu gathering at a friend’s house!
After a couple of hours dancing around an awesome living room dance floor, we got a crazy, unique invitation from Scott, one of the people who started country dance nights on the island. He got his start dancing with the same people we did in Anchorage and is the one who really brought dance alive in this little community. He also just so happens to have a portable dance floor built onto the back of his truck! “You know, in case you’re parked on a beach under the moonlight and just feel like dancing,” he told us. We drove to the top of Pillar Mountain and danced on top of the world as the Alaskan sun set around us. I think I could search the entire planet and never find a more perfect dance floor than that one!
That was only just the beginning of our adventures though. The next morning Scott picked us up bright and early to drive around the island. He was working at the rocket launch, which is about an hour and a half south of Kodiak City. He played tour guide a bit along the way as we encountered eagles, cows, deer, bison, and some of the most beautiful views. We dropped him off at work and then he let us borrow his truck for the rest of the day to continue our little road trip.
Alaska in general can be pretty overcast and misty, and it’s a pretty good idea to plan ahead for quick weather changes. We totally lucked out though, and had a great day of beautiful sunshine. Our first stop after Fossil Beach and the Rocket Launch was up a windy road amongst a local farmer’s cows, which ended at the top of a magnificent cliffside view. Once we worked our way back down to the main road, our next stop was Surfer’s Beach for a quick hike up to a Coast Guard Memorial.
We worked our way back to Kodiak City, stopping to watch some wildlife and take in the beauty of the island along the way. One of our favorite experiences was watching whales rolling in the shallows right off shore at the Pasagshak State Recreation Site. A local told us they were scraping barnacles off their backs!
Our last stop was at a little local restaurant called the Java Flats. Scott had suggested their cookies and we weren’t disappointed! Our brunch and coffee was enjoyed on the porch in the sun outside and it was the perfect ending to our excursion.
Because of the holiday weekend and Crab Fest, our AirBNB was only available for Thursday night, so when we got back into town we had to move our stuff down the street into a hotel for the night. It was beautiful and absolutely brand new, but a little on the spendy side. After a quick stop at Crab Fest for some food, we headed out to Fort Abercrombie to get outside and move around a bit.
Kodiak has a lot of military history and is currently home to the largest Coast Guard base in the U.S. Fort Abercrombie holds quite a bit of their World War II history, and we enjoyed exploring the old bunkers as we hiked around the park. We met up with Scott to give him his truck back, and then went out and enjoyed some live music as part of the Crab Fest festivities.
Saturday started slow, with brunch after sleeping in. We ventured back along the harbor and throughout the Crab Fest vendors and booths, then visited the National Wildlife Refuge Visitor Center. Crab Fest is small, but we still really enjoyed popping in periodically throughout the weekend, especially for food. (For more information about Crab Fest and its history, check out Kodiak’s Chamber of Commerce site.)
After stopping in at the National Wildlife Refuge Visitor Center and chatting with some super helpful guides, we wandered over to the Alutiiq Museum. While both of these stops didn’t take up much time, I would highly recommend them if you want to further your glimpse into Kodiak Island life. The Alutiiq Museum had recently done an exhibit about local plants and subsistence foods, so we even got to express a little creativity during our visit.
We wandered around more of “downtown” for a bit and checking out some of the little shops, then headed to the Best Western for the Crab Fest Art Show. It was a small show, but still a lot of fun to see local artists’ hard work and talent on display. After dinner we headed out for one last opportunity to dance at the Elks Lodge and enjoy some free music.
Sunday was our travel day home, but before returning to Anchorage our friend Siene, another of the country dance instructors, took us out to the northern end of the island to enjoy a misty beach and walk around a bit. The park she took us to is called White Sands, and as you could imagine is very popular given that it’s the only sandy beach on the island! There are picnic tables and I would have loved to sit out in the sun for lunch, but we ended up wandering through tide pools amidst a drizzly rain. After grabbing some last minute Father’s Day presents in town, we stopped in at the Kodiak Brewery before heading to the airport.
Crab Fest is an annual event, so if you can’t make it this summer, there’s always next year! Even 2020 couldn’t stop the celebrations- they just got postponed to August! Below are a few of my Kodiak favorites, no matter what time of year you choose to visit.
Kodiak Favorites
If you’re looking to visit Kodiak in the future and not quite sure where to start, here are a few suggestions based on my own personal favorites!
Road trip to Fossil Beach
The drive to Fossil Beach is beautiful, and there are lots of little stops you can make along the way. Don’t forget to stop in at Java Flats for some road trip treats and be on the lookout for wildlife at places like Pasagshak! I loved witnessing whales roll around the shallows right off of the coast during our drive.
Visit Fort Abercrombie and walk the beach
Fort Abercrombie is not only beautiful, but also home to a lot of World War II history. It’s a quick ten-minute trip out of town to get there and well worth a visit if you’re looking for a simple way to enjoy the outdoors, plus there are lots of beautiful things to be found on the beach!
Take in the blend of cultures
Whether it’s the Alutiiq Museum, quaint Russian Orthodox churches, or the amazing blend of foods available at Crab Fest, the diversity of Kodiak might surprise you! Personal favorites of mine include the Alutiiq art displays charting everything from old traditions to contemporary practices and sweet Filipino treats from Crab Fest vendors!
Enjoy a brew at Kodiak Brewery or Harborside Coffee
Whatever your brew style, Kodiak has it! The brewery offers great flights, or stop in at the coffee shop to warm up on a misty, Kodiak day. Watching a sea lion play in the harbor from right outside Harborside Coffee was a highlight of my first trip to Kodiak in 2015! I love wandering around the harbor and downtown with a coffee in my hand on overcast days.
Keep a lookout for wildlife
Kodiak is of course known for its bears, so keep that in mind if you’re interested in a tour. If you’re short on time or money, the Kodiak Wildlife National Refuge Visitor Center is right in town and there is also a small touch tank housed at the Kodiak Fisheries Research Center Aquarium. Truly though, you’ll probably run into wildlife all over the island.
Witness the view from the top of Pillar Mountain
While there are lots of hiking options on Kodiak that I’m hoping to check out in the future, we chose to drive to the top of Pillar Mountain. We looked out over the city, dancing as the sun set and loving life! Talk about a truly amazing experience and view.
