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Pair the book with:

• Top 5 Destinations
• Resurrection Bay
• Day Harbor
• Aialik Bay (KFNP)
• Northwestern Fjord
• Nuka Island

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How to tour Nuka Island's rock-riddeled seacoast? Traveling by kayak is an excellent way to pass safely through the jungle of reefs, islets, and nearshore hazards wrapping the island's rocky perimeter. Equip yourself with maps and useful information regarding the island's multiple vessel anchorages, kayaker campsite areas, fox farm history, Herring Pete and Josephine Sather, culturally modified trees, and marine life areas.

As mariners enter Nuka Passage from the north, the waterway narrows as the gulf's swell fades. A few pocket beaches and rocky islets stand out along the heavily-treed mainland shore. The terrain takes on a different character: the bold sea cliffs are gone, replaced with giant spruce trees growing to the tideline. In the lower passage Berger Bay (right) provides a reliable vessel anchorage plus several good camping options for kayakers.

When exploring the nooks and crannies along the Nuka Island's western shore, in places like Petes Cove (left), the water (often less than 10 fathoms deep) includes numerous reefs and rock piles to avoid. Keep a close-eye on your depth sounder and go slow. Nuka Passage is used by small boats as well as offshore vessels to escape foul weather when traveling the Kenai outer coast. Home Cove and Westdahl Cove are optional Nuka Island anchorages depending on weather conditions.

Mikes Bay (right) is named for Smokehouse Mike, a homesteader who lived in the bay from 1918-1921. Mike built a warehouse at the bay's head where he operated an illegal distillery during the prohibition era. At the head of Mikes Bay are a choice of picturesque landing spots with a good site located at the conspicuous beach, near the mouth of the east inlet.