Adak has a very small general store that carries only the basic necessities. The selection is extremely limited and likely won’t meet your preferences. There is no fresh food or meat available, and the store operates just 3 to 6 nights a week, for only 2 hours each evening.

We highly recommend bringing your own food!

Many travelers bring food in bins from Anchorage or from their home location. If you need cold or frozen storage, be sure to ask Alaska Airlines to place your bins in cold storage when you check them in.

Alaska Airlines allows you to check a 100-pound bin or box as baggage for $100, or as standard baggage with a 50-pound limit. If you’re a Club 49 member, you can also drop off food at Alaska Air Cargo, but be aware that it usually needs to be checked in at least 6 hours before your flight. Even with early drop-off, cargo can sometimes be bumped to a later flight, so it’s best to confirm current policies and cutoff times directly with Alaska Airlines.

There are currently two places to eat while on Adak, but they are often closed. We advise against relying on them for meals. If you’d like to dine at a restaurant, it’s a good idea to call ahead and confirm their hours of operation in advance.

Please remind everyone in your group that smoking is not allowed inside the lodges or vehicles. Smoking is permitted outside, but we ask that you dispose of cigarette butts properly and avoid leaving them on the ground.

As a reminder, the terms and conditions agreed upon at booking state that a $500 cleaning fee will be charged if the smoking policy is violated.

We make every effort to address maintenance issues promptly, but we depend on our guests to inform us of anything in need of repair. The harsh Adak weather can take a toll on both vehicles and lodges.

If you encounter any cleaning or maintenance issues during your stay, please don’t hesitate to call us at (907) 572-9864.

Our lodges in Kuluk are equipped with Toyo stoves, while those in Sandy Cove use boilers for heating. The Toyo stoves can be adjusted directly on the stove, as the thermostats in these units are non-functional.

In the Sandy Cove lodges, thermostats located both upstairs and downstairs control the heat throughout the unit.

Adak has community garbage dumpsters located across the street from the Community Center/Post Office/Health Building/School (the large white building). Please be sure to open the door to the dumpster, properly dispose of your garbage, and close the door to help protect the eagle population. The tops of the dumpsters are not open, so do not place trash on top.

Additionally, do not dispose of animal or fish carcasses in the dumpsters. Any fish or animal parts should be discarded outside of town. Please ensure no one in your group throws garbage, cigarette butts, bottles, or cans on the ground.

Medical facilities in Adak are very limited. The Eastern Aleutian Tribes operates a small clinic with just two beds, staffed by either a Physician Assistant, Nurse Practitioner, or Community Health Practitioner (paraprofessional).

During business hours, you can reach the clinic at 907-592-8383. For after-hours emergencies, call 907-572-9989. While you are generally responsible for your own transportation to the clinic, a limited EMS service with a patient transport vehicle (ambulance) is available for those unable to be transported in a regular vehicle.

In the event that a medevac (air ambulance) or land ambulance is needed, contact the clinic and they will arrange transportation if necessary. Medevacs are typically provided by private companies such as LifeMed or Guardian (both offer insurance plans) or by the US Coast Guard. Be aware that private medevacs can cost six figures, so ensure your insurance covers this service or consider purchasing an additional policy.

Adak also has a Village Public Safety Officer (VPSO) through the Aleutian Pribilof Island Association. You can contact the VPSO for police, medical, fire, search and rescue, or any other emergency situations at his office (907-592-4500 ext. 110) or cell phone (907-545-6510).

Although dialing 911 is an option, response may be delayed as calls are routed to a distant State Troopers desk.

Please be mindful of Adak’s unpredictable and volatile weather, and prepare accordingly.

Checkout time is strictly at 12:00 PM. Due to the tight schedule with incoming guests arriving on the same flight you’re departing on, no late checkouts are permitted. Our cleaning team will arrive promptly at noon to prepare the lodges, so please ensure you are fully checked out by that time.

Before leaving, please follow these steps:

• Set the heat to 45 degrees.
• Turn off all lights.
• Empty, clean, unplug, and leave the freezer door open.
• Ensure the washer and dryer are empty.
• Load and start the dishwasher.
• Take all trash to the dumpsters across from the community center.
• Leave vehicle keys inside the vehicles.

Your cooperation is greatly appreciated!

Caribou move across large areas. They can be seen anywhere on Adak but most animals are on the south end of the island far from any vehicle access in summer.

Recently, animals have been seen more regularly on the northern end of the island but mainly in winter. View caribou location maps of where the animals were found in the August of 2005 survey and in June of 2012. In June of 2012 over 70% of the caribou were found between False Bay and Teardrop Basin on the south-central side of the island.

The caribou tend to migrate north toward town and along the western side of the island throughout the fall and winter.

View a 2005 land status map for Adak Island. The land near the town on the north side is mostly privately owned by the Aleut Corporation. Please note that vehicles and ATVs are prohibited on Refuge land.

Unfortunately, ATV ruts have started to appear on the Mt. Reed unit due to unauthorized use. To avoid trespassing, consider loading the Refuge boundary coordinates into your GPS.

You can download these GPS coordinates for easy navigation. Currently, the refuge boundaries are marked only on the Mt. Reed unit, where the Heart Lake ATV trail crosses into the Refuge. ATVs are not permitted beyond these signs.

For additional assistance navigating Adak, download the “Know Where You Are” guide.

Yes, all lands within the Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge are open to hunting.

You can access the refuge either by boat, via designated public access easements that cross Aleut Corporation land, or by obtaining a land use permit from the Aleut Corporation and paying the associated fee to cross their land outside the easements.

Hiking or boating are the best ways to reach areas with caribou. Easement maps and coordinates are available here. When you download the GPX files to your GPS, you’ll find several files, but the most useful ones are: 7b – Husky Pass Trail, 4B – Shagak Bay Trail, 9C – Lake Betty Trail, 10 – Finger Bay Trail, and 0.193.79 – the Mt. Reed refuge unit boundaries.

The easements allow access to public lands and waters for both foot and ATV traffic, though only the Husky Pass and Shagak Bay easements are suitable for ATVs. However, you cannot hunt within an easement without a permit from the Aleut Corporation.

Even if you plan to hike to the refuge and hunt there, it’s advisable to have an Aleut Corporation permit, as you may encounter animals along the way.

Yes, unless you’re planning to hunt from a boat at the refuge end of the island, you’ll need a permit from the Aleut Corporation. All areas accessible by road or ATV are the private property of the Aleut Corporation.

While you can travel across their land on public access easements, like the Husky Pass Trail, without a permit, hunting is not allowed. Even if a world-record bull caribou were standing in the middle of the easement, you could not legally shoot it without a land access permit from the Aleut Corporation.

Permits can be obtained at the airport upon arrival or at the Aleut Real Estate office next to the store.

For more information, contact Aleut Real Estate, as they manage the permits. In 2017, the cost was just $40 for a week.

ATVs are not permitted on refuge land, but they can be useful for transporting game on the road system or along the Husky Pass and Shagak Bay trails.

However, be aware that ATV travel on these trails is challenging due to deep mud holes, steep slopes, and sidehills, so be prepared for potential difficulties and getting stuck.

Over the past 12 years, ATV use has caused significant damage to the tundra on Adak Island. When the Navy controlled Adak, ATVs were prohibited, and what were once excellent hiking trails have now turned into impassable mud pits. The erosion and tundra damage are clearly visible in areas where vehicles have been used. Please consider the impact on the land and act responsibly.

ATVs are not allowed in the refuge, and you can be cited if caught using one there. To avoid accidental trespassing, download GPS coordinates for the refuge boundaries and watch for signs. The Mt. Reed unit is where you’re most likely to unintentionally enter the refuge with an ATV.

Several operators on Adak offer ATV rentals, from four-wheelers to six-wheeled ARGOS.

Yes, Parcel 4, marked in red on the Adak downtown map, is completely closed to public access due to the presence of live, unexploded ordnance.

Although military cleanup efforts have been ongoing on Adak for many years, there is still a risk of encountering unexploded but potentially dangerous ammunition and even bombs across the island. If you come across any objects that might be old ammunition, bombs, grenades, or other explosive devices, do not touch or pick them up.

The Adak map includes a section outlining what steps to take if you encounter any of these items.

Cow caribou hunting is open year-round with no bag limit. The season for bulls runs from August 10 to December 31, with a limit of two bulls per year.

Be sure to check with Alaska Fish and Game for the latest regulations on caribou harvesting on Adak Island. All meat must be used in accordance with ADF&G’s wanton-waste regulations.

When transporting meat from the kill site, antlers should only be taken with the final load of meat.

Wanton waste is strictly enforced and is a punishable offense.

The best time to hunt depends on your goals.

Caribou typically move away from the Adak road system by early April and don’t return in significant numbers until October. During this time, accessing caribou can be challenging without a boat or the ability to hike and pack out animals over rough terrain, as much of the island is inaccessible by truck or ATV.

In winter, caribou may be closer to town or even within town when snow covers the mountains, but winter hunts require dealing with severe, dangerous storms and shorter daylight hours. High winds and heavy rain or snow can occur year-round, so always be prepared with high-quality rain gear and layers of wool or poly fleece.

The Aleutians are known as the “Cradle of the Storms.”

For bulls, the season runs from August 10 to December 31.

If you’re after antlers in velvet, hunt before the end of August. For velvet-free antlers, hunt after September 1.

If you’re looking for quality meat, avoid taking a bull caribou from late September to mid-October during the rut, as most game processors won’t accept meat from rutting bulls due to its poor quality.