Kootznoowoo Wilderness
The indigenous people of southeast Alaska, the Tlingit, know Admiralty Island by the name Kootznoowoo, the "Bear Fort" or "Fortress of the Bears". The British named it Admiralty, but the Russians called it Ostrov Kutsnoi, "Fear Island", probably because Alaskan brown bears (grizzly) outnumber the human inhabitants. Protected as Admiralty Island National Monument in 1978, all but the northern end of the island was designated Wilderness in 1980. Coastal forests of massive Sitka spruce and western hemlock dominate this 100-mile-long island at the northern end of the fabled inside passage. The forest floor lays thickly covered with mosses and blueberry, while muskegs open the tall forest canopy to sedge and sphagnum bogs.
Description from Wilderness Connect (wilderness.net).
| Designation | Wilderness |
| Managed by | U.S. Forest Service |
| State | Alaska |
| Size | 989,922 acres |
| Designated | 1980, by Congress |
| Center point | 57.64° N, 134.35° W |
| Night sky | About as dark as the ground gets (Black Marble reading 8) |
Boundary map
Boundary, simplified to about 0.005 degrees Forest Service recreation site
The outline is the agency boundary simplified for display, so small parcels and inholdings may not show. The agency page has the authoritative map.
Weather by month
Large units span more than one climate. The station stands in for the center point, and the outer parts of the boundary can be warmer or colder.
Where to camp
No federal campground is within ten miles of the boundary in the Campsite Atlas index. Camping inside a wilderness is usually allowed away from trails and water, with no facilities; the managing agency page has the permit and group-size rules.
Trailheads and sites
The Forest Service lists 20 recreation sites inside this wilderness, among them 19 cabins, 1 campground. Each links to its page on fs.usda.gov, which carries the season, fees and current status.
- under 1 mi
- 2 miDistin Lake Cabin ↗Cabin
- 3 mi
- 4 mi
- 4 mi
- 5 mi
- 5 miBig Shaheen Cabin ↗Cabin
- 5 mi
- 5 miJims Lake Cabin ↗Cabin
- 5 mi
Show all 20Hide
- 6 mi
- 6 mi
- 8 mi
- 9 mi
- 14 miWindfall Harbor Shelter ↗Campground
- 15 mi
- 21 mi
- 34 mi
- 34 mi
- 38 mi
Distance is from the center point of the boundary, not from a road or town.
Trails
16 named Forest Service trails enter this wilderness, 29 miles in all. The 10 longest are listed here.
| Trail | Miles | Allowed uses |
|---|---|---|
| Thayer to Salt Lake ↗ | 5 | |
| Admiralty Cove to N. Young Lk ↗ | 4.8 | |
| Distin to Thayer | 3.1 | |
| Davidson to Salt Lake | 2.9 | |
| Mole Harbor to Alexander | 2.5 | |
| Hasselborg to Guerin | 2 | |
| Lake Florence | 1.4 | |
| Kanalku | 1.3 | |
| North Young to South Young | 1.3 | |
| Salt Lake to Mitchell Bay | 1.2 |
Lengths and allowed uses come from the Forest Service trail layer by way of Trailhead Atlas. This trail list was copied from Trailhead Atlas on November 1, 2026 and is copied again on each weekly run. Trails in plain text have no page there yet.
Explore
Nearby on the other atlases
- under 0.1 miAlexander Lake Shelter Cabin ↗Angoon, AK
- under 0.1 miBeaver Lake Dam ↗Angoon, AK
- under 0.1 miBig Shaheen Cabin ↗Angoon, AK
- under 0.1 miDavidson Lake Shelter Cabin ↗Angoon, AK
- under 0.1 miDistin Lake Shelter Cabin ↗Angoon, AK
- under 0.1 miHasselborg Lake East Shelter Cabin ↗Angoon, AK
- under 0.1 miHasselborg Lake North Shelter Cabin ↗Angoon, AK
- under 0.1 miLake Guerin East Shelter Cabin ↗Angoon, AK
Landmarks are listed first, then by distance from the boundary.
Guidebooks for Alaska
We earn a small commission if you buy through these links. It does not change what we list.
Titles come from Open Library's catalog, matched by subject heading or by title.
Reference
Questions people ask
How big is Kootznoowoo Wilderness?
989,922 acres.
Source: Wilderness Connect
Who manages Kootznoowoo Wilderness?
The U.S. Forest Service.
Source: Wilderness Connect
What state is Kootznoowoo Wilderness in?
Alaska.
Source: Wilderness Connect
When was Kootznoowoo Wilderness designated?
Congress designated it in 1980.
Source: Wilderness Connect
How do I get to Kootznoowoo Wilderness?
A point inside the boundary is at 57.642° N, 134.346° W. Sitka National Historical Park is 26 miles away. The official page carries directions and the office address.
Source: Wilderness Connect
Which national parks are near Kootznoowoo Wilderness?
Sitka National Historical Park (26 mi). Park Atlas has fees, hours and alerts for each.
Source: Nearby on the other atlases
Are there historic places near Kootznoowoo Wilderness?
The National Register has 33 listings within 15 miles, including Alexander Lake Shelter Cabin and Beaver Lake Dam.
Source: Register Atlas
Sources
- Boundary, name, acreage, designation year, states and description: Wilderness Connect.
- Campgrounds: the Campsite Atlas index of federal campgrounds, matched to this boundary at build time.
- Trailheads and sites: the Forest Service Recreation Opportunities layer, points inside the boundary.
- Trails: the Trailhead Atlas open-data file of Forest Service trails, matched on the wilderness each trail enters.
- Night sky: NASA Black Marble (VIIRS, 2016 composite) sampled at zoom 6 around the center point.
- Weather, alerts, air quality, river flow and earthquakes load live in your browser from NWS, AirNow, USGS and iNaturalist when you open the page.