Kodiak National Wildlife Refuge, National Wildlife Refuge in southern Alaska, United States

Kodiak National Wildlife Refuge covers the southwestern two-thirds of Kodiak Island plus Uganik Island, the Red Peaks area of Afognak Island and all of Ban Island, 1,990,418 acres in the Kodiak Archipelago. Seven major rivers and about 100 streams run through it, and Sitka spruce forests cover the lower eastern slopes while tundra lies to the west. Mountains reach 1,200 m, and the refuge holds several small glaciers.

The refuge was established in 1941 by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to protect the habitats of brown bears and other native wildlife. This action secured crucial breeding and feeding grounds that remain important for animal populations today.

The refuge lies in the Kodiak Archipelago, homeland of the Alutiiq (Sugpiaq) people, whose villages and hunting camps long depended on its salmon streams and coastal waters. The Alutiiq Museum in the city of Kodiak holds artifacts and oral histories from this area. The refuge itself has no road access, so most visitors arrive by floatplane or boat from Kodiak town.

Reaching this refuge requires boat or floatplane transport, as no roads connect to the outside world. Multiple public cabins are available for visitors planning overnight stays in the wilderness.

This area hosts one of the world's highest concentrations of brown bears, with males growing to exceptional sizes in the river valleys and streams. The abundance of salmon runs provides the nutritional foundation that allows these bears to reach such large proportions.