Location / Coordinates: Cold Bay, Alaska is part of the Aleutians East Borough. Cold Bay is in the Izembek National Wildlife Refuge, located at the western end of the Alaska Peninsula. Cold bay is southwest of Anchorage about 630 miles, and 180 miles northeast of Unalaska.
Coordinates: Latitude N55.19 & Longitude W162.72
Population / Elevation: Fewer than 100 people live in Cold Bay, Alaska. Cold Bay is situated at sea level across the Cold Bay from King Cove, Alaska.
Description: Cold Bay, Alaska is windy, it is common to experience wind speeds of 30 MPH here. Cold Bay serves as the regional center for air transportation on the Alaska Peninsula. It has a modern airport and Cold Bay is centrally located. Cold Bay is a regional transportation center, providing scheduled flights to surrounding communities, as well as services and fuel for the fishing industry.
Marine cargo services are available monthly from Seattle, but not from Anchorage.
Most of Cold Bay’s residents are employed by state and federal government agencies.
What to do there: The Izembek National Wildlife Refuge, has nearly 500,000 acres, including Izembek lagoon and its entire watershed near the tip of th Alaska Peninsula. It is a refuge, breeding ground and management area for all forms of wildlife. You will find tundra swans, ptarmigan, bald eagles, and and other migratory birds here. Brown bears are abundant—they thrive on the salmon in the streams. Other large mammals are found here as well, caribou, wolves, red fox, river otter, mink and wolverine. Harbor seals and sea otters can be seen in the estuarine and coastal waters, rookeries and along the beaches. Steller sea lions, gray whales, orcas, and minke whales migrate along the coastline in here too.
Bird hunting for geese, pond ducks, sea ducks and Black Brant are offered by the hunting lodges in Cold Bay. Fishing for Silver Salmon, Pink Salmon, and Chum Salmon and brown bear viewing, are also offered.
History: Cold Bay, Alaska was once a thriving place, inhabited by a large native population. In the 19th century European hunters and trappers traversed the area. Cold Bay became the site of the strategic air base, Fort Randall during WWII. At that time, Cold Bay airport was the largest in Alaska with a 10,000-foot runway, and 20,000 troops were housed in quonset huts at Cold Bay. The Quonset huts stand empty around the community today.
How to get there: Cold Bay has bi-monthly service from the State Ferry from Kodiak during the summer season. The only other way into Cold Bay is by air.
Facilities: The Izembek Lodge and the Cold Bay Lodge are located in Cold Bay, next to the Izembek National Wildlife Refuge. It’s best to call ahead for reservations. There is a store in Cold Bay for supplies.
Cold Bay has a state-owned paved and lighted runway, FAA Flight Service Stations, and a seaplane base.
RV info: There are no RV facilities in Cold Bay, Alaska.