WELCOME TO THE YAKUTAT ALASKA CHAMBER OF COMMERCE WEBSITE
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Yakutat, Alaska is located along the rugged Alaskan Gulf Coast between Sitka and Cordova. Bounded by the Gulf of Alaska on the South, nearly impenetrable mountains to the North, and coastal glaciers to the East and West, Yakutat is about as remote as one can get in Alaska. There are no roads leading into or out of Yakutat. All commerce and access must occur via air or sea.

     The 3rd Annual Yakutat Tern Festival will take place May 30-June 2, 2013. Please visit the Yakutat Tern Festival  website for additional information.

Why attend The Yakutat Tern Festival?
     Yakutat is distinguished as a world-class birding destination by its incredible habitat diversity which translates into opportunities for birders to view over 200 species of birds, over 100 nesting varieties and many rarities, including of course the Aleutian Terns.  Spectacular mountain ranges and the Gulf of Alaska squeeze the Yakutat forelands into a narrow corridor for hundreds of thousands of resident and migratory birds. Early June is prime time for viewing the terns up close and personal.
     Take advantage of a in-depth view of the greater Yakutat area by attending this festival with all the organized events such as natural history field trips, art exhibits, educational events for kids and adults, and native cultural presentations. Arrive early or stay late to take in additional acitivities such as surfing (the "far north shore"), fishing (June is peak for halibut), hiking, beachcombing, and sight-seeing that the area has to offer.
 
     Alaska Airlines is offering a 20% discount for travel to the festival for those registered--see the Yakutat Tern Festival website for registration and the discount code.

For information regarding the festival, please contact Teresa Hunt or Susan Oehlers at 907-784-3359.

Welcome to the community of Yakutat, gateway to the Hubbard Glacier and home of the St. Elias Dancers, a Tlingit dance group.

Located on the scenic Gulf Coast of Alaska, and surrounded by Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Tongass National Forest, Yakutat attracts a wide variety of outdoor enthusiasts to hike beaches, float rivers, explore bays and passages, climb mountains, view glaciers, and surf remote breaks. Yakutat Bay provides the finest saltwater sport fishing in Alaska.

A variety of visitor services are available in Yakutat, and Alaska Airlines provides daily jet service from Seattle, Juneau, and Anchorage. Additionally, the Alaska State Ferry Kennicott now stops in Yakutat several times each month during the spring, summer, and early fall seasons.

Mount St. Elias stands like a perfect pyramid soaring 18,008 feet into the heavens on the Yakutat skyline, the second tallest peak in the United States. The Tlingit name is Was-eiti-shaa, meaning "Mountain in Icy Bay". Danish explorer Vitus Bering watched the mountain emerge as the mist cleared following days of fog-bound drifting while exploring for the Czar of Russia in 1741. The discovery was made on, and named in honor of a Danish holiday, St. Elias Day. Mount St. Elias rests at the head of Malaspina Glacier, the largest piedmont glacier in North America.

Hubbard Glacier is the largest tidewater glacier in North America and is located just 30 miles by air or water from Yakutat. During the spring of 2002, as in 1986, the glacier advanced across the mouth of Russell Fiord, creating the world's largest glacial lake.

Many marine mammals were temporarily trapped within this newly formed impoundment. Fortunately, the ice dam broke prior to overflowing the Situk River system, freeing the stranded wildlife. As a result, the community of Yakutat continues to enjoy the beauty of our land and resources.

Each spring and fall, major migrations of waterfowl, raptors, and shorebirds pass along the Yakutat Coast providing outstanding viewing and photography opportunities. Hundreds of thousands of salmon spawn in area rivers and streams each fall, attracting concentrations of foraging eagles and brown bears