Originally Posted by
Jenbel
I'm a bit of a fan of small, remote islands, and my attention has just been drawn to the existence of the Aleutians (in that I know they existed, but I never really thought it would be possible to go visit them, and I've just realised that of course it is!).
Just wondered if any of you had been there, and what would be your thoughts about going there on a holiday? I am into wildlife and birding so was thinking that would need to be my main amusement, but I may be underestimating the islands and their attractions!
Is there a tourist industry in the Aleutians, or would people look at me like I was from another planet?
I spent a lot of time working in the Aleutians (the term is also inclusive of the Alaska Peninsula and a couple of other island groups, notably the Shumagin and Pribilof Islands.)
There's a small tourist industry, focused not surprisingly on wildlife and birding, but there's also a wealth of history and cultural interest on offer too, owing to the pre-Russian and Russian periods in the region. The islands and Peninsula are IMO some of the most remarkable destinations in the world, and well worth the effort required, which can be substantial.
Facilities are fairly basic, transportation is often quite difficult and can be expensive.
For tourists, the main destinations are Unalaska (aka Dutch Harbor) in the Aleutians (aka "The Chain") and St. Paul Island in the Pribilofs. Unalaska offers a combination of marvelous scenery, very interesting history (pre-Russian, Russian, and WW II military periods) as well as hiking, fishing, birding and other nature pursuits; St. Paul (and even better, the neighboring island of St. George - but hard to get to) is a birder's paradise, and also the site of some of the largest seal colonies in the world (but there's some controversy about the management of the herds which includes some culling.) The Pribilofs were unpopulated until the Russians moved some Aleut natives from the chain up there to harvest seals in the 1800s, more or less as slaves; but the Pribilofs arguably show a more "traditional" Native culture than you'll see in the larger Chain communities, where a hundred years of military and commercial fishing activities have led to more ethnic mixing.
One option to consider for the fairly intrepid and seaworthy tourist is to take the
Alaska State Ferry out the chain; it runs several times a year, and will allow you to visit some of the smaller communities en route to Unalaska; you could then fly back (note that air service to/from DUT is by PenAir, but using AS codes, so eligible for BA mileage redemptions) or vice-versa. The Pribilofs are also served by
PenAir but not using AS codes.
Summer is the best time; in winter prices go way up because that's when crab season occurs; also in winter the weather can be fierce and one can get stuck for days without plane service. (Which is not to say the weather is all that great in the summer - think Western Isles with lots more wind and rain.
Maybe you can access a popular "reality" TV series called
Deadliest Catch which follows some fisherfolk who work in the Bering - you can see (often overly melodramatic) scenes of the region's economy and some sights in those shows.
Some older pix of mine from Unalaska - things haven't changed that much:
Church of the Holy Ascension and Priest's house (subsequently restored)
Orthodox graveyard
WW II huts from graveyard
Meant to add... some AA pax on a DFW-NRT flight yesterday made an unexpected stop in the Aleutians - when the fire warning light in the cargo bay lit up, they diverted to Shemya Island (way the hell out in the western Aleutians) as it has a long runway left over from Cold War days. They flew back to ANC for a replacement 777; however apparently their bags are still at SYA. Bags lost on the chain - now that's a new one.
