Unalaska: Cultural History and Nature

Unalaska can be explored through its cultural history, wildlife viewing and outdoor routes. The Museum of the Aleutians, World War II sites and the Bunker Hill Trail each offer a different focus. For planning, it helps to distinguish between a guided walking tour of the town, a two-hour hike on Bunker Hill and a drive along Summer Bay Road.

Museums and Guided Tours

The Museum of the Aleutians offers permanent and temporary exhibitions. Its permanent collection covers archaeology, ethnography, history, art, archives and natural sciences. The Russian Orthodox Cathedral of the Holy Ascension of Christ contains nearly 700 works of art.

The museum offers a guided 1.5-mile walking tour through Unalaska on paved and gravel roads. A second guided tour lasts two hours and leads to the summit of Bunker Hill (Hill 400). The round trip is two miles and climbs more than 400 feet. There, you can explore the remains of a World War II battery command post and four Panama gun emplacements. Reservation details may change; check them before planning.

World War II Sites and Remembrance

The visitor center for the Aleutian Islands World War II National Historic Area is located in the historic Naval Aerology Building on Unalaska Island. Fort Schwatka was built in 1940 to protect the Dutch Harbor Naval Operating Base from an invasion from the sea. At 897 feet above sea level, it is the highest coastal battery built along the coast of the United States.

The former Burma Road Chapel is the only surviving military church from the World War II era on Unalaska Island and Amaknak Island. The site of the Bureau of Indian Affairs Hospital in Unalaska was hit by a Japanese bomb beside the hospital on June 4, 1942. Unalaska Memorial Park is next to Unalaska Cemetery. Its memorial plaques commemorate people from Unalaska who died at sea, the U.S. Coast Guard, the Unangax̂, and military personnel who died in World War II.

Birdlife and the Coastal Road

Unalaska is home to more than 100 bird species, including whiskered auklets and parakeet auklets. Foxes, seals, porpoises and numerous seabirds can be seen seasonally on the Bunker Hill Trail; sightings are not guaranteed.

Summer Bay Road is an approximately seven-mile coastal road north of Unalaska. It passes Summer Bay and Humpy Cove and ends at Morris Cove. If you plan to drive the road, check route conditions before setting out.

Plan Your Trip

The Aleutian Islands World War II National Historic Area can be reached from Anchorage by limited scheduled or charter flights. Check flight options for your travel dates and take the limited connections into account when planning your trip.

Discover more destinations: St. Paul.

Return to the main travel overview: Aleutians West Census Area.