Tongass National Forest

Craig is located on the west side of the island. With a population of about 1,175, it is the island's largest community.

Today: Traditional subsistence lifestyles are common in this community. Commercial fishing is an important part of the economy.

Hydaburg is located on the southeast side of the island, approximately 32 miles from Hollis. Fuel, RV dump, limited groceries and supplies are available.

Thorne Bay was established in 1962 when the Ketchikan Pulp Company moved its main logging camp from Hollis. Since then, Thorne Bay has evolved from a company-owned logging camp to an incorporated community. Employment in Thorne Bay centers around the timber industry, commercial fishing, government and retail services.

Thorne Bay is located on the east side of the island, approximately 38 miles from Klawock. Services include gas, food, tire repair, hardware, RV dump site and some lodging. The community is home to approximately 475 people.

Thorne Bay is 6 miles south of the Sandy Beach Recreation Area and only 4 miles east of the Gravelly Creek Picnic Area.

Coffman Cove is the starting point for visitors arriving by IFA from Petersburg or Wrangell.

Maintains its logging heritage while striving to diversify into many areas including commercial fishing, charter fishing and lodges. During the summer Coffman Cove sees a large influx of people coming to take advantage of such things as the abundant recreation on the island. The Inter-Island Ferry runs seasonally from Coffman Cove to Wrangell and Petersburg. Road construction to better connect the island communities is underway with paving expected to be completed by 2008. The world-famous Canoe Lagoon Oyster Farm operates out of Coffman Cove, along with a new small fish processing facility.

Coffman Cove is located on the northeast coast of the island, approximately 55 miles from Klawock. Services include gas, food, public restroom and showers, public telephone, RV park & dump and some lodging. The community is home to approximately 165 people.

Kasaan, originally Tlingit territory, gets its name from the Tlingit word meaning "pretty town." Haidas migrated north from the Queen Charlotte Islands in the early 1700s to the island and established the village now known as "Old Kasaan," 7 miles south on Skowl Arm. Chief Sonihat built the Whale House during the 1930s. This is a traditional long house that is the focus of the new Kasaan Totem Park. Many of the totems left from the old village site were moved to the park in 1938. Kavilco, Inc., the Native Village Corporation, purchased the old cannery buildings and property in 1974. The City was incorporated in 1976.

Kasaan is located on the east side of Prince of Wales Island on Kasaan Bay, 24 miles by road from Thorne Bay. Visitor attractions include the Kasaan Boardwalk, Totem Park/Clan House and Totem Park Trail. Services available are limited food, gas and lodging. There is a public phone at City Hall. The community is home to approximately 55 people.

Edna Bay is a small community of approximately 45 residents located on the southwestern end of Kosciusko Island. This wild island is perched on the outermost edge of the Alexander Archipelago in southern Southeast Alaska. Situated about 38 miles northwest of Craig, Alaska, is accessible only by boat or floatplane.

Edna Bay has a colorful history of mining, timber and fishing operations. It is surrounded by some of the first major harvest activities during WWll. The current settlement was established in 1982. Edna Bay is now a commercial fishing, subsistence, and retirement community with a church, a small well-stocked store, a mill, a Karelian bear dog breeder, and a post office. Falling population led to the close of the school in 2000. There is phone service, a state dock, and an unused log transfer facility at the west end of the bay that can serve as a helicopter landing pad. Kosciusko Island karst landscape, the nearby ocean, and the rainforest make Edna Bay a beautiful place to live, as well as offering wonderful recreation opportunities.

Whale Pass is nestled on the northeast coast of Prince of Wales Island. It was a site of continuous logging since 1964 until early in the 1980's when the last logging camp moved out. Whale Pass was permanently settled as a result of a State land disposal sale. The logging road, connecting Whale Pass to the POW road system, was completed in 1981

There are currently about 65 residents in Whale Pass. The people of Whale Pass are artistic, creative, and hard working. Many residents live subsistence lifestyles. Seasonal services include limited groceries and dry goods, laundromat, gas, nursery, ceramics, a 2nd hand store, short and long term rentals, guide service, and several lodges. Whale Pass is located 64 miles north of Klawock and 25 miles from Naukati. It is also accessible by floatplane.

Whale Pass boasts some of the best fishing on the island. It is surrounded by a multitude of creeks and is snuggly tucked between the bay and Neck Lake. Whale Pass is five miles from Cavern Lake Trail.

Port Protection, located on the northern tip of Prince of Wales Island, is accessible only by boat or float plane. About 60 people live in this small non-Native fishing community. Residents travel to Point Baker for mail. Freight arrives by chartered boat or floatplane. Residents cherish the seclusion and serenity of their community. There are no roads, and most homes lie along the waterfront.

Services include fuel, groceries, laundromat, food & lodging.

Point Baker, a small fishing community about 6 miles from Port Protection, has a population of around 35 people. Point Baker is accessible by float plane, helicopter, barge and skiff. A State-owned seaplane base and heliport serves chartered flights from Ketchikan. The community has a dock and boat harbor. Barges deliver cargo from Wrangell. There is no direct access to the Prince of Wales road system, airport or ferry.

Naukati is located 50 miles north of Craig, and has a population of about 110 people. Naukati was first known as "Naukatee Bay" and was occupied by the Tlingit people. In the 1970s Naukati was established as a logging camp. In 1988 the State of Alaska selected land in the area for community development. In 1990 the state-selected area was offered for sale. The majority of the lots have been purchased. Naukati residents are logging families and homesteaders.

Naukati is known as the gateway to Sea Otter Sound. It is an ideal jumping-off point for kayak, canoe, and small boat exploration of Sea Otter Sound and the islands north and south of Naukati. It is accessible by road, and is accessed by a 3 mile road that leads from the #20 road, the primary north-south road, on the island.

Services include fuel, two general merchandise retail stores, a pet grooming facility, a plant nursery and lodging.

Medical services are limited on Prince of Wales Island. Though several communities have volunteer Emergency Medical Services and a few communities have health clinics, Alicia Roberts Medical Center in Klawock is the hub for medical assistance on the island.

Public Safety for the island is provided by the Alaska State Troopers based out of Klawock.

For more information about services offered in the Communities of Prince of Wales Island visit the web site for the Prince of Wales Chamber of Commerce.