USFS · Alaska

Kuiu Wilderness

Kuiu Wilderness is bordered on the east by Sumner Strait and on the west by Chatham Strait and near the southern end of Kuiu Island. The northern boundary is shared with Tebenkof Bay Wilderness. Three...

Description from Wilderness Connect (wilderness.net), where the full text continues.

Official page at Wilderness Connect ↗
Kuiu Wilderness
Photo from Wilderness Connect, wilderness.net
DesignationWilderness
Managed byU.S. Forest Service
StateAlaska
Size60,183 acres (Wilderness Connect)
Designated1990, by Congress
Center point56.2944, -134.1164
Night skyAbout as dark as the ground gets (Black Marble reading 7)

Boundary map

2 outlines

Boundary, simplified to about 0.005 degrees

The outline is the agency boundary simplified for display, so small parcels and inholdings may not show. The agency page has the authoritative map.

Weather by month

NOAA climate normals →
Weather by month near Kuiu Wilderness30°40°50°60°January: 8.36 inches of precipitationFebruary: 5.24 inches of precipitationMarch: 5.06 inches of precipitationApril: 4.79 inches of precipitationMay: 4.79 inches of precipitationJune: 2.91 inches of precipitationJuly: 5.02 inches of precipitationAugust: 6.60 inches of precipitationSeptember: 10.73 inches of precipitationOctober: 11.06 inches of precipitationNovember: 9.33 inches of precipitationDecember: 8.39 inches of precipitationJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecJanuary: 34.5°F averageFebruary: 35.1°F averageMarch: 36.5°F averageApril: 41.6°F averageMay: 47.2°F averageJune: 51.8°F averageJuly: 54.4°F averageAugust: 54.9°F averageSeptember: 50.7°F averageOctober: 44.4°F averageNovember: 38.4°F averageDecember: 35.3°F average0 in5 in10 in15 inTemp °FInches
The line is the average temperature and the bars are average precipitation at Pt Baker, 19 miles from the center point at 20 feet, station USC00507421 in the NOAA monthly climate normals for 1991 to 2020. Precipitation totals about 82 inches a year.

Large units span more than one climate. The station stands in for the center point, and the outer parts of the boundary can be warmer or colder.

Where to camp

Campsite Atlas →

No federal campground is within ten miles of the boundary in the Campsite Atlas index. Camping inside a wilderness is usually allowed away from trails and water, with no facilities; the managing agency page has the permit and group-size rules.

1 named Forest Service trail enters this wilderness, 2 miles in all.

TrailMiles
Affleck Canal Portage Trail1.9

Lengths and allowed uses come from the Forest Service trail layer by way of Trailhead Atlas, refreshed September 18, 2026. Trails in plain text have no page there yet.

Explore

Nearby on the other atlases

National Register listings within 15 miles · 2 in all · Register Atlas

Landmarks are listed first, then by distance from the boundary.

Reference

Questions people ask

How big is Kuiu Wilderness?

60,183 acres.

Source: Wilderness Connect

Who manages Kuiu Wilderness?

The U.S. Forest Service.

Source: Wilderness Connect

What state is Kuiu Wilderness in?

Alaska.

Source: Wilderness Connect

When was Kuiu Wilderness designated?

Congress designated it in 1990.

Source: Wilderness Connect

Can I camp at Kuiu Wilderness?

No federal campground is within ten miles of the boundary in the Campsite Atlas index. Camping inside a wilderness is usually allowed away from roads, with no facilities; the managing agency page has the permit rules.

Source: Wilderness Connect

How do I get to Kuiu Wilderness?

A point inside the boundary is at 56.294, -134.116. The official page carries directions and the office address.

Source: Wilderness Connect

How dark is the night sky at Kuiu Wilderness?

NASA’s Black Marble night-lights image reads 7 on a 0 to 255 scale at the center point, about as dark as the ground gets.

Source: NASA Black Marble

Are there historic places near Kuiu Wilderness?

2 National Register listings within 15 miles, including Hansen, Karl, House and Cape Decision Light Station.

Source: Register Atlas

Sources

  • Boundary, name, acreage, designation year, states and description: Wilderness Connect.
  • Campgrounds: the Campsite Atlas index of federal campgrounds, matched to this boundary at build time.
  • Trailheads and sites: the Forest Service Recreation Opportunities layer, points inside the boundary.
  • Trails: the Trailhead Atlas open-data file of Forest Service trails, matched on the wilderness each trail enters.
  • Night sky: NASA Black Marble (VIIRS, 2016 composite) sampled at zoom 6 around the center point.
  • Weather, alerts, air quality, river flow and earthquakes load live in your browser from NWS, AirNow, USGS and iNaturalist when you open the page.