Hall Island, Alaska Cruises

Hall Island, Alaska Cruise Port

• While no permanent dwellings are on the island, there are typically a group of scientists there at any given point. These biologists are here to check on the seabirds, which give good indicators of how the ecosystem is doing. Indeed, Hall Island is a birdwatcher's paradise, with thousands of birds that include kittiwakes, murres, and cormorants. The McKay’s bunting breeds on here and on nearby St. Matthew Island, the only two places in the world that they do so.
   
• Because the island is part of the Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge, you'll see protected animals as well as birds. These include Northern sea lions, Arctic foxes, gray whales, and of course, the walruses that gave the island its original name.
   
• Aspiring botanists will find the island a riot of wildflowers during growing season. Keep an eye out for colorful pink and yellow louseworts and blue Jacob’s ladder, among just a few.
   
• There is hidden history waiting to be found here, which may have been left behind by the Russians and their Aleut slaves around 1810. Current finds include spikes, nails, and the remains of huts.