Adak helped protect the country during World War II. It’s part of the Aleutian Island chain and stretches more than 1,000 miles west across the Pacific from the Alaska Peninsula.
When we arrived in Adak, City Manager Breck Craig said the words that defined our trip: "Seven doors of doom." The Seven Doors of Doom used to contain nuclear weapons.
A lot of people visit Adak to see the crumbling military base, but it's the wildlife, land, and sea that are the real treat. The Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge is a habitat for marine mammals and some 40 million seabirds.
Most Alaskans know the story of Adak: it became a U.S. military base during World War II to fend off a feared Japanese invasion of Alaska. Because it’s close to Russia, it remained a strategic base and submarine surveillance center throughout the Cold War. Now, in about three hours on an Alaska Airlines 737 from Anchorage, there are epic experiences to be had here.
With only about 50 people living on Adak year-round, you're pretty limited in where you can eat. There are two restaurants and a little sundries shop with very, very limited hours.
Once you’ve arrived in Adak, there are only a few rental options to spend the night.
We booked our three-bedroom, six-bed duplex through The Adak/Aleutian Experience.
We sleepily make our way to the terminal where our flight to Adak is expected to be about three hours. Turns out there wasn't a real reason to rush; our flight has less than 20 people for a comfortable flight on an Alaska Airlines 737.
