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Prince of Wales-Hyder

Small Craft Advisory issued September 19 at 12:38AM AKDT until September 20 at 10:00AM AKDT by NWS Juneau AK

12:38 AM — 8:45 AM

* WHAT...For the first Small Craft Advisory, southeast winds 15 to 25 kt with gusts up to 40 kt expected. For the second Small Craft Advisory, south winds 20 to 30 kt with gusts up to 35 kt expected. * WHERE...Clarence Strait. * WHEN...For the first Small Craft Advisory, until 10 PM AKDT this evening. For the second Small Craft Advisory, from 4 AM to 10 AM AKDT Sunday. * IMPACTS...Conditions will be hazardous to small craft.

Small Craft Advisory issued September 19 at 12:38AM AKDT until September 19 at 10:00PM AKDT by NWS Juneau AK

12:38 AM — 8:45 AM

* WHAT...For the first Small Craft Advisory, southeast winds 15 to 25 kt with gusts up to 40 kt expected. For the second Small Craft Advisory, south winds 20 to 30 kt with gusts up to 35 kt expected. * WHERE...Clarence Strait. * WHEN...For the first Small Craft Advisory, until 10 PM AKDT this evening. For the second Small Craft Advisory, from 4 AM to 10 AM AKDT Sunday. * IMPACTS...Conditions will be hazardous to small craft.

Small Craft Advisory issued September 19 at 12:38AM AKDT until September 21 at 6:00AM AKDT by NWS Juneau AK

12:38 AM — 8:45 AM

* WHAT...South winds 20 to 30 kt with gusts up to 40 kt and seas 13 to 18 ft. * WHERE...Dixon Entrance to Cape Decision out to 15 NM, Cape Decision to Cape Edgecumbe out to 15 NM and Dixon Entrance to Cape Decision from 15 to 90 NM. * WHEN...Until 6 AM AKDT Monday. * IMPACTS...Conditions will be hazardous to small craft.

Overview

Prince of Wales-Hyder Census Area is a vast wilderness region in Southeast Alaska's Alexander Archipelago, encompassing Prince of Wales Island (the 4th largest island in the US), the remote exclave of Hyder, and Annette Island. The area sits within the Tongass National Forest—America's largest national forest at nearly 17 million acres. The region is accessible via the Inter-Island Ferry Authority, which runs daily service departing Ketchikan at 3:30 PM and arriving in Hollis at 6:30 PM. Prince of Wales features over 1,500 miles of roads (mostly paved or improved gravel, some logging roads) designated as an Alaska Scenic Byway, making it exceptionally accessible for vehicle-based camping compared to most Southeast Alaska destinations. The Forest Service maintains 20+ public use cabins available through Recreation.gov, plus two developed campgrounds: Eagle's Nest (Thorne Bay Road) and Harris River (Craig-Klawock-Hollis Highway), both operating on a first-come, first-served basis at $8/night. The island offers extensive backcountry opportunities within designated wilderness areas including Karta River, South Prince of Wales, Maurille Islands, and Warren Island wilderness areas. The region experiences a temperate rainforest climate with significant precipitation year-round. Hyder, the easternmost town in Alaska, has no direct road access to other Alaskan communities but connects to the road system only via Stewart, British Columbia. The state is currently studying the possibility of a ferry terminal at Hyder. Major communities include Craig, Metlakatla, Thorne Bay, Klawock, and Coffman Cove. Recent news indicates the Tongass is undergoing Land Management Plan Revision, and communities recently received nearly $2 million in federal funding for infrastructure improvements.

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