On nearby Kupreanof Island, the Petersburg Mountain and Petersburg Lake trails provide good hiking and great views. Both paths begin at Bayou Point directly across Wrangell Narrows. Contact Petersburg Creek Charters (907/772-2425, www.alaska.net/~psgcreek) for a water taxi from town. A number of Forest Service cabins are available on Kupreanof.

For Petersburg Mountain Trail, walk north (right) up the road 1.5 miles to the trail marker. Be prepared for a very steep, muddy, and brushy path rising 3,000 feet in a distance of only 2.5 miles. From the top, however, you’ll be rewarded with outstanding views of the entire Petersburg area.

Petersburg Lake Trail provides an easy 6.5-mile hike to a Forest Service cabin on Petersburg Lake within the 46,777-acre Petersburg Creek–Duncan Salt Chuck Wilderness. Check with the Forest Service for current conditions for both of these trails. From Petersburg Lake it’s possible to continue another 10.5 miles along a primitive trail to the Forest Service’s Salt Chuck East Cabin. The trail is nearly level the entire distance and offers spectacular views of Portage Mountain.

On the south end of Kupreanof Island is Kah Sheets Lake, where the Forest Service has a very popular A-frame cabin. It’s a 30-minute flight from Petersburg. A three-mile trail leads from the lake to Kah Sheets Bay, where you can fish for coho and sockeye salmon. A second Forest Service cabin sits along the bay.

West Point Cabin, in Portage Bay on the north end of Kupreanof Island, is a great spot to watch for whales, and the beach makes for good hiking.