Group of people around a Russian cross in tall grass
In September 2009, Nick Lekanoff, Sr., former Makushin resident, traveled with his daughter and other descendants of Makushin on the Tiglax to visit the village site, which had been left behind in the evacuation of 1942 and never permanently resettled. NPS Photo

Aleutian Islands World War II National Historic Area

National Historic Site · Alaska · National Park Service

The remote Aleutian Islands, home to the Unangax̂ (Aleut) people for over 8,000 years, became a fiercely contested Pacific battleground in World War II. Some Unangax̂ were taken from their homelands as Japanese prisoners of war while the others were evacuated from the islands by the government. Both groups suffered greatly during the war, and some would never return to their villages.

Plan your visit

Know before you go

Phone
907-581-9944
Official site
www.nps.gov
Managed by
National Park Service

Getting there

Directions on Google Maps →

What's here

Highlights: Archeology · Aviation · Colonization and Settlement · Forts · Incarceration · Maritime · Coastal Defenses · Maritime - Military · Ships and Shipwrecks · Military · US Army · US Navy · US Marines · US Coast Guard · US Air Force (Army Air Corps) · Indigenous and Native Warrior · Battlefields · Monuments and Memorials · Native American Heritage · Religion and Spirituality · Tragic Events · Forced Marches · Massacres · Wars and Conflicts · World War II · Arctic · Tundra · Coasts, Islands and Atolls · Mountains · Scenic Views

Activities & features: Guided Tours · Self-Guided Tours - Walking · Self-Guided Tours - Auto · Junior Ranger Program · Wildlife Watching · Birdwatching · Museum Exhibits

Photos

  • People crowd at the railing of a ship
    Photograph courtesy National Archives
  • Six men with guns carry a person on a stretcher in a valley.
    Photo courtesy National Archives
  • A uniformed man holds up a broken Russian cross
    Photo courtesy National Archives

Parks of Alaska

Wickersham State Historical SiteMontana Creek State Recreation SiteChena River State Recreation SiteDonnelly Creek State Recreation SiteSitka National Historical ParkHalibut Point State Recreation SiteDenali National Park & PreserveGrindall Island State Marine ParkShoup Bay State Marine ParkAnchor River State Recreation AreaCape Krusenstern National MonumentJuneau Area Islands State Marine ParkSecurity Bay State Marine ParkEagle Beach State Recreation AreaBaranof Castle State Historical ParkLake Aleknagik State Recreation SiteSummit Lake State Recreation SiteWrangell - St Elias National Park & PreserveAfognak Island State ParkAlaska Chilkat Bald Eagle PreserveUpper Chatanika River State Recreation SiteYukon - Charley Rivers National PreserveKachemak Bay State ParkJack Bay State Marine ParkChena River State Recreation AreaKatmai National Park & PreserveCaptain Cook State Recreation AreaFort Abercrombie State Historical ParkKachemak Bay State Wilderness ParkPasagshak State Recreation SiteThom's Place State Marine ParkLiberty Falls State Recreation SiteErnest Gruening State Historical ParkMatanuska Lakes State Recreation AreaBering Land Bridge National PreserveOld Sitka State Historical ParkPoint Bridget State ParkKlondike Gold Rush National Historical ParkMagoun Islands State Marine ParkSt. James Bay State Marine ParkJuneau Trail SystemDeep Creek State Recreation AreaLake Clark National Park & PreserveNinilchik State Recreation AreaDall Bay State Marine ParkChugach State ParkIñupiat Heritage CenterFunter Bay State Marine ParkNoatak National PreservePavlof Harbor State Marine ParkClam Gulch State Recreation AreaShelter Island State Marine ParkBuskin River State Recreation SiteJohnson Lake State Recreation AreaLowell Point State Recreation SiteAfognak Island State Recreation AreaShuyak Island State ParkSullivan Island State Marine ParkOld Kasilof Landing State Recreation SiteLower Chatanika River State Recreation AreaMatanuska Glacier State Recreation SiteSurprise Cove State Marine ParkMoon Lake State Recreation SiteWoody Island State Recreation SiteSquirrel Creek State Recreation SiteBlack Sands Beach State Marine ParkSealion Cove State Marine ParkSalcha River State Recreation SiteEagle Trail State Recreation SiteAlagnak Wild RiverGrant Island State Marine ParkTok River State Recreation SiteMosquito Cove State Recreation SiteHatcher Pass Management Area-EastQuartz Lake State Recreation AreaDelta State Recreation SiteTaku Harbor State Marine ParkKenai River Special Management AreaFinger Lake State Recreation SiteBlueberry Lake State Recreation SiteKing Mountain State Recreation SiteKenai Fjords National ParkPetroglyph Beach State Historical ParkOliver Inlet State Marine ParkCrooked Creek State Recreation SiteHarding Lake State Recreation AreaPortage Cove State Recreation SiteAniakchak National Monument & PreserveChilkat Islands State Marine ParkJoe Mace Island State Marine ParkRefuge Cove State Recreation SiteRocky Lake State Recreation SiteHole in the Wall State Marine ParkStariski State Recreation SiteBig Delta State Historical ParkDenali State ParkBetton Island State Marine ParkGates Of The Arctic National Park & PreserveClearwater State Recreation SiteChilkoot Lake State Recreation SiteNancy Lake State Recreation AreaSettlers Cove State Recreation SiteThumb Cove State Marine ParkFort Rousseau Causeway State Historical ParkEveline State Recreation SiteIndependence Mine State Historical ParkChilkat State ParkWillow Creek State Recreation AreaChena Pump State Recreation SiteBirch Lake State Recreation SiteBeecher Pass State Marine ParkSouth Esther Island State Marine ParkKasilof River State Recreation SiteDry Creek State Recreation SiteNancy Lake State Recreation SiteKobuk Valley National ParkCaines Head State Recreation AreaDecision Point State Marine ParkBig Bear/Baby Bear State Marine ParkGlacier Bay National Park & PreserveWorthington Glacier State Recreation SiteFielding Lake State Recreation SiteTotem Bight State Historical ParkLake Louise State Recreation AreaPorcupine Creek State Recreation Site

126 parks mapped in Alaska

You're looking at Aleutian Islands World War II National Historic Area — the gold marker.

Every dot is a park. Tap one to jump to it.

Browse all Alaska parks →

Sources: National Park Service · updated 2026-08-12