Large numbers of male walrus often gather at this remote headland more than 120 miles southwest of Dillingham between August and November during their annual return to Arctic waters. Guides say the Cape Peirce congregation peaks later in the season than Round Island.
The timing and number of animals seen at Cape Peirce depends a lot on how that particular season’s migration unfolds, as the males make their slow journey up the coast to join females on new pack ice forming during the onset of winter. Part of the immense 4.7-million-acre Togiak National Wildlife Refuge, the cape is in one of the most inaccessible locales of coastal Alaska. Scientists maintain a research and wildlife monitoring camp in the vicinity during the summer. Note: Nanvak Bay—tucked into the western shore of the headland—is known for attracting seals and sea lions along with walruses.
