Claybluff Point is a low headland at the base of the Robinson Mountains, one mile (1.6 km) east of Icy Cape, about 34 miles (55 km) east-southeast of Yakataga and 69 miles (111 km) northwest of Yakutat, Alaska. Icy Cape marks the northwest entrance to Icy Bay. Its English name is a translation of the Russian “Ledyanoi,” published by the U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey in 1868. Captain Alessandro Malaspina had earlier named the cape “Punta Olavide,” in 1791.

The Alaska Mental Health Trust Authority owns Icy Cape and 45,000 acres (18,210 ha) of surrounding land. Revenue from Trust lands funds programs for Alaska’s most vulnerable populations. About 30 miles (48 km) of the Icy Cape forelands hold significant timber reserves, along with prospects of gold and industrial heavy minerals such as garnet, rutile, zircon, magnetite, epidote, and platinum-group metals. The Trust is developing plans to extract these minerals, and timber-cutting operations are already under way.

Icy Cape is one of the most isolated areas in Alaska where timber operations take place, making logistics extremely challenging. No roads reach the area, which is accessible only by sea or air. Public access is prohibited, and no recreational activities are permitted. Existing infrastructure includes logging roads, log-transfer facilities, an airstrip, and maintenance buildings. Read more here and here. Explore more of Claybluff Point and Icy Cape here: