Terror Bay lies on Kodiak Island‘s northern coast and extends about 7 miles (11 km) south from Uganik Passage to the mouth of Terror River in Kodiak National Wildlife Refuge, roughly 32 miles (52 km) east-north-east of Larsen Bay and 30 miles (48km) west-south-west of Kodiak, Alaska. Kodiak National Wildlife Refuge encompasses 1,990,418 acres (805,494 ha) of the south-western two-thirds of Kodiak Island, Uganik Island, the Red Peaks area of Afognak Island and all of Ban Island in the archipelago. Terror River begins at an unnamed glacier on Mount Glottof’s northeastern flank at an elevation of 3,200 feet (975 m) and flows generally north-north-east for 5 miles (8 km) to Terror Lake, which is about 3 miles (5 km) long, then flows another 7 miles (11km) north-west to Terror Bay, draining a watershed of 31,391 acres (12,704 ha). The lake and river were named after the bay, which William C. Hodgkins of the US Coast and Geodetic Survey named in 1909.

Terror River’s headwaters flow through exposed rocks of an igneous intrusion consists mainly of quartz diorite with some diorite and gabbro that formed during the late Late Cretaceous and early Paleogene periods. Below Terror Lake the river flows through marine sedimentary rocks, mostly graywacke, slate, and argillite that developed during the late Cretaceous. The Terror River watershed vegetation includes salt marshes in the bay and hillsides covered with dense shrub thickets interspersed with meadows. Alpine vegetation includes low willow, sedges, and heath. The refuge contains seven large rivers and about 100 streams which are spawning grounds for all five species of Pacific salmon, steelhead, and Dolly Varden. Salmon in Terror River are abundant throughout the summer, with pink, chum, and coho salmon being the most common. An estimated 2,300 brown bears inhabit the refuge, with a density in the Terror Lake watershed of one bear per 247 acres (100 ha). Terror River lies within the traditional territory of the Koniag Alutiiq people; however, the general scarcity of food resources, other than bears and a sparse cover of salmonberries, suggests that human use of the area may have been limited.

Terror Lake is a natural lake in a glaciated valley with a hydroelectric power project that was built in 1985 and expanded in 2013. The project diverts water from the Terror River valley into a tunnel that discharges water into the Kizhuyak River. The hydroelectric plant at Terror Lake replaced earlier diesel-engine generators at Kodiak, which are now used only for peak electricity loads during the fishing season. The principal loads for the utility are the city, the US Coast Guard base and the airport. The hydroelectric station is operated by the Kodiak Electric Association, an electrical co-operative owned by the customers. Kodiak Electric also operates six 1.5-megawatt wind turbines on Pillar Mountain and a 3-megawatt battery bank. Read more here and here. Explore more of Terror River and Kodiak National Wildlife Refuge here: