The north end of Woody Island is a 112-acre State Recreation Site. Woody Island State Recreation Site is bordered on the west side by approximately 200 acres of public land owned by the Kodiak Island Borough. The remainder of the thirteen-mile circumference island is privately owned.

Woody Island is a popular kayaking and camping destination. Be sure to pull kayaks above the tide line.

Rainbow trout can be caught in Long Lake. The island holds a small number of Sitka Black-tailed Deer. Kodiak Bears are sometimes not seen on Woody Island for years, but are at least occasionally present. Waterfowl are sometimes abundant in Crab Lagoon and Salt Lake.

Woody Island was home for centuries to the Alutiiq people, who fished and hunted there before the Russians established their own agricultural colony. Life re-surged in the late 1800's with a Baptist Orphanage and a small town on the island. Woody Island also has served as a staging ground for military communications during World War II. Now, all that is left is a small Christian summer camp run by the American Baptists. (excerpt from the Kodiak Military History Museum web site). For further information on the history of Woody Island, visit the Kodiak Military History.