Kaltag is situated on a 35-foot bluff on the west bank of the
Yukon River, west of the
Innoko National Wildlife Refuge. The village was named by Russians for the Yukon Indian named Kaltaga. Kaltag is in Koyukon Athabascan territory, and was used as a cemetery for surrounding villages. In 1900 food shortages and a measles epidemic struck down one-third of the Native population in the area. The survivors from three nearby seasonal villages moved to the area to regroup, thus Kaltag was established.
Subsistence activities consist of fishing and trapping. Salmon, moose, bear, waterfowl, berries, and more, are harvested.