Sitkoh Lake (East) Cabin

Location

SITKA RANGER DISTRICT
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Policies

Check-in

12:00 PM

Check-out

12:00 PM

Max stay

7 nights

About

Sitkoh Lake East Cabin sits at the eastern end of Sitkoh Lake on southeastern Chichagof Island, about 35 air miles northeast of Sitka and roughly a 30-minute floatplane trip when weather allows. The facility is a single 12 by 14-foot Pan abode style wood cabin that sleeps up to six on two double bunks and two single bunks; the site is listed as TOTAL CAMPSITES: 1 and SITE TYPE BREAKDOWN: - 1 Both RV Sites & Tent Sites. Inside you'll find a wood stove for heat, a table with benches, a cooking counter and cupboard, a broom, an axe or splitting maul, and an outdoor screened cooler box; an outhouse sits close by. Water is available from the nearby creek but must be treated, and there are no mattresses or cooking utensils provided, so visitors need to bring sleeping bags and pads, a camp stove, pots and pans, plates and utensils, toilet paper, a lantern, garbage bags, a fire extinguisher and rain gear. A small heavy square-bowed skiff with oars is provided for lake use (bring a long-shaft 2 10 hp outboard if you want powered use), and everyone in the boat should wear a Coast Guard approved personal flotation device; tie the skiff up on shore and remove the plug before leaving so it does not fill with rain. This is a remote site open generally from mid-April through October; access is by floatplane from Sitka, or by boat and trail expect a 3 4 hour boat ride from Sitka to Sitkoh Bay plus a roughly 4.3-mile trail in poor condition to the cabin, or from False Island follow Roads 7540 and 7544 for about 8 miles by foot or OHV and then a 1/2-mile foot trail (#675), leaving OHVs parked at the trailhead. The lake and surrounding country give the place a working-wilderness character: Sitkoh Lake sits at about 194 feet elevation, is roughly 2.5 miles long and a half-mile wide, and is ringed by forested mountains that rise to near 2,500 feet. The old-growth spruce and hemlock around the cabin give way to muskeg and meadows to the east, with seasonal salmonberries and blueberries and Sitkoh Creek where steelhead run in spring and pink, sockeye and coho salmon run July through September close by. Anglers can target cutthroat and Dolly Varden in the lake and timed salmon runs in the creek; deer hunting is common in the surrounding forest and waterfowl hunting is possible at Sitkoh Bay (check seasons and permits with the Alaska Department of Fish and Game). Past logging left an isolated road network ideal for adventurous OHV riding and exploring, and an abandoned logging camp sits about six miles west at False Island. Visitors are responsible for their own travel arrangements and safety; be bear-aware brown bears frequent the area and note reservation policy: only one change per reservation for all Alaska cabins is allowed (a change modifies the start or end date); after one change you must cancel and re-book.