Anan Bay Cabin
- Right now
- Taking bookingsSites offered on 30 of the next 30 nights read 16:10 UTC
- Sites
- 1All of them booked ahead
The place
the agency’s own description · what’s there · 15 notices
In the agency’s own words
Anan Bay Cabin is popular for wildlife viewing due to its location near Anan Wildlife Observatory, where bears and bald eagles come to fish for salmon in the adjacent creek. The setting in Anan Bay also provides access to saltwater fishing, viewing marine mammals and paddling. The cabin is located about 27 miles southeast of the town of Wrangell, Alaska, and can be accessed by float plane or boat, depending on conditions. Visitors are responsible for their own travel arrangements and safety, and must bring several of their own amenities. Keep reading
Recreation
The 1-mile Anan Creek Trail leads from the cabin to the Anan Wildlife Observatory. During peak viewing season, the months of July and August, Forest Service interpreters are on-site to provide current information on bear safety, trail conditions and bear activity. During peak season no one is allowed past the trailhead before 8am or after 6pm. There is a high possibility of encountering bears on this trail during this time. Fishing is only permitted from the shore at the trailhead between June 15th and September 15th, due to bear activity. No one is allowed off the trail from June 15th to September 15th by order of the Forest Supervisor. Steelhead is available in April and May, and cutthroat trout, Dolly Varden and pink salmon in July and August. There are opportunities to fish for salmon and halibut in the surrounding saltwater. There are no outdoor fires allowed at this cabin due to bear activity.
Facilities
Anan Bay Cabin was originally built in 1964, but a new cabin was constructed in the spring of 2012 using Alaska yellow cedar from the Tongass National Forest. That cabin was destroyed by a fallen tree in 2023. A new cabin was built in 2024. This 16' x 20' cabin with loft was constructed from Western Red Cedar, 2 single bunks, table, benches, oil heater (#1 stove oil only), and outhouse toilet. Bedding, cooking utensils, stove oil not provided. A 40' mooring float is located in front of the cabin in the bay, but is open to use by the general public as well as cabin users. Vessel limit on the float is a maximum of 30 feet long, with a 30" draft. Water and electricity are not provided. Visitors should bring their own supply of water. From June 15th to September 15th visitors are not allowed off trail by order of the Forest Supervisor. Additionally, no dogs are allowed. No food is allowed outside of the cabin and the trailhead from June 15th to September 15th. During permit season of July 5th to August 25th no one is allowed past the trailhead before 8am or after 6pm. Four permits for the observatory are reserved each day for purchase at the trailhead specifically for cabin users. These permits must be purchased on-site at the trailhead using a credit card. If more than 4 permits a day are needed, or if permits are required for the day of departure, they should be purchased in advance through Recreation.gov. Heating oil is not supplied by the Forest Service. In addition to bringing a supply of #1 stove oil, guests should pack sleeping bags, sleeping pads, a cooking stove, lanterns or flashlights, cookware, plates, utensils, food, toilet paper, garbage bags, a fire extinguisher and fire starter. Guests are expected to pack out trash and clean the cabin before leaving. There are no outdoor fires allowed at this cabin. Click here for additional cabin information Natural Features The cabin sits on a gentle slope leading down to the beach, overlooking Anan Bay. The surrounding rainforest is primarily Sitka spruce and western hemlock with some scattered cedar. The slopes around the cabin are gentle to moderate. The nearby lagoon is an intertidal area that often goes dry during low tide. The area provides excellent opportunities to view black and brown bears, harbor seals, bald eagles and various gulls ( bear safety information ). The high number of salmon in nearby Anan Creek allows visitors the opportunity to view their seasonal spawning in the months of July and August.
Nearby Attractions
Anan Wildlife Observatory. During permit season, July 5th - August 25th four permits are reserved each day at the trailhead specifically for cabin users. These permits must be purchased on-site at the trailhead using a credit card. If more than 4 permits per day are needed, or if permits are needed for the day of departure, they should be purchased in advance through Recreation.gov. Charges & Cancellations
What the agency tells you
This facility is located in an extremely remote and wild area; before making a reservation, become aware of bear, water, and weather safety (including cold)
Recreating in Alaska can present both obvious and hidden dangers; please be aware of your surroundings and be prepared for extended stays due to occasionally poor weather
There is no cell phone service at the cabin
Everything else this campground posts · 12
Water is not available at the cabin; guests must bring their own water supply
Please pack out all trash and food
During peak bear-viewing season (July 5 to August 25), day-use permits are needed to visit nearby Anan Wildlife Observatory. A cabin reservation holds 4 permits for each night the cabin is reserved. These permits must be purchased ($30 per day/person) in addition to the cabin fee if guests choose to go to observatory. These held permits must be purchased with a credit card at the trailhead. If cabin users would like to visit the observatory on the day of departure they should purchase passes in advance for their departure day through Recreation.gov. No one is allowed to go past the trailhead up to the observatory before 8am and everyone must come down by 6pm.
Use of this cabin by a commercial operator, such as an outfitter or guide or a charter vessel, is not allowed.
No dogs are allowed at the Anan Bay Cabin from June 15 - September 15 by order of the Forest Supervisor
No camping outside the Anan Bay Cabin from June 15 - September 15 by order of the Forest Supervisor
No hiking off main trail to observatory from June 15 - September 15 by order of the Forest Supervisor
High levels of Paralytic Shellfish Poisoning (PSP) have been reported in this area
There are no outdoor fires allowed.
Click here for more information about Tongass National Forest
The invasive European Green Crab (EGC) has been found in southern Southeast Alaska and is suspected to be in more locations on the Tongass National Forest. Please actively look for and report EGC to help map the distribution and contribute to management.
Food should be properly stored inside the cabin or bear locker and no food scraps left around the cabin to prevent food conditioning the bears which is a safety concern for people and the bears.
Tents and rigs
- Sites
- 1 · 1 cabin
- Hookups
- None
- Accessible sites
- None listed
- Shade
- Every site
Facilities
- Toilets
- Yes, the record doesn't say what kind
- “This 16' x 20' cabin with loft was constructed from Western Red Cedar, 2 single bunks, table, benches, oil heater (#1 stove oil only), and outhouse toilet.”
- Drinking water
- None, bring your own
- “Visitors should bring their own supply of water.”
Around the campground
- On the water
- Creek, Beach, Coast
- Boating
- Fishing
- Hiking
- Observation Site
- Wildlife viewing
2 of 2 site-nights open this Friday and Saturdayread 16:10 UTC
Every site here is reservable, and the record lists none held back for anyone who drives up.
OpenBooked
Watch for a cancellation
Full? Watch it.
One email when a night opens, plus More Than Just Parks dispatches. Unsubscribe any time.
We read recreation.gov once an hour, at 40 minutes past, and write the first time a site in your window is free for the nights you asked for.
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Tell me when the season opens
Watch for the season to open
One email when the season goes on sale, plus More Than Just Parks dispatches. Unsubscribe any time.
We check once an hour, at 40 minutes past, and write the first time the agency has that season on sale.
Scanners that check every few minutes exist, and most of them charge. This one is free, it reads the same calendar, and it won’t always be first.
We make nothing when you book. The link goes straight to the government.
Every line of the receipt · 18
What you actually pay
Who keeps the booking fee
The agency’s own policy text says the reservation fee and the cancellation processing fee are “retained by the reservation service contractor”, and that a campground concessionaire will decline to refund them because “they did not receive these fees”. Recreation.gov is run under contract by Booz Allen Hamilton. What share of your booking fee the contractor keeps isn’t published in any federal dataset we can read, so we print no number for it. Our reporting on the contract →
How we know this receipt · 5
recreation.gov availability, read 16:10 UTC · rules read Sep 9, 2026 · rates Oct 1, 2026 · How we know all this
The sites
1 sites · the site map
All 1 sites
The price is derived by CAMPANAC, not published per site: the per-night rate this campground publishes for each site’s own site type. 1 of the 1 sites listed carry one, and a site whose type has no published rate sits out of the price rather than being called free.
| AREA ANAN BAY CABIN | W20 | cabin nonelectric | 2,540 ft | $35 |
OpenStreetMap has no toilet mapped within 1 km of this campground, so no site here carries a toilet distance. That’s a gap in the map, not a finding about the campground.
Getting there
the map and the coordinate · the agency’s directions · the phone number
Where it is
Anan Lake CabinTongass National Forest · 4.3 mi
Marten Lake CabinTongass National Forest · 6.6 mi
Frosty Bay CabinTongass National Forest · 9.2 mi
Harding River Cabin11 miUpper Salamander Creek CampsiteTongass National Forest · 11 miThoms Creek Crossing Campsite11 miThis cabin is on the mainland at Anan Bay, across Ernest Sound from the southeast corner of Wrangell Island. The site is 27 miles by air from Wrangell, and is accessible by boat and float plane. There is a 30-foot mooring float anchored in the bay for use by the general public as well as cabin users. Please consult local tide reports to determine the best arrival and departure times. The maximum vessel length for the float is 30 feet and the maximum draft is 30 inches, the anchors are not big enough to hold larger vessels. You will need a smaller craft to access the shore from the float.
The weather
the next four days
Next four days, and the thirty-year normal
Forecast
NWS forecast for Wrangell, AK
The land, and who answers for it
what threatens it · who answers for it
What threatens this place
You’re camping on ground somebody wants. We track the threats and the comment deadlines.
Who answers for this land
Anan Bay Cabin is in Alaska’s at-large congressional district. Its representative, Nick Begich (R), votes on the laws that decide what happens to this land. Public-lands grade so far: F. See every public-lands vote →