U.S. Forest Service · Tongass National Forest · AK

Freds Creek Cabin

ReservableBookable through April 16; today opens April 17.
Book on recreation.govWe make nothing when you book
Right now
Taking bookingsSites offered on 26 of the next 30 nights read 16:10 UTC
Sites
1All of them booked ahead
80 ftElevation
557 ftWater · Freds CreekOcean · 426 ft · to the Gulf of Alaska
In townSitka, AK
73%Tree cover
Bortle 2Night sky · 187th darkest of 280 in AK

The place

the agency’s own description · what’s there · 12 notices

In the agency’s own words

Fred's Creek Cabin is located 10 miles west of Sitka on the southeastern shore of Kruzof Island and is available year round, weather permitting. Its proximity to a creek and a hiking trail that leads to the cone of a dormant volcano makes the cabin an excellent base to experience and explore this beautiful area in Alaska. The cabin can be accessed by boat, though erratic waves on Kruzof Island can make landings difficult. Helicopters may land during low tide. Keep reading

Recreation

The 6.7-mile Mount Edgecumbe Trail offers a gradual hike to the cone of Mount Edgecumbe through miles of muskeg and forest. At the cone, the trail becomes very steep but hikers are rewarded with panoramic views on clear days. Cabin visitors may encounter tour groups passing near the cabin to access the trailhead. In addition to hiking, guests enjoy beachcombing, viewing the breaking surf on the rugged shoreline and exploring varied pumice and volcanic rock formations on the beach and in Fred's Creek. Deer hunting is also an option. For information about fishing and hunting permits and seasons, visit the Alaska Department of Fish and Game website.

Facilities

The 15 by 18-foot Pan-abode-style wood cabin can accommodate 8 people. It is equipped with plywood bunks downstairs and a full sleeping loft accessed by a staircase. A wood stove for heat, axe or splitting maul, table, benches, cooking counter and an outhouse are provided. A deck extends off the front of the cabin. The cabin does not include mattresses or cooking utensils. Visitors must bring sleeping bags and pads, a cooking stove, pots, pans, plates, utensils, food, toilet paper, a lantern, garbage bags, fire extinguisher, fire starter, raingear and rubber boots. Water is available from Fred's Creek but must be treated before using. It's recommended that visitors bring their own water. A mooring buoy is available on a first come, first served basis. Cabin reservations do not include exclusive use of the buoy. Mooring buoys are configured using a 4200-lb concrete block with 90 feet of 1 5/8th-inch stud link chain. Mariners are responsible for determining how suitable an anchoring system is for the size of their craft. Care should be taken when unloading and anchoring, as the surf breaks along a pumice-rock shoreline. No protected anchorage is available. Click here for more cabin information and maps.

Natural Features

The oceanfront cabin is situated on Sitka Sound on a rocky Kruzof Island shoreline surrounded by fairly flat terrain. Fred's Creek flows to saltwater just north of the cabin. A spruce and hemlock forest covers the area. The cabin is 5 miles south of Brent's Beach Cabin. The cabin is just east of Mount Edgecumbe, a 3,200-foot dormant volcano that dominates the landscape. Humpback whales can often be seen offshore in early spring and late fall. Sea otters, sea lions, puffins and other sea birds can also be seen. Brown bear frequent the area.

What the agency tells you

Rule

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)

Rule

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

Rule

Cabin is not maintained in the winter

Everything else this campground posts · 9
Rule

No protected boat anchorage; a first-come, first-served mooring buoy is provided but is exposed to rough water; cabin reservations do not include exclusive use of the buoy

Rule

Treat or boil water before drinking

Rule

Firewood may be in short supply or temporarily out at any time of the year

Rule

All garbage and food must be packed out

Rule

Local wave action on the beach may make landing dangerous or impossible; it is recommended that boaters avoid approaching the beach and unloading while the tide is turning; inexperienced boaters or out-of-town visitors are encouraged to use the services of a local charter boat operator

Rule

For boat or air charters, contact the Sitka Convention and Visitors Bureau at 907-747-5940 or online

Rule

Learn more about the Tongass National Forest

Rule

Don't Move Firewood: Prevent the spread of tree-killing pests by purchasing firewood near your destination and burning it on-site. For more information visit dontmovefirewood.org.

Rule

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.

Read them on the agency’s own page →

Tents and rigs

Sites
1
Hookups
None
Accessible sites
None listed
Source: Recreation.gov campsite records · Aug 23, 2026

Facilities

Toilets
Yes, the record doesn't say what kind
“A wood stove for heat, axe or splitting maul, table, benches, cooking counter and an outhouse are provided.”
Drinking water
None, bring your own
“It's recommended that visitors bring their own water.”

Around the campground

On the water
Creek, Beach
Hiking
Hunting
Wildlife viewing
Source: Recreation.gov activity records · Aug 23, 2026

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.

OpenBookedClosed

Booking window6 months outBookable now through April 16, 2027. Today at 10 AM ET, availability opens through April 17, 2027.recreation.gov
Max stay7 nightsthe facility record
If plans change$10 to cancel$10 to change a reservationrecreation.gov’s schedule
Runs itU.S. Forest ServiceBooked through recreation.govthe agency’s record
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.

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.

Free forever, no booking kickbacks.
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’ll write once, when the season that starts Tue, Jun 1 2027 is open for booking.

Free forever, no booking kickbacks.
Book on recreation.gov

We make nothing when you book. The link goes straight to the government.

Every line of the receipt · 14

What you actually pay

The sign priceU.S. Forest Service
The U.S. Forest Service publishes no per-night rate for this campground that we can read, so there’s no sign price to print. That’s a gap in the record, not a free campground.
Group area, a night$60
Rates for the season the campground is in now, Oct 1, 2026 to Dec 31, 2026.
Only one change per reservation for all Alaska cabins is allowed.
Change is defined as a modification to the start or end date of the reservation
after one change has been made, if additional changes are desired, the customer must cancel the current reservation and re-book the new dates.
The booking feerecreation.gov
Reservation fee, booked online$8
One fee per reservation, however many nights you book, and it’s non-refundable. $9 if you book by phone, $3 in person.
Pass discounts only apply to the recreation (or use) fee for the facility. Other charges such as electricity or water hookups, reservation or other fees are not eligible for a discount.
What a stay costs
The agency publishes no nightly rate for this campground, so there’s nothing to add the $8 booking fee to. We won’t total a receipt with a number missing from it.
If your plans changerecreation.gov
Change fee, moving to dates outside your booking$10
Cancellation fee$10
Cancelling the day before, or the day of$10 + your first night
No-show$20 + your first night

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 · 4

recreation.gov availability, read 16:10 UTC · rules read Sep 9, 2026 · rates Oct 1, 2026 · How we know all this

Seen something wrong here? Tell us.

The sites

1 sites · the site map

All 1 sites

1 of 1 sites located
Standard1
Aerial · Esri World Imagery
Sleeps

Measured shade is NLCD Tree Canopy Cover 2024 (USDA Forest Service / MRLC) read at the site’s own coordinate, 27% canopy or more, and only for the sites the agency gave no Shade value. It never changes the agency’s own shaded count beside it.

AREA FREDS CREEK CABINS10standard nonelectric557 ft

Getting there

the map and the coordinate · the agency’s directions · the phone number
Coordinate57.06639, -135.60734
The phone907-747-6671
The agency’s pageOfficial page ↗

Where it is

Getting there

Accessible year round, weather permitting. Located 10 miles west of Sitka on the southeast shore of Kruzof Island. Access is 30 minutes by boat from Sitka. Helicopter landing on beach is possible at lower tides. Refer to USGS topographic maps Sitka A-5, A-6.

Local wave action on the beach may make landing dangerous or impossible. Please consult local tide tables. It is recommended that boaters avoid approaching the beach and unloading while the tide is turning. Inexperienced boaters or out-of-town visitors are encouraged to use the services of a local charter boat operator.

For boat or air charters, contact the Sitka Convention and Visitors Bureau at 907-747-5940 or online.

The weather

the next four days · the thirty-year normal

Next four days, and the thirty-year normal

Forecast

This Afternoon54°Showers And Thunderstorms75% rain
Tonight45°Showers And Thunderstorms100% rain
Saturday52°Rain Showers100% rain
Saturday Night44°Rain Showers96% rain

NWS forecast for Sitka, AK

Typical weather

Typical October night 42°F, day 51°F.

Coldest month of the year: typical February night 32°F, below freezing. Bring a bag rated colder than that, and expect ice in the water bottle.

70°32°20°

Daily high and lowDays with 0.10 in or more

A normal is the 1991-2020 average for the month, not a forecast: about half of all Augusts are colder than the August line. The seven-day forecast above answers the other question.

Measured at: SITKA AIRPORT, AK (USW00025333), 9 miles away and 66 ft lower

The land, and who answers for it

what threatens it · who answers for it

What threatens this place

Roadless
South Kruzof55,193 acres · 5 mi · inventoried roadless area

You’re camping on ground somebody wants. We track the threats and the comment deadlines.

Source: MTJP Threatened Lands map · Oct 16, 2026

Who answers for this land

Nick Begich, official portrait

Freds Creek 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 →

Seen something wrong here? Tell us.

How we know

every fact on this page, and where it came from
Right now: recreation.gov is offering sites on 26 of the next 30 nights, which isn’t something a closed campground does.
Cell signal: the Forest Service’s own campground description, read as text by CAMPANAC. None of this is a measurement. It’s what the land manager published about the place, and phones, carriers and weather all disagree with each other; treat it as a warning, not a promise.