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

Shakes Slough 2 Cabin

ReservableBookable through April 16; today opens April 17.
Book on recreation.govWe make nothing when you book
Right now
Taking bookingsSites offered on 30 of the next 30 nights read 16:10 UTC
Sites
1All of them booked ahead
40 ftElevation
250 ftWater · an unnamed streamOcean · 4.3 mi
In townWrangell, AK
64%Tree cover
Bortle 1Night sky · 48th darkest of 280 in AK

The place

the agency’s own description · what’s there · 9 notices

In the agency’s own words

Shakes Slough 2 Cabin makes an excellent basecamp for exploring the Stikine River. It is located at the confluence of the Stikine River and Shakes Slough and within a few hundred feet of neighboring Shakes Slough 1 Cabin. These cabins offer spectacular views of the surrounding Stikine-LeConte Wilderness. The site can be accessed by float plane or shallow draft boat, depending on conditions. A tide of at least 14 feet is required to navigate the Stikine River tide flats. Guests are responsible for their own travel arrangements and safety, and must bring several of their own amenities. Keep reading

Recreation

This area of the Stikine River offers plenty of places to explore by boat. Shakes Lake and Glacier are three miles north of the cabin and offer excellent opportunities to view wildlife and scenery. The Chief Shakes Hot Springs are approximately four miles upstream, and can be accessed by boat from Hot Springs Slough, which is off the Ketili Slough. A 0.3-mile trail leads from Hot Springs Slough to the Chief Shakes Hot Springs. Cutthroat trout and Dolly Varden are in the river from June to October, but a boat is needed to reach the trout streams. River levels and tide charts should be checked before any boating activity. Hunting is also available in the area during designated seasons.

Facilities

The 16-by-16 cabin (A-frame style) was built in 1963 and has two single bunks (one with a trundle bed) and a sleeping loft, to accommodate up to seven people. It is also equipped with a table with benches, an oil space heater (No.1 oil only), broom and an outhouse. The partially covered front porch has a bear-proof locker for food storage. Water and electricity are not provided, and there are no natural drinking water sources near the cabin. Guests must bring their own drinking water. Heating oil is not supplied by the Forest Service. In addition to bringing a supply of No.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 matches, among other necessities. Guests are expected to pack out trash and clean the cabin before leaving ( click here for more cabin details).

Natural Features

The cabin is tucked into a stand of spruce trees, set back from the bank of the Stikine River. It overlooks Shakes Slough and offers spectacular views of Popof Glacier, Mount Basargin and other nearby peaks. The vegetation in front of the cabin is primarily ferns and salmonberry, with willow and alder along the slough. The surrounding rainforest consists of Sitka spruce and western hemlock, with cottonwood on the valley bottom. Brown and black bears roam the area, and moose are sometimes seen among the willow thickets ( bear safety information ). Mountain goats can occasionally be spotted in the surrounding mountains. The Stikine River tide flats are a major stopover point in the spring and fall for migratory shorebirds and waterfowl.

Charges & Cancellations

A $10.00 service fee will apply if you change or cancel your reservation. Late cancellations are subject to additional fees. For full details see NRRS Reservation Policy.

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

Water is not available at the cabin; please observe water safety when using waterfrom natural sources

Everything else this campground posts · 6
Rule

There is no cell phone service at the cabin

Rule

Please pack out all trash and food

Rule

This cabin is in a designated wilderness area; access by helicopter is illegal

Rule

Click here for more information about 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 · 1 cabin
Hookups
None
Accessible sites
None listed
Shade
Every site
Source: Recreation.gov campsite records · Aug 23, 2026

Facilities

Toilets
Yes, the record doesn't say what kind
OUTHOUSE on 1 of 1 campsite records
Drinking water
None, bring your own
“Guests must bring their own drinking water.”

Around the campground

On the water
Hot springs, Lake, River, Creek
Boating
Fishing
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.

OpenBooked

Booking window6 months outBookable now through April 16, 2027. Today at 10 AM ET, availability opens through April 17, 2027.recreation.gov
Max stay10 nightsthe facility record
Sites, a night, from$40From the rate schedule matched to 1 of its 1 sites. U.S. Forest Service publishes no campground-level rate we can read.derived by CAMPANAC
If plans change$10 to cancel$10 to change a reservation; this campground publishes its own terms toorecreation.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 Sat, May 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 · 18

What you actually pay

The sign priceU.S. Forest Service
Sites, a night, from$40
Derived by CAMPANAC from the rate schedule matched to 1 of its 1 sites. U.S. Forest Service publishes no campground-level rate for this campground that we can read, only per-site rate templates its own record matches to each site’s own type.
Group area, a night$40
Rates for the season the campground is in now, Oct 1, 2026 to Dec 31, 2026.
Reservations can be made the day of arrival or up to 180 days in advance of cabin arrival.
Cabin reservations are restricted to a maximum stay of 7 consecutive nights per party for any one reservation between May 1 and September 30, and 10 consecutive days from Oct. 1 through April 30.
There are no discounts for Alaska cabin rentals with Golden Age and Golden Passports.
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

“A $10.00 service fee will apply if you change or cancel your reservation.” · this campground’s own terms

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 · 6

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
Cabin or shelter1
Aerial · Esri World Imagery
SleepsUp to

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 SHAKES SLOUGH 2 CABINW02cabin nonelectric250 ft$40

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
Coordinate56.71528, -132.10500
The phone907-874-2323
The agency’s pageOfficial page ↗

Where it is

Getting there

The Shakes Slough Cabins are located in the Stikine-LeConte Wilderness on the north shore of the Stikine River at the Shakes Slough entrance. From Wrangell, the cabins are 20 miles by float plane or 25 miles by shallow draft boat.

Low river levels and tides affect access to the cabin ( Stikine River level at Shakes Gage ). A minimum depth of 14 feet is required for navigating through the Stikine River tide flats. The river is normally ice-free May to October.

The weather

the next four days · the thirty-year normal

Next four days, and the thirty-year normal

Forecast

Tonight39°Chance Rain Showers46% rain
Saturday43°Rain Showers100% rain
Saturday Night40°Rain Showers100% rain
Sunday42°Rain Showers100% rain

NWS forecast for Wrangell, AK

Typical weather

Typical October night 39°F, day 47°F.

Coldest month of the year: typical January night 27°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 Julys are colder than the July line. The seven-day forecast above answers the other question.

Measured at: PETERSBURG 1, AK (USW00025329), 32 miles away and 67 ft higher

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.

Source: MTJP Threatened Lands map · Oct 16, 2026

Who answers for this land

Nick Begich, official portrait

Shakes Slough 2 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 30 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.