Sitkoh Lake (East) Cabin
- Right now
- Taking bookingsSites offered on 30 of the next 30 nights read 16:05 UTC
- Sites
- 1All of them booked ahead
The place
the agency’s own description · what’s there · 14 notices
In the agency’s own words
Sitkoh Lake East Cabin is nestled at the eastern end of Sitkoh Lake on southeastern Chichagof Island, 35 miles northeast of Sitka, Alaska. Sitkoh Lake offers two public recreation cabins. This cabin is near the east end of the lake; Sitkoh Lake West Cabin is 2 miles away near the western end of the lake. This is a remote site. The cabin is accessible when the lake is ice-free, generally April through October, and can be accessed from Sitka via a 30-minute flight, weather permitting. The cabin can also be reached by boat and trail. Keep reading
From False Island in Peril Strait, either hike or OHV-ride for 8 miles following Roads 7540 and 7544 as shown on the Sitka Motor Vehicle Use Map then follow a 1/2-mile foot trail (#675) to the cabin, leaving any OHVs parked at the road near the beginning of the foot trail. Visitors are responsible for their own travel arrangements and safety, and must bring their own amenities. ***AS OF 6/10/24, REPORTS THAT ONE OF THE SKIFFS BETWEEN EAST/WEST SITKOH LAKE IS DAMAGED/POSSIBLY OUT OF SERVICE. FOREST SERVICE WILL UPDATE ASAP*** Recreation Sitkoh Lake offers fishing, hiking, hunting and off-highway vehicle riding. The lake supports cutthroat trout and Dolly Varden. Sitkoh Creek has runs of steelhead in the spring, pink and sockeye salmon from July to August and coho salmon from August through September. Past logging has left a system of isolated roads. Hiking and OHV riding are possible. Although it is in poor condition, hikers can explore a 4.3-mile trail along Sitkoh Creek to Sitkoh Bay. Deer hunting is a popular activity in the surrounding area. Waterfowl hunting is possible at Sitkoh Bay. For information about hunting and fishing permits and seasons, visit the Alaska Department of Fish and Game website.
Facilities
The 12 by 14-ft wood Pan abode-style cabin can accommodate up to six people with two double bunks and two single bunks. Amenities include a wood stove for heat, a table with benches, cooking counter, cupboard, broom, axe or splitting maul and an outdoor screened cooler box. An outhouse toilet is located close to the cabin. The cabin does not include mattresses or cooking utensils. Visitors should bring sleeping bags and pads, a cooking stove, pots, pans, plates, utensils, food, toilet paper, a lantern, garbage bags, a fire extinguisher, fire starter, rain gear, boots and personal flotation devices (PDFs). Water is available from the creek but must be treated before using. It's recommended that visitors bring their own water. A small but heavy square-bowed skiff (rowboat) with oars is provided. A long-shaft 2-10 horsepower outboard motor enhances use of the skiff but is not provided. Each person in the skiff should wear a Coast Guard approved PFD. Tie the skiff well up on the shore and pull the plug before leaving so the boat does not fill with rain water. Click here for more cabin information and maps.
Natural Features
The cabin lies at the edge of an old-growth forest of spruce and hemlock, with muskeg and open meadows to the east. Seasonal salmonberries and blueberries are in the area. The lake's outlet channel, Sitkoh Creek, is nearby. Sitkoh Lake is surrounded by forested mountains rising to near 2,500 feet. The lake sits at an elevation of 194 feet and is 2.5 miles long and a half-mile wide. Brown bear frequent the area.
Nearby Attractions
An abandoned logging camp site lies about 6 miles west of the cabin at False Island, with an isolated road system available for exploring surrounding area.
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
Cabin may be inaccessible from November through mid-April due to frozen lake surface (floatplanes cannot land); please contact the local Forest Service Ranger District office for current information prior to making reservations during this period
Everything else this campground posts · 11
Road numbers found on the SMVUM may not be present on-site
The cabin is not maintained in winter
Rain gear and boots are necessary
Firewood may be in short supply at any time of year
Boil or treat water before drinking
All garbage and food must packed out
Off-highway vehicle riding is restricted to designated roads and trails as shown on the Sitka Motor Vehicle Use Map, available on the Tongass National Forest Website; request a hard copy via email at SM.FS.r10_sitka_rd@usda.gov
For boat or air charters, contact the Sitka Convention and Visitors Bureau at 907-747-5940 or visit Sitka.org.
Learn more about the Tongass National Forest
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.
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.
Tents and rigs
- Sites
- 1
- Hookups
- None
- Accessible sites
- None listed
Facilities
- Toilets
- Yes, the record doesn't say what kind
- “An outhouse toilet is located close to the cabin.”
- Drinking water
- None, bring your own
- “…using. It's recommended that visitors bring their own water. A small but heavy square-bowed skiff (rowboat)…”
Around the campground
- On the water
- Lake, Creek, Coast, Meadow
- Boating
- Fishing
- Hiking
- Hunting
2 of 2 site-nights open this Friday and Saturdayread 16:05 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.
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.
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 · 14
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 · 4
recreation.gov availability, read 16:05 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
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.
| CHIC | S04 | standard nonelectric | 162 ftSitkoh Lake |
Getting there
the map and the coordinate · the agency’s directions · the phone number
Where it is
Sitkoh Lake (West) CabinTongass National Forest · 1.6 mi
Lake Eva CabinTongass National Forest · 7.9 mi
Appleton Cove CabinTongass National Forest · 8.7 mi
Kook Lake CabinTongass National Forest · 11 mi
Piper Island Cabin22 mi
Allan Point CabinTongass National Forest · 23 miAccessible mid-April through October. Located 35 air miles northeast of Sitka on the southeast side of Chichagof Island, about 30 minutes by floatplane. Also accessible by boat (3-4 hours from Sitka) from Sitkoh Bay, then follow the Sitkoh Lake Trail (in poor condition) 4.3 miles to the cabin.
For geographic features surrounding the cabin, refer to USGS topographic maps Sitka C-4, C-3 and B-4.
The weather
the next four days · the thirty-year normal
Next four days, and the thirty-year normal
Forecast
NWS forecast for Sitka, AK
Typical weather
Typical October night 39°F, day 49°F.
Coldest month of the year: typical January night 29°F, below freezing. Bring a bag rated colder than that, and expect ice in the water bottle.
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.
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
Sitkoh Lake (East) 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 →