Sitkoh Lake (West) Cabin
- Right now
- Taking bookingsSites offered on 30 of the next 30 nights read 16:08 UTC
- Sites
- 1All of them booked ahead
The place
the agency’s own description · what’s there · 12 notices
In the agency’s own words
Sitkoh Lake West Cabin is nestled at the northwest shore of Sitkoh Lake on southeastern Chichagof Island, 35 miles northeast of Sitka, Alaska. Sitkoh Lake offers two public recreation cabins. The other cabin, Sitkoh Lake East Cabin, is near the east end of the lake. This is a remote site. The cabin can be accessed when the lake is ice-free, generally April through October, via a 30-minute flight from Sitka. The cabin can also be reached by boat to False Island in Peril Strait, followed by an 10 mile hike, bike or OHV ride on the False Island road system. Keep reading
From False Island, follow Roads 7540, 7544 and 75442 as shown on the Sitka Motor Vehicle Use Map. 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 West Cabin offers fishing, hiking, hunting, off-highway vehicle riding, and berry picking opportunities. The lake supports cutthroat trout and Dolly Varden. The outlet stream at the east end of the lake, Sitkoh Creek, has runs of steelhead in the spring, pink and sockeye salmon from July to August and coho salmon from August to September. Although it is in poor condition, hikers can explore a 4.3-mile trail along Sitkoh Creek to Sitkoh Bay. The trail begins at the Sitkoh Lake East Cabin. Past logging has left a system of isolated roads, one of which passes within 1/4-mile of the cabin. Deer hunting is a popular activity in the surrounding area. Waterfowl hunting is allowed on Sitkoh Bay. Past logging has left a system of isolated roads, one of which passes within 1/4-mile of the cabin and is available for hiking and off-highway vehicle riding.
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 a nearby creek but must be treated before using. It's recommended that visitors bring their own water. A small but heavy square-bowed skiff (rowboat) 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. Be sure plug is in before launching boat. Tie skiff well up on shore and pull plug before leaving so boat does not fill with rain water. Click here for more cabin information and maps.
Natural Features
The cabin lies near the edge of the lake and is surrounded by towering old-growth spruce and hemlock, with muskeg and open meadows to the east. Seasonal salmonberries and blueberries are abundant. The lake's inlet 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 lies about 6 miles east of the cabin at False Island, with a 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
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
Everything else this campground posts · 9
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
The cabin is not maintained in winter
Firewood can be scarce
Boil or treat water before drinking
All garbage and food must packed out
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
- “It's recommended that visitors bring their own water.”
Around the campground
- On the water
- Lake, Creek, Coast, Meadow
- Boating
- Fishing
- Hiking
- Hunting
2 of 2 site-nights open this Friday and Saturdayread 16:08 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 · 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 16:08 UTC · rules read Sep 9, 2026 · rates Sep 10, 2026 · How we know all this
The sites
1 sites · the site map
All 1 sites
| AREA SITKOH LAKE (WEST) CABIN | S05 | standard nonelectric | under 10 ftSitkoh Lake |
Getting there
the map and the coordinate · the agency’s directions · the phone number
Where it is
Sitkoh Lake (East) CabinTongass National Forest · 1.6 mi
Lake Eva CabinTongass National Forest · 7.1 mi
Appleton Cove CabinTongass National Forest · 7.1 mi
Kook Lake CabinTongass National Forest · 11 mi
Piper Island Cabin20 mi
Allan Point CabinTongass National Forest · 22 miAccessible generally mid-April through October. Located 35 air miles northeast of Sitka, on the southeast side of Chichagof Island, about 30 minutes by floatplane.
Access is also possible by boat to Peril Strait, then hiking about 3 miles on logging road system. This mode of access is recommended only for those who know the area well.
For geographic features surrounding the cabin, refer to USGS topographic maps Sitka C-4, B-4, and C-3.
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 (West) 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 →