Dotted around the Sitka Ranger District of the Tongass National Forest, public use cabins offer visitors a chance to experience the forest for days at a time without sleeping in a tent.
About 20 cabins near Sitka serve as focal points for getaways for backcountry hunters and anglers, or people in search of time away from town. Most cabins are boat accessible, although some call for a float plane.
Sitka’s only road-accessible cabin is at the north end of the road network, the Starrigavan Creek cabin. It costs $75 a night, although tent sites at the Starrigavan campground range from $12 to $30 nightly.
Forest Service cabins vary in size, with the Allen Point and Samsing Cove cabins sleeping up to 15. Both are less than an hour from town by skiff in fair weather.
Other cabins close to town include Brent’s Beach, Salmon Lake, Piper Bay, Kanga Bay and Seven Fathom Bay.
Farther north, cabins such as those at Piper Island and Sitkoh Lake, offer access to large swaths of backcountry.
Forest Service cabins are unfurnished and don’t include mattresses. Visitors should come prepared for a backcountry camping trip with a sleeping kit, a cook stove, food and proper clothing, as well as emergency communication gear such as a radio or satellite messenger.
Detailed cabin information and reservations are available at recreation.gov.
The City of Sitka operates the Tom Young cabin at Goddard Hot Springs about 20 miles south of town. This cabin costs $50 nightly and reservations must be made in person at City Hall at 100 Lincoln Street.
