Twelvemile Cabin

Summary

Twelvemile Cabin is a fully accessible cabin located on Prince of Wales Island in southeastern Alaska, offering recreational activities such as fishing, beachcombing, wildlife viewing and hunting. Visitors must bring their own amenities, but the cabin features a wood stove, cooking counter, and other facilities. The area is rich with wildlife and old growth reserves, with plenty of places to explore.

Overview

Twelvemile Cabin is a fully accessible cabin located on Twelvemile Inlet on Prince of Wales Island in southeastern Alaska. The site offers recreation, relaxation and a unique lodging experience in the Tongass National Forest.

Construction of this cabin was made possible through mitigation funds from Alaska Power and Telephone and the Federal Energy Regulatiory Commission.

The cabin is accessible by vehicle and a short gravel trail. Although the site is not as remote as others in the area, visitors are responsible for their own travel arrangements and safety, and must bring several of their own amenities.

Recreation

Anglers will find that Twelvemile Creek, which flows into the inlet, has an excellent run of coho, chum and pink salmon, cutthroat trout, rainbow trout and Dolly Varden. At Old Frank's natural area, located east of the cabin, visitors can find streams supporting cutthroat and Dolly Varden. Crabbing, beachcombing and wildlife viewing are popular in the area as well. Dog Salmon Fish Pass is located approximately 10 miles from the cabin, and is noted as a popular bear viewing site in August. A system of roads for off-road enthusiasts can be found about 4 miles south of the cabin. Hunters can take advantage of the long hunting seasons in the surrounding national forest. Bear season occurs during spring and fall, while deer season begins in late summer and lasts through late fall. Twelvemile Inlet also has a rich logging history. Remnants of an abandoned camp, log landings and log transfer facilities can be found on the nearby shoreline, but are not visible from the cabin.

Facilities

The 16x20-ft, one-story, fully accessible cabin can sleep up to six people on wooden bunkbeds without mattresses. The cabin is equipped with a table, benches, a wood stove for heat and a fully-accessible outdoor toilet, located 40 feet from the cabin. Other amenities include a cooking counter, shelves, cupboard space, axe, splitting maul and a broom. Firewood is available, though the supply is not guaranteed. The cabin does not have running water or electricity. Visitors must bring their own food, water, sleeping bags, sleeping pads, cook stove, stove fuel, fire starter, cooking gear/utensils, lantern or flashlight, toilet paper, first aid kit and garbage bags. Water is available from a stream south of the cabin, but must be treated before being used. A primative boat ramp is located .25 miles north of the cabin, and an accessible gravel foot trail from the parking area to the cabin entrance is located on-site. Click here for more cabin details.

Natural Features

The cabin is nestled in a canopy of young Sitka spruce and western hemlock. There are plenty of places to explore in the Twelvemile area, including an estuary just south of the cabin, where wildlife is abundant, including sandhill cranes, eagles, wolves, black bears, Sitka black-tailed deer, and a variety of migratory birds.

Across the inlet from the cabin is a view of Twelvemile old growth reserve. This area is managed for old growth characteristics and provides a pristine forest setting.