Chugach / Unorganized Borough / Nellie Juan-College Fiord Wilderness Study Area / Chugach National Forest

Goose Bay Cabin

Open — Open year-round for reservations. The bay freezes over in mid-November, making winter transportation challenging until the bay typically reopens in mid to late March. Check-in and check-out time is 12pm.

About

Goose Bay Cabin is a 16x16-foot A-frame cabin with loft located on the western shore of Culross Island within the Nellie Juan-College Fiord Wilderness Study Area. Newly constructed in 2021 to withstand extreme snow loads, the cabin replaced the original structure that was damaged in 2012. Accessible by a 45-minute floatplane trip from Anchorage or approximately 25-mile boat ride from Whittier, this remote cabin accommodates up to 6 people. The cabin features wooden bunks, a table, benches, a kerosene heater, and an outside pit toilet. Guests must bring their own kerosene fuel (1 gallon lasts approximately 8 hours), cook stove, drinking water, lanterns, bedding, sleeping pads, cooking gear, and toilet paper. All trash must be packed out. The cabin sits tucked into a small lagoon surrounded by fragile muskeg, tall grasses, and mature spruce and hemlock trees, with views of a small waterfall and evergreen-forested slopes. The area offers year-round recreation including backcountry skiing, cross-country skiing, and snowshoeing on Culross Island terrain in winter and spring. Summer activities include hiking, kayaking, fishing for rainbow trout and salmon in Culross Passage, and shrimping. Wildlife viewing opportunities include bald eagles, Sitka black-tailed deer, black bears, and marine mammals such as humpback whales, orcas, and Dall's porpoises. Hunting is available for black bear in spring and deer and waterfowl in fall during open seasons.

Directions

Not accessible via road system. Boat access: Approximately 25 miles southeast of Whittier. From Whittier Harbor, head east out of Passage Canal and across Port Wells, then south into Culross Passage. Goose Bay is at the head of a narrow passage on the east side of Culross Passage directly across from Long Bay. The cabin is on the east side of the bay near a small waterfall. Parts of Goose Bay are challenging to navigate at low tide; high slack tide is ideal for boating. Check NOAA tide predictions before arrival. At low tide, guests may need to walk through mud to reach the cabin from the water. Floatplane access is approximately 45 minutes from Anchorage.

Nearby Campgrounds