Sitka / South Baranof Wilderness / Tongass National Forest

Plotnikof Lake Cabin

Open — Open year-round for reservations; however, floatplane access is typically only possible from mid-June through October. The lake freezes from November through early June, preventing floatplane landings. The cabin receives minimal maintenance and has no winter upkeep.

About

Plotnikof Lake Cabin is located on Baranof Island within the South Baranof Wilderness Area, 45 air miles southeast of Sitka, Alaska. The 12x14-ft Pan Abode cabin sits near the north end of a narrow, 4-mile lake at 275 feet elevation, accessed by a 100-foot walk through dense brush from the floatplane landing. The cabin accommodates up to six people with two double and two single plywood bunks, and includes an oil stove for heat, table with benches, cooking counter, basic tools, and an outdoor screened cooler box. A small skiff with oars is provided for lake access. The surrounding wilderness offers exceptional solitude and scenery, with waterfalls cascading from steep granite slopes rising to snow-capped ridges. Old-growth spruce and hemlock forest surrounds the cabin, and brown bears are common. Plotnikof Lake and its inlet stream provide fair rainbow trout fishing, while the outlet stream on the south shore hosts steelhead runs from mid-May to early June and coho salmon from late August through September. The 1.2-mile Davidof Lake Trail begins behind the cabin but is unmaintained and difficult to follow. Deer hunting is good in areas away from the cabin. Visitors must bring #1 diesel oil for heating (approximately 10 gallons for three days), sleeping bags and pads, cooking equipment, food, toilet paper, lantern, and garbage bags. Water from the lake or inlet streams must be treated before use. The cabin is generally accessible from mid-June through October; the lake freezes from November through early June, preventing floatplane access. Floatplane charter services are available from Sitka.

Directions

Located 45 air miles southeast of Sitka on Baranof Island. Access by floatplane only, 40-minute flight from Sitka. The cabin is a 100-foot walk from the floatplane landing through dense brush. Refer to USGS topographic map Port Alexander C-3.

Nearby Campgrounds