Sitka / Tongass National Forest

Sitkoh Lake West Cabin

Open — Open for reservations year-round. Accessible generally mid-April through October when lake is ice-free for floatplane landings. Cabin may be inaccessible November through mid-April due to frozen lake surface. Receiving minimal maintenance; firewood and splitting maul may be unavailable. One of the skiffs between east and west cabins reported damaged as of June 2024.

About

Sitkoh Lake West Cabin is a remote 12-by-14-foot Pan Abode-style cabin nestled at the northwest shore of 2.5-mile-long Sitkoh Lake on southeastern Chichagof Island. The cabin accommodates up to six people with two double bunks and two single bunks, and includes a wood stove for heat, table with benches, cooking counter, cupboard, and basic tools. An outhouse toilet is located nearby, and a small square-bowed skiff with oars is provided for lake navigation. Surrounded by towering old-growth spruce and hemlock with muskeg and open meadows, the cabin sits at 194 feet elevation with forested mountains rising to 2,500 feet around the lake. The area offers excellent fishing for cutthroat trout and Dolly Varden, with Sitkoh Creek at the lake's east end providing runs of steelhead, pink and sockeye salmon, and coho. Deer hunting is popular, and berry picking for salmonberries and blueberries is abundant in season. A deteriorating 4.3-mile trail connects to Sitkoh Bay from the east cabin. Past logging has left isolated road systems within 1/4-mile of the cabin for hiking and OHV use. Access is via 30-minute floatplane from Sitka when the lake is ice-free (generally April through October), or by boat to False Island in Peril Strait followed by a 10-mile hike, bike, or OHV ride on roads 7540, 7544, and 75442. Brown bears frequent the area. Visitors must bring all supplies including sleeping bags, cooking equipment, water treatment, and personal flotation devices.

Directions

Located 35 air miles northeast of Sitka on southeastern Chichagof Island. Access via 30-minute floatplane from Sitka, or by boat to False Island in Peril Strait followed by 10-mile hike/bike/OHV on logging roads 7540, 7544, and 75442. Refer to USGS topographic maps Sitka C-4, B-4, and C-3.

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