This airy and handsome 16 x 20 cabin with a sleeping loft stands in a popular campground next to an 800-acre fishing and boating lake about 59 miles southeast of Fairbanks. The Birch Lake State Recreation Site takes on a second life in winter with five ice-fishing huts available for rent. Not a wilderness experience per se—expect fishing, jet skiing and water skiing during summer
(especially on sunny weekends) and snow machines and ice fishing during winter. The lake has a reputation for decent catches of stocked rainbow trout, king and silver salmon, grayling and Arctic char. The cabin may be unavailable for public reservations May 1 through Sept. 30.
Facilities
Plywood sleeping platforms and loft, a kitchen counter, shelves, table and benches, wood stove, fire extinguisher, and an outdoor latrine. A summer water and boat-launching ramp are nearby.
Capacity
6 people (pets welcome)
Area
Fairbanks
Location
Birch Lake State Recreation Site, about 59 miles southeast of Fairbanks between Salcha and Delta Junction.
Terrain
Lakeside cabin in the Tanana River Valley with wetlands nearby.
Season of Use
Year-round
Managing Agency
Alaska State Parks
What to Bring
Guests should bring firewood because the adjacent woods will be picked over. Outside of the summer season, guests should bring their own water or be prepared to melt snow. Items such as a cook stove, cooking gear, flashlights or lanterns, bedding, sleeping pads and trash bags are not provided. Guests are expected to pack out trash and clean the cabin before leaving. Don’t assume there will be sufficient toilet paper or working batteries in the smoke detector.
Rowboat
No
Stove
No
