Alaska Public Use Cabins Accessible by Road
It’s true that Alaska’s public use cabins can be deep inside parks, wildernesses and refuges—and often require a hike, ski or paddle to reach. But what if you don’t have time or desire for a trek? Sometimes you just want to drive to your wilderness cabin.
You’re in luck! A couple dozen cabins across the state—several of them new beautiful log cabins next to great recreation or on the waterfront—are located on the road system. Some of them are immediately adjacent to parking and rated wheelchair accessible. Others involve a short walk over a packed trail suitable for utility wagons or sleds to help transport gear and supplies. All are reservable and exude their own unique charms.
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Public Use Cabins
Rhein Lake Cabin overlooks a large, pristine lake with great paddling and decent fishing for rainbow trout in the forest of Nancy Lake State Recreation Area near Willow. This handsome (brand-new in 2018) log cabin offers something special in a vast park known for its backcountry outposts
Bald Lake Cabin is a great choice for people who want to stay at an Alaska wilderness cabin on a pristine lake, but don’t want to travel far to get there. On the hillside overlooking isolated Bald Lake, the cabin offers seclusion and privacy only a short walk from your vehicle. It’s a “best of both worlds” kind of place — where you can spend the day exploring a virtually private lake with interesting bays, or quickly dash back to your vehicle to ...more
12′ x 28′ road accessible cabin that sleeps up to 6.
These two almost identical cabins (only 200 feet apart) are aimed toward adventurers and families who want to include both paddling and hiking in their daily adventures. They offer direct access to two lakes as well as the park’s trail system. Though relatively close, each cabin is colored by a slightly different atmosphere. Lynx 2’s porch faces the sunset, with good afternoon sun and a view of Lynx Lake. It feels open, more exposed. Lynx 3 ...more
New in 2016, Dolly Varden Cabin offers the same recreation opportunities that you’d find while car camping in the Eklutna Campground, but you sleep inside an insulated with a wood-burning stove and loads of space. Aimed at people who might want to experience the paddling, biking, hiking and climbing possibilities of the stunning Eklutna Valley, but don’t want to “rough it” or chop wood for heating.
Nestled just off the Seward Highway near Bird Creek, these two new, spacious cabins might allow you to fulfill almost any family-friendly Alaskan recreation fantasy in a single weekend. They offer unmatched options for all kinds of activities — biking, fishing, hiking, wildlife viewing — with exceptionally easy access by car.
Cabin in the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge. The trailhead to the cabin is located on the Skilak Lake Road, mile 7.5 from the east entrance junction with the Sterling Highway. The cabin is located .2 miles from the road on the Upper Ohmer Lake Trail.
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This modern, spacious cabin is located on the road system, 11 miles south of Wrangell on the Zimovia Highway. Open year-round, it sleeps 6 – 8 and meets ADA disability requirements. There is access to Newt Lake where a skiff and oars are available for use.
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Rustic 16ft x 20ft log cabin fully ADA accessible bunk on main level. 15 minute drive from downtown Sitka or 2 minute drive from Alaska Marine Highway Sitka Ferry Terminal.
Adirondak style shelter designed for winter use.
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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 cabin may be unavailable for public reservations May 1 through Sept. 30 because it is used to house campground hosts.
This large 20 x 24 cabin with a broad, covered front porch supported by burled posts looks out over the Chena River and features exceptional access with wheelchair suitable ramps. Located about 37 miles from Fairbanks in the Chena River State Recreation Area, the cabin nestles in a handsome spruce-birch forest on the river inside the 254,000-acre recreation area.
This snug 16 x 20 cabin on the braided Delta River offers stunning glimpses of some of the tallest peaks in the Alaska Range. The cabin nestles in a wooded, 46-acre recreation site with 12 campsites, surrounded by foothills that rise into tundra, on the fresh-water Donnelly Creek. Just off the highway and seldom crowded, the locale is known for its wilderness character and sweeping views.
Encounter a taste of old-time Alaska by spending the night inside an authentic log cabin once used by ferrymen who operated boats transporting pioneers across the Tanana River on the old Valdez-Fairbanks Trail.
Very striking at the 2,973-foot level of the Alaska Range, this simple, 12×14 log cabin can anchor your alpine adventure — with sweeping views of surrounding tundra foothills only a few miles north of Paxson off the Richardson Highway. The 605-acre state recreation site features a boat launch and picnic sites, with berry picking and ATV trails in summer, and a vast realm for snow sports in winter. Note: The 1.5‑mile access road is not plowed in ...more
A historic 15 x 20 log cabin that resembles a Gold Rush Sourdough’s retreat hunkers in the forest on the shore of Quartz Lake. It’s accessible from the lake, too, by boat in summer or ski/snowmobile in winter. The lake is 86 miles southeast of Fairbanks, inside a 556-acre recreation area with some of the best road-accessible fishing in Alaska’s Interior.
This cozy 10×16 cabin inside a campground about 22 miles up the Elliott Highway from Fairbanks offers great access to the 400-acre Chatanika State Recreation Area with nearby sled and ATV trails, and boating on the Chatanika River. Wired for electricity, the cabin may be unavailable for public reservations May 1 through Sept. 30.
This 16 x 20 log cabin is situated inside the park-like Delta State Recreation Site a half mile north of Delta Junction and the junction of the Alaska and Richardson highways. The braided Tanana River is just across the highway, offering stunning views of the Alaska Range during clear weather.
This airy and very popular 16 x 18 log cabin enjoys exceptional access inside Eagle Beach State Recreation Area. With a wheelchair accessible ramp and a covered front porch adjacent to parking, the cabin is a great base to explore accessible nature loops, or beachcomb and watch for marine wildlife, birds and other critters in the salt marsh and tide flats.
This framed 12 x 20 cabin about 45 miles from Fairbanks is wired for electricity and offers a partitioned sleeping area, with space for up to four adults and a bit of privacy. Located inside the Granite Tors Campground, the cabin is a great base for exploring both the Chena Hot Springs Winter Trail (also known as the Yukon Quest Trail) and the 15-mile Granite Tors Trail.
This rustic, 20 x 24 log cabin with a covered porch sits in the forest close to the Chena River about 53 miles from Fairbanks inside the Chena River State Recreation Area. It has the vibe of an old-time trapper’s cabin, with great river access.
This large log cabin sits adjacent to the parking lot at Quartz Lake, with a reputation for some of the best road-accessible fishing in Alaska’s Interior and hiking trails with striking views of the Tanana River Valley. During winter, ice fishing is popular, with four huts available for rent. The cabin may be unavailable for public reservations May 1 through Sept. 30.
A cozy 14 x 12 log cabin inside a 61-acre park with a boat launch site on the Salcha River about 40 miles southeast of Fairbanks in the Tanana River Valley. The site is known for its grayling fishing, with a July salmon run. With skiing and snowmachining in winter. The cabin may be unavailable for public reservations mid-May through mid-September.
The only state public use cabin on the Ketchikan-area road system, this popular 12 x 16 cabin features one of the region’s few accessible sandy beaches. Hiking trails, salmon viewing, sports fishing, excellent kayaking and wildlife viewing all contribute to the cabin’s reputation as a remarkable base for recreation in a serene coastal rain forest setting.
This airy 16 x 18 log cabin overlooks a scenic bend in the river estuary inside the Eagle Beach State Recreation Area near Juneau. Berry Patch offers a bit of privacy but remains a great base to explore accessible nature loops, or beachcomb and watch for marine wildlife such sea lion and whales, birds and other critters in the salt marsh and tide flats.
This cozy 12 x 14 cabin is tucked into the forest inside the Eagle Beach State Recreation Area about 15 miles up the coast from Juneau on the island-rich Favorite Channel of Lynn Canal. Martin Cabin offers a bit of privacy amid the big trees, with more immediate access to the trails along the river than the area’s other coastal-oriented cabins.