Searching for the perfect place to pitch your tent near Tenakee Springs? You can find tent campsites by type, including drive-in, walk-in, and even hike-in for a backpacking adventure. You're sure to find the perfect campsite for your Alaska tent camping excursion.
Located near Appleton Cove Cabin; available on a first-come, first-served basis for boat anchorage. Cabin reservation does not include exclusive use of this mooring buoy. ACTIVITIES Fire Lookouts/cabins Overnight
Admiralty National Monument ACTIVITIES Boating Fishing Hiking Hunting Wildlife Viewing Fire Lookouts/cabins Overnight Swimming
Sportsmen Cabin offers guests recreation, relaxation and a rustic wilderness lodging experience in the central part of Admiralty Island in the Tongass National Forest. The remote site offers a scenic setting for hiking, fishing, canoeing and wildlife viewing, all within the vicinity of the cabin.
This is one of two cabins on Distin Lake. It is located on the north side of the lake and within the Admiralty Island Canoe Route.
Access to the cabin is float plane or canoe with portage. Visitors are responsible for their own travel arrangements and safety and must bring several of their own amenities.
The cabin is situated under a dense towering canopy of old-growth trees at an elevation of 312 feet, just steps away from scenic Distin Lake.
The Kootznoowoo Wilderness encompasses nearly a million acres of Admiralty Island. Dense spruce and hemlock forests, lakes and muskeg openings define the landscape, while distant rocky peaks tower along the islands high crest, reaching elevations of more than 3,000 feet.
Wildlife in the area abounds, including Sitka black-tailed deer, bald eagles, waterfowl and brown bear.
Anglers enjoy Distin Lake for catching cutthroat trout, Dolly Varden and kokanee salmon.
Visitors are welcome to use the skiff with oars available at the cabin and may choose to bring a small outboard motor. The motor must be less than 10 horsepower due to wilderness regulations, and visitors are responsible for bringing and using their own personal floatation devices. The lake is normally ice free from mid-May through November.
Originally built by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) in the 1930s, the [Admiralty Island Canoe Route] features portages of varying difficulty linking seven mountain lakes in the heart of Admiralty Islands Kootznoowoo Wilderness between Angoon and Seymour Canal. Several trails are accessible by boat along the route, offering guests access to pristine wilderness settings.
Trails accessible from Distin Lake go to Thayer Lake (3 miles from Distin Lake cabin), Lake Guerin (.4 mile from the trailhead), and Davidson Lake (.2 mile from the trailhead). Some of the original Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) trail construction is visible along the trail. A small boat at the nearby Guerin Lake shelter provides an opportunity to explore another lake.
Sportsmen Cabin is a small, log cabin in hunter-style, furnished with four bunkbed(s) without mattresses, and can sleep up to six guests. The cabin is equipped with a table, benches, a small cook area, a wood stove for heat and an outside toilet. Firewood is stacked in a woodshed near the cabin. Additional amenities include an axe, splitting maul and broom.
The cabin does not have running water or electricity. Visitors must bring their own food, water, sleeping bags, sleeping pads, cook stoves, matches, cooking gear/utensils, light source, toilet paper, first aid kit and garbage bags. Water from any natural site must be filtered, boiled or chemically treated before drinking.
Admiralty Island has a rich cultural heritage, which is evident in the traditional native village of [Angoon]
An Adirondack style emergency shelter at Pinta Cove. The shelter is supplied with a wood stove, food preparation table, and sleeping bunks. This shelter is available for recreational use on a first-come, first-served basis. Reservations are not required. Firewood is not provided. ACTIVITIES Boating: Motorized boating and marine mammal viewing opportunities at Pinta Cove and Point Adolphus. Hunting: Big game hunting in season possible from this shelter. Refer to http://www.adfg.alaska.gov for species, permits and regulations. Picnicking: Picnic just outside the shelter or on the beach. Fire Lookouts/cabins Overnight: This emergency shelter is available for recreational use on a first-come, first-served basis. Reservations are not required. Firewood is not provided. Swimming
Located near Allan Point Cabin; available on a first-come, first-served basis for boat anchorage. Cabin reservation does not include exclusive use of this mooring buoy. ACTIVITIES Fire Lookouts/cabins Overnight
The Picnic Shelter #5 is part of the Auk Recreation Area and is located adjacent to a scenic beach on the northern shoreline of Auk Bay, once a village site for the Auk Tlingit Natives. It is the last shelter on the west end of the picnic area. It is the largest of the five shelters in the recreation area.
The shelter overlooks Auk Bay and is surrounded by a western hemlock and Sitka spruce forested area.
The area offers fishing, water activities, picnicking, hiking, and berry picking.
Auk Recreation Area includes a large day use area on the shores of Auk Bay. The area includes five different shelters, picnic tables, drinking water, fire rings and a trail. At the Auk Bay Harbor commercial operators offer sport fishing, kayak rental, and whale watching tours.
Shelter #5 has a maximum capacity of 40 people. The maximum group size allowed with this reservation is 74 people. Parking can be limited on sunny days due to crowds and is available above the shelter next to the highway (use caution loading and unloading). The shelter is accessed by a metal staircase or a fully accessible ramp. There are three picnic tables inside the shelter and a fire place. There are two grills next to the shelter, and a fire pit on the beach. There is a two-hole vault toilet a couple hundred feet from the shelter, and water spigot with city water on site. The path in front of the shelter leads to Auk Village Campground and Pt. Louisa. The opposite way leads to the restroom and another shelter.
$40 / night
An Adirondack style emergency shelter at the mouth of Bohemia Creek on the north end of Lisianski Strait. The shelter is supplied with a wood stove, food preparation table, and sleeping bunks. This shelter has an outside deck with an assessable ramp and access to a rock fire ring with a bench. Access to the shelter is by floatplane or boat to a small boat dock and gangway managed by the City of Pelican. This is also the trail head for the 4.0 mile primitive trail to Takanis Lake. This shelter is available for recreational use on a first-come, first-served basis. Reservations are not required. Firewood is not provided. ACTIVITIES Boating: A small boat dock is available for use at the shelter. This dock is managed by the City of Pelican. Hunting: Big game hunting in season possible from this shelter. Refer to http://www.adfg.alaska.gov for species, permits and regulations. Picnicking: Picnic on the deck of the shelter or the designated fire ring with a bench. Fire Lookouts/cabins Overnight: This emergency shelter is available for recreational use on a first-come, first-served basis. Reservations are not required. Firewood is not provided. Swimming
Located at Mud Bay on east coast of Kruzof Island 15 miles northwest of Sitka; available on a first-come, first-served basis for boat anchorage. ACTIVITIES Biking Boating Hiking Hunting Fire Lookouts/cabins Overnight
Skater's Cabin Shelter is located on the shore of the southwest corner of Mendenhall Lake, near the Mendenhall Glacier. The cabin was constructed in 1936 by the Civilian Conservation Corps and is made with natural stone.
The site is a popular destination for viewing beautiful scenery, biking, picnicking, and hiking.
The Shelter has a maximum capacity of 20 people. The maximum group size allowed with this reservation is 74 people. The cabin is equipped with a covered porch and two movable picnic tables along with a wood stove. Outside facilities include a large group fire ring in front of the cabin and a stationary wood picnic table and a fire ring adjacent to the southwest corner of the cabin. The area is accessed by a trail that meets accessibility guidelines and leads to the beach.
A potable water hydrant and accessible vault toilets are also provided. The picnic area has two additional picnic sites with fire rings and tables designated for non-group use (they are not a part of this reservable site).
Skater's Cabin is on the shore of Mendenhall Lake, in view of massive Mendenhall Glacier that is surrounded by mountains that rise from 4,000 to 7,000 feet above the glacier.
Guide
The campground is nice, with great tent sites! The car sites looked nice too, but I didn't stay there. The tent sites were nicely separated, giving you that feeling that you're further away than you really are. I loved staying here, and loved the things to do nearby. We explored the glacier and went on a hike. Juneau is a lovely town as well.
TravelerIt was a wonderful campground! Right on the lake overlooking the Mendenhall Glacier. The bugs are manageable. the campground is clean and well organized. you have to reserve before you arrive, cannot pay when you get there. The bathrooms are clean and well interspersed. There are showers with hot water. There is a section for tent camping, RV camping, and backpack camping. The campground itself is located near tons of hiking trails, kayaking/rafting opportinities, and the Glacier viewing center is nearby. We loved it!
RangerAfter being unable to find good reviews of campsites here, I took what I could find and gambled on a site. We were in tent site 021. It was a gorgeous site, had a large picnic table, bear box, water spigot between us and the site next to us, fire pit, clean pit toilets and a clean bath house. This campground has backpacker sites, RV sites, and car sites as well. We had a short walk through the moss on a trail that led down to Mendenhall Lake. It had a gorgeous view of the glacier. We enjoyed listening to all the birds and it was a pretty quiet campground.
There are a few sites close to boggy areas and they can be mushy and muddy, especially after a rain. There is a map on the reservation website where you can kind of see it. Our site was fabulous.
The trails are not far from the campground, so they are walkable.
LegendTent camping review. This was a great camp ground. Very clean and quiet. You can't beat the proximity to the park and hiking. Some of the sites even have great views. Each site has plenty of privacy, so even with intermixed RV's it stays pretty quiet. The showers were okay, not the cleanest and not the hottest but got the job done. My only complaint was coming after dark the first night to someone clearly squatting with their RV in our site. The camp hosts do not mark each site with the booked reservations (even though the posts clearly say that the section we were in were "reservation only". So people just drop in and take sites, assuming they aren't reserved. We attempted to solicit the camphosts help but in the 4 nights we stayed there, we never saw the hosts available once. We asked the people to move the next morning in daylight- not wanting to start anything or end up shot by knocking on their door and asking them to move that first night. However, that meant that we set up in someone else's potentially reserved site and started a huge domino effect. So I recommend getting there early to make sure your reserved spot isn't taken.
Ranger
I always visited Juneau by ferry. This campground is accessible from the slow ferry, but it is a distance from the cruise ships or airports (as you know Juneau is very spread out for its small population). There is nothing Alaska spectacular about this campground, but it is quaint and nice. It is very RV-oriented.
GuideThere’s a limited amount of spaces for your rv but they have tent sights too. Bring your favorite over under and plenty of clay pigeons. Or you can use the indoor range of weather isn’t permitting. It’s right on the water and beautiful. The people are always very nice. Open all year.
GuideEasy access to epic beauty from the airport. The glacier brings the temperature down significantly from the surrounding area ❄️ All of the campsites are furnished with picnic tables, tent pads & fire rings with grills. Water faucets & accessible vault toilets are provided, as are two accessible flush toilets and shower facilities. A dump station & trash dumpster are located on-site.
TravelerThis is a very nice campground set back from Mendenhall lake and the famous Mendenhall Glacier. Bears frequent this area and sometimes wolves too. If you are looking for that wild Alaska experience you can have it here. Lots of hiking around there. Once that salmon start running you can walk on the man made walkway next to the creek and watch bears catch salmon to feed their cubs! Truly an amazing experience! If you make it there during the winter bring your cross country skis and ski through the campground, or across the lake to the glacier.
LegendUnfortunately, we were unable to stay at this campground (due to scheduling issues) but we did drive around and check it all out so we can know for next time :) The campground doesn't have many sites which make it a very quiet place (at least during the day by our observation). Sites seemed somewhat geared towards RV's but a tent would be fine too. Sites were spacious and quite private. Beautiful area. We plan to come back here and stay a couple nights on another visit!
RangerThere is diverse and plentiful wildlife and plant life that is a hybrid between the PNW rainforests and AK fjords. Only open in summer and dominated by tent-only sites, this campground isn’t quite on the bay but is on a small lake close to the inland part of the bay. The campground itself meanders along the lake and a number of smaller lakes, so you have lots of choices for waterfront camping. Sites vary in their views and amenities---everything is perfectly basic but clean. Make a reservation. There is a bus from the harbor.
LegendWe’ve been full-time camping in our vintage camper for over10 years, and in that time we’ve taken some “camping trips” without our rig, Hamlet. This time we hopped on the ferry from Haines down to Juneau and pulled out the tent for a few days in this amazing campground. We were just looking for the least expensive place that was close to the ferry terminal in Auke Bay, but struck gold in the hills just above. This might be one of the best traditional campgrounds we've ever stayed in with some of the most stunning views in our "backyard."
The campground is laid out along the southern bank of Mendenhall Lake, and offers drinking water, flush, and vault toilets and hot showers -- at no extra charge. Did I mention that camping here will only set you back $10 per night? We cannot remember such an inexpensive camping experience that offered showers. These $10 sites don’t offer electrical hookups, so bring your solar panels and solar generator or power bank and you’ll be all set.
The western trailhead is a short walk from the campground, but the Mendenhall Visitor's Center on the east side of the lake is just a few miles away. There are many trails, photographic viewpoints and opportunities to paddle on this side of the lake, but parking is competitive because it is such a popular area- including with the busses from the cruise ships docked in town. So, get there early. We enjoyed paddling on the lake where we got great views of the glacier and Nugget Falls, but keep your distance from icebergs. We watched one crack and roll not too far from where we were paddling, had we been closer I might not be writing this review.
The Mendenhall Valley has all the amenities you could expect from the Juneau suburbs, grocery stores, malls and restaurants. Downtown has a few more options as well as Douglas Island, just across the bridge.
Guide
I've stayed at this cabin twice and absolutely love going here. It is perfect place to camp with the family or make it a boys trip. Easiest way to get to the cabin is from Sitka, takes little under 2 hours by boat. Near the cabin, there is great crabbing across the bay and decent shrimping within a 10 minute boat ride. There is one mooring buoy to tie up to so bring a raft to get to shore. Outside the cabin, there is a couple benches around the fire pit and a rope swing. There is some pre-cut wood alongside the cabin, otherwise you can always scavenge for more wood. I would bring an ax. There is also a tire swing next to the fire pit. Inside the cabin, it is small but easily slept all of us (5 guys). Bring all your own camping gear. There is also a little wood stove inside the cabin to help warm it up at night. Only warning, be on the lookout for bears, there was multiple signs of them so don't leave anything outside
Guide
This is a very secluded cabin, accessible by boat or float plane and only a few miles from Sitka, AK. Located on the inside waters so it typically is very calm. There is really great crabbing and fishing near by. The cabin itself is spacious, but bring all your own gear including diesel fuel for the for the heater. Great cabin to stay in for the true Alaskan experience
RangerA small basic campground close to the harbor and downtown with lots of trees. Each site is very private, ours was built up on a little ring of rocks with stairs leading down from the car. If you need accessibility check with the rangers/website for the best options. There’s nothing to really do in the immediate area, but so much close by: kayaking with marine mammals, hiking. This isn’t our top choice in this area but it’s still lovely.
GuideWe stayed here when some of the other area campgrounds were full. It is easy to get to the water or trails. There was a guy renting kayaks out of the back of a truck which made our whole day. It’s not a far walk to the water, where you could see otters, seals, whales, cool ducks, starfish, etc. The camping spots are very spread out and private. Some have views and some don’t. We did see bald eagles right on site. All and all a nice place in the National Forest.
Scoutgreat site, nice woods, if you have a fishing license you can fish off the beach, great for swimming as well because it is a protected cove. Great historical site, an ancient village with historical marker as well as a beautiful totem nearby that tells an interesting story. Nearby in auk harbor is a milkshake to die for. People are friendly, easy to find firewood to have a nice cookout. Not unusual to find deer walking through the campsite. If you are into exercise the University has a gym up the road that you can use for a couple of bucks. Also the bar nearby has a great dart room for those into those kind of things. A couple of mile drive to Eagle River (brown bear) or the glacier (black bear) . you can find bears visiting the creeks and streams this time of year through september. As an afterthought you can rent a kayak and have some fun on the water.
TravelerAbsolutely loved this campground, It was very quite and the scenery was beautiful. This is a very quite spot tucked away from the city. We loved camping here and will be back!
GuideThis is a favorite spot where our family has camped for years. Most recently we took 2 of the grandkids. No cabins, but beautiful beach to walk. Quiet paradise. Fire pits and we’ll maintained pit restrooms.
RangerStayed here during a few visits to Juneau and really happy I had a rental car as it isn't too conveniently located from downtown Juneau but that was part of the appeal. Quiet because there weren't many campsites and lots to do in the surrounding areas. Well maintained sites. I recommend whale watching if you get the chance and I also did a lot of beach combing in the area.
GuideGreat place to go whale watching. Seriously! I went for two hours and saw 30 ish breaches. It was incredible. Campgrounds are well kept and well worth your time.
RangerThis campground has 11 sites and we were lucky to get #5, right across from the pit toilets so we didn’t have to walk far. We had a great site, bear box, campfire pit, and a fabulous view when you walk to the edge right behind your site! We didn’t put any hammocks in the trees or do any cooking on site, as it is black bear country and you don’t want any uninvited guests. We went to the picnic shelter at Lena Cove for our morning breakfast and hung our hammocks in the shelter for the morning. We had great views of Auke Bay and Lena Cove.
I could not find any reviews to pick a site but I reserved this one and it was gold! We had a water spigot close to us in the campground, but there are no electric or water supplies at the sites. You need to bring your own firewood because some sites say it was supplied, however, due to low crew numbers they can’t keep up with demand.
Guide
This is our hometown campground and we love it. It’s just a few miles from town, and within walking distance from the ferry terminal. Cell service is limited, so you can feel like you’re away from it all but still go in to work in the morning, or pick up some extra supplies.
Our favorite sites are the three “walk in” sites on the ocean side. We love to have birthday parties with a couple other families out there. The walk isn’t far at all, but the bathroom is just a bit further.
Our next favorite sites are the hike-in sites in the estuary side. These are a bit longer walk, but there’s a great little shared shelter with picnic tables, and the sites are so pretty and rustic feeling. There’s lots of trees but plenty of level sites, and they aren’t used much. Only bummer is that a new road is being built just behind this area, it’s hard to tell how disruptive that will be.
Regular drive in sites are fine, there are a couple pull-through but most are pull-in. Each site has a fire ring and a picnic table, and they’re all pretty good and a short walk to water and pit toilets. There are also a couple of group sites with shelters that are great for bad weather camping.
The campground is within walking distance of several nice, short trails, Old Sitka historical site & boat launch, and the shooting range and ATV trails. It’s pretty quiet and there is lots of wildlife- you have to keep your food abc other smelly things locked in your car or in the bear proof food lockers. You’ll definitely see bald eagles, and please don’t feed the ravens. Pink salmon run up the creek in August, you can catch them at the mouth.
Check out my other review to learn about the cabin that’s in the same campground!
Ranger
4 spots with picnic tables and fire pits. Clean bathrooms and big trash cans that got emptied while we were there for 4 nights. Low GCI service. Water spout that didn’t work for us. Beautiful central location for the Kenai peninsula. Highly recommend.
LegendThis campground has one site with a picnic table and a fire ring. However you can camp anywhere that there is parking. This is on a well-maintained road and would be great to bring a kayak. I look forward to spending a lot of time at this campground.
Guide
Amazingly beautiful & rugged island. Experiences with wildlife here are epically fulfilling.
GuideInspiring wildlife 🌊⛺️🎣🐟🦅 🦌 🐋 🐻
RangerTent camping near Tenakee Springs, Alaska, offers a unique opportunity to immerse yourself in the stunning natural beauty of the region. With a variety of campgrounds available, you can enjoy the great outdoors while experiencing the tranquility of Alaska.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular tent campsite near Tenakee Springs, AK?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular tent campground near Tenakee Springs, AK is Appleton Cove Mooring Buoy with a 0-star rating from 0 reviews.
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