Looking for the best Tongass National Forest tent camping? Find the best information on tent campgrounds near Tongass National Forest, including sites, reviews, and tips. From remote to easy-to-reach, these Tongass National Forest campsites are perfect for tent campers.
The Portage Bay Cabin is located on the eastern shore of Portage Bay on Kupreanof Island, due east of Stop Island. It provides access to scenic views as well as a variety of recreational opportunities. Visitors to the area enjoy fishing, hiking and wildlife viewing. It is accessible by boat or float plane only. Guests are responsible for their own travel arrangements and safety, and must bring several of their own amenities.
There is excellent halibut fishing in the mouth of Portage Bay. Coho, pink salmon, steelhead and trout fishing are available in the nearby Portage Creek. Hunting for black bears, waterfowl and grouse is also available as per state or federal hunting regulations; click here for more information from the Alaska Department of Fish and Game. The primitive Portage Mountain Loop Trail connects the cabin with Petersburg Lake Cabin and Salt Chuck East Cabin through Goose Cove, south of the bay. The trail is especially primitive over to Petersburg Lake and is seldom used due to the level of difficulty. Sections of the trail are flooded by beaver ponds.
The single-level, hunter-style cabin has four single wooden bunks and can accommodate up to six people. It is equipped with a table, benches and a clean-burning oil heater. An outhouse with a pit toilet is provided. Water for drinking, cooking and cleaning is not provided at the cabin. The nearest water source is a small creek 100 feet south of the cabin. Water taken from any outdoor source should be treated or boiled before consumption. Guests are encouraged to bring drinking water if possible. Guests will need to bring their own sleeping bags and pads, cook stove and cooking gear, towels, food, clothing, fire starter and garbage bags, among other necessities. Guests are advised to bring enough kerosene or No. 1 heating oil for the oil heater. It burns at a rate of approximately one gallon per day. Oil is not supplied at the cabin. Click here for more cabin details and maps.
The cabin was originally built as an administrative site for Forest Service timber layout crews, but was converted to a recreation cabin in 1987. It sits back from the rocky eastern shore of Portage Bay in southeastern Alaska. The surrounding terrain is hilly along the east and flat and rolling south and west of the bay. Portage Mountain rises 3,577 feet in the background.
$25 - $40 / night
The Ohmer Creek Campground is on a minimal maintenance schedule due to budget constraints. Please pack in/pack out your trash and use restroom facilities at neighboring Forest Service recreation areas if a waste containment system is not available on your camping unit. ACTIVITIES Camping: Occupancy of this Forest Service campground is by permit on site ($6 per night per party) from Memorial Day through Labor Day. Picnicking: Campground is available for day use picnicking in addition to overnight camping.
The Twin Creek Shelter is a three-sided Adirondack-style shelter located just off the Twin Creek Road. The surrounding area is forest and muskeg. ACTIVITIES Hiking: The shelter is the starting point for the Upper Twin and Twin Ridge Ski Trails and the Twin-Frenchy Snowmobile Trail. Picnicking: The shelter has a table and benches for day use picnicking with views of the forest and muskeg. Winter Sports: The Twin Creek Shelter is the starting point for the Twin-Frenchy Snowmobile Trail, the Twin Ridge Ski Trail, and the Upper Twin Ski Trail. Contact the Petersburg Ranger District office for more information and a description of these trails. Fire Lookouts/cabins Overnight: The Twin Creek Shelter is a three-sided Adirondack-style shelter located just off the Twin Creek Road. The surrounding area is forest and muskeg. Use of the shelter is free and first come, first served.
The Gut Island Cabins provide a basecamp for exploring the Stikine River tideflats. The tideflats provide for a different experience from the usual rainforest setting of Southeast Alaska and offer opportunities for paddling, wildlife watching and hunting. Gut Island 1 Cabin was built in 1982 and is the newest of two cabins on-site, which are a few hundred feet apart and connected by a trail. The cabin is 12 miles from Wrangell, Alaska, or 7 miles from the boat ramp on the south end of Mitkof Island. The site can be accessed by a shallow draft boat or a float plane, depending on conditions. Boats need a tide of at least 15 feet and float planes require at least 17 feet in order to access the cabin. A short walk is required from the anchorage point to the cabin. Guests are responsible for their own travel arrangements and safety, and must bring several of their own amenities.
The waters around the cabin are ideal for exploring by kayak or canoe during high tide. The Forest Service does not provide boats, and guests must also bring their own personal flotation devices. Tide tables should be consulted before any boating excursion in the area, as certain water levels are required to reach the cabin. This cabin is also in a prime location for waterfowl hunting in the fall.
This 14-by-16 cabin ( hunter-style ) can sleep up to six people. It has two single bunks, two double bunks, a table and benches, broom, an oil stove for heat (No. 1 oil only) and an outhouse toilet. A half-loft provides additional storage space. A small deck wraps around two sides of the cabin, and a wooden cooler box for food storage is located outside. Water and electricity are not provided. Water is available from a catchment, but guests should be sure to treat water before drinking or cooking with it ( water safety tips ). It is recommended that guests bring their own water supply. Heating oil is not supplied by the Forest Service. In addition to bringing a supply of No. 1 stove oil, guests should pack sleeping bags, sleeping pads, a cooking stove, lanterns or flashlights, cookware, plates, utensils, food, toilet paper, garbage bags, a fire extinguisher and fire starter. Guests are expected to pack out trash and clean the cabin before leaving ( click here for more cabin details).
The cabins are located in the Stikine-LeConte Wilderness, tucked into spruce and hemlock trees on a low rock outcropping between the Stikine River tide flats and the forest. The surrounding terrain is relatively flat with grass and shrubs growing on the tide flats. Wildflowers are prominent in May and June. Brown and black bear, moose, waterfowl, shorebirds, eagles, hawks and owls can be seen in this area ( bear safety information ). The Stikine River tideflats are a major stopover spot for during spring and fall bird migrations.
$40 / night
