Best Cabin Camping near Whittier, AK

Beautiful! Sat in hot tub staring at the snow capped mountains most of my stay here.

Coghill has an outstanding A-frame cabin and the view from the front porch is one of the best I have seen in visits to over 20 different USFS cabins in Alaska.  The view included 3,000-4,000 ft peaks covered with glaciers, and a beautiful lagoon right in front of the cabin. The flight there and back from Anchorage was incredible, we saw hundreds of glaciers, several massive ones. The area around Coghill is very swampy, and it was very buggy when we were there in the middle of Sept., all biting black flies, no mosquitos. 

the trail that supposedly exists to the estuary is overgrown, criss-crossed with bear trails,  hard to find, and very brushy where you do find it. We wondered why nobody has placed any trail markers on the trail from the cabin to College Fiord? I realize the USFS does not have the resources to maintain or improve the trail, but if it was marked regular use would help maintain the trail somewhat. But it also seems like the vegetation grows so fast there that nature is doing its best to obliterate any trail, and the many bear trails make it hard to figure out which trail is which.

When it rains the river downstream of the cabin is too large to cross, so you become very restricted in where you can fish downstream. We brought a 2.5 HP kicker motor, so we were able to explore all of the tribs that feed into the upper end of the the lake. 

we were fishing for silvers and our group caught very few during a week.  The place is very well known for sockeye, but they run in July and we were there in Sept.  the lagoon in front of the cabin and lake had about 20 harbor seals that were on constant prowl for silvers. The harbor seals were also in the river down below the cabin. with so many seals it is hard to imagine that the silvers ever have a chance to stack up anywhere without being scattered.  The cabin log book mentions the seals being there more than 20 years back, so they just seem to be a feature of this lake/lagoon system.  

The Coghill cabin was in excellent shape when we visited, and very clean thanks to the preceding group (the “Igloo Boys”). the area around the lake is incredibly beautiful!! the stove worked well but only has one heat setting (but that was not a problem).

THE ROWBOAT IS MISSING AN OAR, and really needs a new set of oars and oar locks so that the remaining oar can serve as a back up. The Igloo Boys improvised a shovel as a replacement for the missing oar, but it is only a matter of time before somebody drops the oar/shovel to the bottom of the lake and then they will have to row their way back to the cabin with only a single oar.  If you visit this cabin make arrangements with the USFS to get a new set of oars, or bring your own.  Without oars you will be very limited in where you can get to at this cabin.

We stayed in the beluga state cabin that is located at the front of the bird creek campground. First coming in to the campground it was a nice road and well signed. The cabin was located on the left town the bike trail and on the left. It was present look and well kept on the outside. We Spent 3 day 2 night. I have 4 kids myself and grandpa and we all fit in the cabin great. The heater was hard to start but we got it and it work like a boss! There was no trash and no graffiti on the walls it was refreshing to see a state cabin so well taken care of we will return most definitely!

Spencer Bench Cabin offers a stunning location at 1,900 feet elevation, providing breathtaking views of the Placer River Valley, Spencer Lake, and Spencer Glacier. The mcdvoice surrounding alpine meadows boast beautiful vegetation, including low shrubs, grasses, and summer wildflowers. This cabin is available for rent throughout the year, allowing visitors to enjoy the beauty of the area in any season.

Bird Creek camp/ RV/ Cabin site is a beautiful 25 minute journey south of Anchorage. Far enough away but close enough to town if you feel the need to get back to the city.

We rented a cabin 95$ a night and took aprox 12 young ladies in the chilly month of November! Daring, I know! But state restrooms made sharing a bathroom easy :)

there is a small wood stove and wood supplied for each cabin which was amazing! A lil kitchen area is built in for your food prep pleasure- must bring stoves and water. No electricity so bring your choice of lighting. Also I recommend headlamps for winter months as bathrooms are a small treck from the secluded wooded cabins.

Bunks are built in and a loft makes for plenty of room.

There was a beautiful table with a map in the top- pretty awesome!

There is a walking trail and it's close to the inlet for beluga whale watching and if your lucky a bore tide!

Rv sites and tents sites available as well- plus table and fire pits at each site.

Well maintained trails but a walk to the cabin or yurts. Accessible by foot year around. No horses or bikes allowed on trails. Tent camping along the Crow Creek Pass Trail.

Many choices for length of hikes depending on which loop you choose. This is bear county so bring your bear bells. Loved the hikes so much we decided to rent the cabin for my birthday.

A great cabin located on the resurrection pass trail.

My wife and I stayed at the beluga cabin for a couple nights last July and had quite the memorable experience. The surrounding area of the campground is beautiful and located right on the Turnagain Arm. There is a nice bike path that connects through the campground that you can take advantage of for a nice bike ride or hike but be aware of wildlife. My wife and I ran into a large juvenile brown bear on the trail leading from the restrooms to our cabin. He gave us one hell of a scare as he came out of the brush 10 yards away from us and reared up on his hind legs to check us out.

Some nice trout to be caught in the lake, if you ride horses into this cabin and abide by the rules, you will have very little grass for them to eat and you will not be able to watch or protect them from the Bears.

All spots are close to one bathroom or another. Train does run by at 6 am so it makes a great alarm clock. Quiet time ends at 6 am. Half the camp sites are next to the bike path so watch your dogs. Dry camping and you can reserve cabins but have to do way in advance.

Situated right along Bird Creek bike path this is a great place to stay if you love to ride your bike. Whale watching and fishing are also two things to help pass the time, if you need it. Each site is nicely level, close to bathrooms and camp host on site. 28 dry campsites and 2 cabins for rent. 7 night stay limit but a great spot for if you want to stay close to Anchorage.