San Juan Bay Cabin
San Juan Bay Cabin offers recreation, relaxation and a unique lodging experience on Montague Island in the Chugach National Forest in southcentral Alaska. The remote site offers a scenic setting for fishing, wildlife viewing, hunting and beachcombing. Access to the cabin is by wheel plane at low tide from Cordova or Seward. Visitors are responsible for their own travel arrangements and safety, and must bring several of their own amenities.
Check availability on Recreation.gov ↗
Site mix
| Cabins | 1 |
Site guide
1 site. Tap a filter to narrow the list; the map follows.
| Site | Surface | People / vehicles |
|---|---|---|
| C10 | Gravel | 6 / – |
Per-site records as published by the managing agency on Recreation.gov. Blank cells mean the agency listed nothing for that site. Check-in 12:00 PM, checkout 12:00 PM.
Amenities & rules
| Fees | Only one change per reservation for all Alaska cabins is allowed. Change is defined as a modification to the start or end date of the reservation; after one change has been made, if additional changes are desired, the customer must cancel the current reservation and re-book the new dates. |
The 14x16-ft rustic cabin can sleep up to six people and is furnished with wooden bunkbeds without mattresses. The cabin is equipped with a table, wood stove, oil stove, a rainwater catchment barrel, axe, saw, splitting maul and an outdoor pit toilet. The site is also equipped with an accessible ramp. The cabin does not have running water or electricity. Visitors must bring their own water, food, #1 stove oil, sleeping bags, sleeping pads, cook stoves, matches, cut firewood, cooking gear/utensils, lantern or flashlight, toilet paper, first aid kit and garbage bags. Visitors should be aware that some of the land on Montague Island is owned by the Chugach Alaska Corporation, and access to these lands requires permission from the corporation. The area was extensively roaded and logged by the corporation from 1994 to 1998.
Individual sites vary. Confirm on Recreation.gov or with the managing office.
Weather by month
Getting there
The cabin is 90 miles southwest of Cordova in San Juan Bay on the southwest end of Montague Island. Access to the cabin is by wheel plane at low tide only (60 minutes from Cordova, 40 minutes from Seward).
| Nearest town | Cordova, Alaska |
| Coordinates | 59.8022° N, 147.8864° W · Directions ↗ |
Explore
Trails nearby
- 0.1 miSan Juan Bay Cabin Trail0.3 mi trail · hiking
Trail and trailhead records are the Forest Service's. Distances are straight-line to the nearer trail end. Trail conditions are not tracked here.
Other campgrounds nearby
Cabin and lookout rentals nearby
Natural features
Montague Island lies in the Gulf of Alaska at the entrance to Prince William Sound. The cabin is located at the edge of a large grassy clearing near a dense spruce forest. Low forested hills rise from the surrounding area and muskeg openings dot the landscape. This part of Montague Island uplifted about 35 feet as a result of a 1964 earthquake in the area. When the area lifted, the bay drained, and is now a meadow with the creek running through it. A new-growth Sitka spruce forest is now growing in this area. Wildlife near the cabin abounds, including migratory waterfowl, Sitka black-tail deer and brown bear.
Recreation
The cabin is about a mile south of San Juan Creek, so it's a bit of a hike to get to the fishing, but the creek has good runs of coho and pink salmon and Dolly Varden from mid-July through mid-August. Hunters can take advantage of a long hunting season on the island and in the surrounding national forest. Bear season occurs during spring and fall, while deer season begins in late summer and lasts through late fall. The sandy landing beach, located 1/2-mile from the cabin, is a good place for beachcombers to search for glass Japanese fishing floats and other sea-borne treasures.
Guidebooks for Alaska
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Titles come from Open Library's catalog, matched by subject heading or by title.
Reference
Questions people ask
Do I need a reservation at San Juan Bay Cabin?
Sites at San Juan Bay Cabin are reservable on Recreation.gov. Any walk-up sites are listed on the booking page.
Source: Recreation.gov
How much does it cost to camp at San Juan Bay Cabin?
Only one change per reservation for all Alaska cabins is allowed. Change is defined as a modification to the start or end date of the reservation; after one change has been made, if additional changes are desired, the customer must cancel the current reservation and re-book the new dates.
Source: Recreation.gov
What time is check-in at San Juan Bay Cabin?
Check-in 12:00 PM, checkout 12:00 PM.
Source: Recreation.gov
How many sites does San Juan Bay Cabin have?
1 site, including 1 cabin.
Source: Recreation.gov
What is there to do at San Juan Bay Cabin?
The cabin is about a mile south of San Juan Creek, so it's a bit of a hike to get to the fishing, but the creek has good runs of coho and pink salmon and Dolly Varden from mid-July through mid-August. The Recreation section on this page has the rest.
Source: Recreation
What is the nearest town to San Juan Bay Cabin?
Cordova, Alaska.
Source: Getting there
What if San Juan Bay Cabin is full?
The nearest public campgrounds are Primrose Campground (63.2 mi, first-come), Ptarmigan Creek (65.8 mi), and Trail River (66.7 mi).
Source: Campgrounds nearby