Cabin rental · U.S. Forest Service · Chugach National Forest · Girdwood, AK

Coghill Lake Cabin

Coghill Lake Cabin offers opportunities for year-round rest and recreation near College Fiord in Prince William Sound. The cabin is nestled on a lagoon on the southwest shore of beautiful Coghill Lake, which is known for its excellent salmon fishing. The Cabin is located on Chugach National Forest lands within the Nellie Juan - College Fiord Wilderness Study Area. This remote site can be accessed by floatplane or a primitive 3 mile hiking trail that begins at saltwater just east of coghill point. Floatplane access is typically a 50-minute flight from Anchorage or an hour from Cordova. The 3 mile trail to the cabin can be rough and poorly marked at times.

Cabin rentalReservable · Recreation.gov1 sitePets okFires ok
Check availability on Recreation.gov ↗
COGHILL LAKE CABINCOGHILL LAKE CABINCOGHILL LAKE CABIN7COGHILL LAKE CABIN2
Photos courtesy of COGHILL LAKE CABIN · Recreation.gov

Site mix

Cabins1
This cabin is booked as a single unit on Recreation.gov. The booking page shows which dates are open and how far ahead they release. How the booking window works

Site guide

1 site. Tap a filter to narrow the list; the map follows.

SiteSurfaceShadeWater / sewerWaterfrontPeople / vehiclesFires
G04GravelPartialNo / –Lakefront6 / –Yes

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

PetsAllowed
CampfiresAllowed, subject to restrictions
FeesOnly 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 cabin is a 16x16-foot A-frame with a main floor and a sleeping loft. It accommodates up to six guests and comes equipped with wooden bunks, a kerosene heating stove, a table, benches and an outhouse with a pit toilet. No water, electricity, toilet paper, or fuel for the heater is provided. Guests are responsible for bringing their own drinking water, kerosene for heater (typically ~1 gallon/ day is sufficent), a cook stove, flashlights or lanterns, bedding, mattresses, toilet paper, garbage bags, cookware, dishes and utensils. Please pack out what you bring in to leave a clean Cabin for the next visitors!

Individual sites vary. Confirm on Recreation.gov or with the managing office.

Weather by month

NOAA climate normals →
Weather by month near Coghill Lake Cabin20°30°40°50°60°January: 10.21 inches of precipitation, 33.2 inches of snowFebruary: 9.71 inches of precipitation, 27.7 inches of snowMarch: 6.81 inches of precipitation, 25.3 inches of snowApril: 6.26 inches of precipitation, 6.3 inches of snowMay: 7.03 inches of precipitation, 0.1 inches of snowJune: 5.60 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowJuly: 7.08 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowAugust: 13.81 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowSeptember: 17.23 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowOctober: 14.88 inches of precipitation, 2.3 inches of snowNovember: 11.20 inches of precipitation, 19.3 inches of snowDecember: 12.13 inches of precipitation, 37.2 inches of snowJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecJanuary: 24.3°F averageFebruary: 26.6°F averageMarch: 29.2°F averageApril: 36.5°F averageMay: 44.2°F averageJune: 52.2°F averageJuly: 55.4°F averageAugust: 54.2°F averageSeptember: 47.7°F averageOctober: 38.9°F averageNovember: 29.8°F averageDecember: 26.9°F average0 in10 in20 in30 in40 inTemp °FInches
The line is the average temperature and the bars are average precipitation at Cannery Creek, 12 miles from the campground at 85 feet, station USC00501240 in the NOAA monthly climate normals for 1991 to 2020. Precipitation totals about 122 inches a year. The dotted line is average snowfall, about 151 inches a year on the same inches scale.

Getting there

This Cabin is not accessible via the road system. The cabin is located on the southwest shore of Coghill Lake, on the lagoon just before Coghill River, on the east side of College Fiord in Prince William Sound. Accessible via float plane (50 minutes from Anchorage or 60 minutes from Cordova).

Nearest townGirdwood, Alaska
Coordinates61.0822° N, 147.8611° W · Directions ↗

Explore

  • 0.4 mi
    Coghill Lake Trail
    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.

Public land it sits in

On Wilderness Atlas →

This campground sits inside Chugach National Forest.

Each unit is published as a centre point and an acreage rather than a boundary, so this section stands it in for a circle of the same area. Whether a campground is inside, and how far it is from one it is outside, are both approximate.

Natural features

Coghill Lake Cabin is surrounded by rolling hills on the edge of a stand of conifer trees next to a shallow lagoon, which is connected to the lake by a passage. The cabin offers a view of most of the lagoon, with the Chugach Mountains and glaciers in the background. A large variety of wildlife lives in the area, including Sitka black-tailed deer, bald eagles, waterfowl and river otter. The Coghill Lake area is particularly known for its black bear population, so visitors are urged to practice bear safety ( learn about bear safety ).

Recreation

Salmon fishing is excellent from the lakeshore and the lagoon. Anglers can fish for sockeye from mid-June through July, pink and chum in July and August, and Coho salmon in August and September. Dolly Varden trout fishing is also good from May through October. The Coghill River, which connects the lagoon to College Fiord, is also a popular spot for sockeye fishing. Recreationalists seeking a bit more adventure can elect to hike in the primitive 3 mile trail from Port Wells with packrafts and float back out the Class 1-2 Coghill River. Be aware that throughout mid summer there is a fish counting weir near the lake outlet that will need to be portaged. This portage is a short but brushy side trail found on river right. Guests can use the small rowboat and oars provided by the Forest Service; please provide your own personal floatation device. Hunting for black bear and waterfowl is available during designated seasons. Permits are available through the State of Alaska. Berry pickers will find plentiful salmonberries and blueberries near the cabin in season.

Guidebooks for Alaska

We earn a small commission if you buy through these links. It does not change what we list.

Titles come from Open Library's catalog, matched by subject heading or by title.

Reference

Questions people ask

Do I need a reservation at Coghill Lake Cabin?

Sites at Coghill Lake 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 Coghill Lake 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 Coghill Lake Cabin?

Check-in 12:00 PM, checkout 12:00 PM.

Source: Recreation.gov

How many sites does Coghill Lake Cabin have?

1 site, including 1 cabin.

Source: Recreation.gov

Are pets allowed at Coghill Lake Cabin?

Yes, pets are allowed at Coghill Lake Cabin. Leash rules apply.

Source: Recreation.gov

Can I have a campfire at Coghill Lake Cabin?

Fires are allowed in the provided rings under normal conditions.

Source: Recreation.gov

What is there to do at Coghill Lake Cabin?

Salmon fishing is excellent from the lakeshore and the lagoon. The Recreation section on this page has the rest.

Source: Recreation

What is the nearest town to Coghill Lake Cabin?

Girdwood, Alaska.

Source: Getting there

What if Coghill Lake Cabin is full?

The nearest public campgrounds are Williwaw Campground (39.8 mi, partly first-come), Black Bear Campground (40 mi, first-come), and Spencer Glacier Whistle Stop Group Campground (47.7 mi).

Source: Campgrounds nearby