U.S. Forest Service · Tongass National Forest · Sitka, AK

Brents Beach Cabin

Brent's Beach Cabin is located on the eastern shore of Kruzof Island in Crab Bay in the Tongass National Forest, 15 miles northwest of Sitka, Alaska. The cabin is open year-round and makes an excellent base to experience this beautiful corner of Alaska. Fred's Creek Cabin is 5 miles south. The original A-frame cabin located at this site was donated by a former Forest Service district ranger in memory of his teenage son, Brent, who along with two friends, drowned in Sitka Sound while halibut fishing in the early 1970s. In 1985, the current cabin replaced the well-worn A-frame. This is a remote location. The cabin can be accessed only by boat or helicopter, weather permitting.

Reservable · Recreation.gov1 site

More like this: reservable in Alaska

Check availability on Recreation.gov ↗
Brent's Beach Cabin2BRENT'S BEACH CABINBRENT'S BEACH CABIN5BRENT'S BEACH CABIN 3
Photos courtesy of USFS · Recreation.gov

Site mix

Standard, no hookups1
This site 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.

SitePeople / vehicles
S096 / –

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

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 one-room, Pan-abode-style cabin sleeps six and is furnished with two double plywood bunks and two single plywood bunks (no mattresses). The cabin includes a wood stove, axe or splitting mail, a table and benches, cooking counter, a broom and an outhouse toilet. Guests should bring sleeping bags and pads, a cooking stove, pots, pans, plates, utensils, food, toilet paper, a lantern, garbage bags, a fire extinguisher, fire starter, raingear and rubber boots. Water is available from the nearby inlet stream. Treat all water before using. It is recommended that visitors bring their own water. A mooring buoy is provided on a first-come, first-served basis for boat anchorage. It can be used by cabin visitors or general forest users. Cabin reservation does not include exclusive use of the buoy. Mooring buoys are configured using a 4200-lb concrete block with 90 feet of 7/8th-inch stud link chain. Mariners are responsible for determining how suitable an anchoring system is for the size of their craft.

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

Weather by month

NOAA climate normals →
Weather by month near Brents Beach Cabin30°40°50°60°January: 8.22 inches of precipitationFebruary: 5.93 inches of precipitationMarch: 5.60 inches of precipitationApril: 4.31 inches of precipitationMay: 3.81 inches of precipitationJune: 2.92 inches of precipitationJuly: 4.62 inches of precipitationAugust: 7.25 inches of precipitationSeptember: 11.69 inches of precipitationOctober: 11.78 inches of precipitationNovember: 9.91 inches of precipitationDecember: 8.43 inches of precipitationJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecJanuary: 36.5°F averageFebruary: 36.7°F averageMarch: 37.5°F averageApril: 42.6°F averageMay: 48.1°F averageJune: 53.0°F averageJuly: 56.5°F averageAugust: 57.3°F averageSeptember: 53.2°F averageOctober: 46.4°F averageNovember: 40.0°F averageDecember: 37.5°F average0 in5 in10 in15 inTemp °FInches
The line is the average temperature and the bars are average precipitation at Sitka Airport, 10 miles from the campground at 14 feet, station USW00025333 in the NOAA monthly climate normals for 1991 to 2020. Precipitation totals about 84 inches a year.

Getting there

Accessible year round, weather permitting. Located 15 miles west of Sitka on the southeast shore of Kruzof Island. Access is 30 minutes by boat from Sitka. Helicopter landing on the beach is possible at lower tides. Refer to USGS topographic maps Sitka A-5, A-6. Boat access can only occur at certain stages of the tide.

Nearest townSitka, Alaska
Coordinates57.1383° N, 135.5661° W · Directions ↗

Explore

Worth a stop

Trails nearby

Forest Service trail data →
  • 3 mi
    Lower Cone Road
    2.1 mi trail · hiking, horse, bike, motorcycle and 3 more
  • 3 mi
    Cone Road Spur
    under 0.1 mi trail · hiking, horse, bike, motorcycle and 3 more
  • 3.2 mi
    Cone Road
    3.5 mi trail · hiking, horse, bike, motorcycle and 3 more
  • 3.3 mi
    Cinder Pit 3A
    0.05 mi trail · hiking, horse, bike, motorcycle and 3 more
  • 3.3 mi
    Cinder Pit 3
    0.05 mi trail · hiking, horse, bike, motorcycle and 3 more
  • 3.3 mi
    Cinder Pit 2
    under 0.1 mi trail · hiking, horse, bike, motorcycle and 3 more

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 →

Saint Lazaria Wilderness begins about 11.6 miles away, and it is the closest of these.

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

The cabin sits just inside timberline on a beautiful, sandy beach facing Crab Bay and is surrounded by a dense forest of spruce and hemlock. Brown bears frequent the area.

Recreation

Visitors enjoy beachcombing, sunbathing and sculpting in the sands in front of the cabin, saltwater fishing in the bay and hunting deer in-season in the surrounding forest. Volcanic features are a 10-minute hike north of the cabin. Be sure to bring a compass.

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 Brents Beach Cabin?

Sites at Brents Beach 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 Brents Beach 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 Brents Beach Cabin?

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

Source: Recreation.gov

How many sites does Brents Beach Cabin have?

1 site, including 1 standard site without power.

Source: Recreation.gov

Is there cell service at Brents Beach Cabin?

FCC coverage maps show AT&T 4G LTE at the campground point. Terrain changes that from one site to the next.

Source: FCC Broadband Map

What is there to do at Brents Beach Cabin?

Visitors enjoy beachcombing, sunbathing and sculpting in the sands in front of the cabin, saltwater fishing in the bay and hunting deer in-season in the surrounding forest. The Recreation section on this page has the rest.

Source: Recreation

What is the nearest town to Brents Beach Cabin?

Sitka, Alaska.

Source: Getting there

What if Brents Beach Cabin is full?

The nearest public campgrounds are Freds Creek Cabin (5.2 mi), Shelikof Cabin (6.9 mi), and North Beach Cabin (7.4 mi).

Source: Campgrounds nearby