Cabin rental · U.S. Forest Service · Tongass National Forest · Wrangell, AK

Mallard Slough Cabin

Mallard Slough Cabin provides an excellent basecamp for exploration of the Stikine River Delta and Stikine-LeConte Wilderness. The surrounding area offers opportunities for hiking, paddling, hunting and birdwatching. The cabin is located between LeConte Bay and the North Arm of the Stikine River, 22 miles from Wrangell and 20 miles from Petersburg, Alaska. The site can be accessed by float plane or shallow draft boat, depending on conditions. Access to the cabin requires at least a 14-foot tide for boats and 16 feet for float planes. Guests are responsible for their own travel arrangements and safety, and must bring several of their own amenities.

Check availability on Recreation.gov ↗
Slough leading up to the cabin with trees in backgroundTwo people playing cards inside a wood cabinMallard Slough Cabin exterior brown cabin with slanted roof with trees surrounding itView of ocean and mountains outside Mallard Slough Cabin window
Photos courtesy of USFS · 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.

SiteShadePeople / vehicles
W23Full7 / –

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

FeesReservations can be made the day of arrival or up to 180 days in advance of cabin arrival. Cabin reservations are restricted to a maximum stay of 7 consecutive nights per party for any one reservation between May 1 and September 30, and 10 consecutive days from Oct. 1 through April 30.

This 16-by-16 cabin ( modified A-frame style ) was built in 1980 and has two single bunks (one with a trundle bed) and a second-floor loft, to sleep up to seven people. It is also equipped with a table with benches, a wood stove, and broom. An outhouse is also outside the cabin. A wooden cooler box for food storage is attached to the cabin. Water and electricity are not provided. Water may be available from a rain catchment barrel, 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. In addition to bringing a cook stove, guests should provide their own firewood, sleeping bags, sleeping pads, lanterns or flashlights, cookware, plates, utensils, food, toilet paper, garbage bags, a fire extinguisher and matches, among other necessities. Guests are expected to pack out trash and clean the cabin before leaving.

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

Weather by month

NOAA climate normals →
Weather by month near Mallard Slough Cabin30°40°50°60°January: 11.39 inches of precipitation, 20.7 inches of snowFebruary: 7.60 inches of precipitation, 16.9 inches of snowMarch: 7.60 inches of precipitation, 20.0 inches of snowApril: 6.66 inches of precipitation, 1.1 inches of snowMay: 5.86 inches of precipitation, 0.2 inches of snowJune: 4.98 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowJuly: 5.63 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowAugust: 8.21 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowSeptember: 14.35 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowOctober: 13.84 inches of precipitation, 0.4 inches of snowNovember: 12.28 inches of precipitation, 10.8 inches of snowDecember: 11.79 inches of precipitation, 15.5 inches of snowJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecJanuary: 30.9°F averageFebruary: 32.1°F averageMarch: 34.9°F averageApril: 41.4°F averageMay: 48.5°F averageJune: 54.0°F averageJuly: 56.3°F averageAugust: 55.8°F averageSeptember: 50.8°F averageOctober: 43.3°F averageNovember: 35.8°F averageDecember: 31.8°F average0 in5 in10 in15 in20 in25 inTemp °FInches
The line is the average temperature and the bars are average precipitation at Petersburg 1, 16 miles from the campground at 107 feet, station USW00025329 in the NOAA monthly climate normals for 1991 to 2020. Precipitation totals about 110 inches a year. The dotted line is average snowfall, about 86 inches a year on the same inches scale.

Getting there

Mallard Slough Cabin is on the mainland between LeConte Bay and the North Arm of the Stikine River, on the Stikine River delta in the Stikine-LeConte Wilderness. This cabin is accessible by shallow draft boat or float plane, 18 miles by air or 20-22 miles by boat from Wrangell or Petersburg.

Nearest townWrangell, Alaska
Coordinates56.7103° N, 132.5417° W · Directions ↗

Explore

  • 0.2 mi
    Mallard Slough Trail
    2.2 mi trail · hiking, horse
  • 4.7 mi
    Ideal Cove
    0.8 mi trail · hiking, horse, bike

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 Stikine-LeConte Wilderness.

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 on relatively flat land with grass and shrubs growing on the tide flats. It is situated between the tide flats and a forest of spruce and hemlock. Behind the cabin are low-to-moderate forested hills. Wildflowers are prominent in May and June. LeConte Glacier is within boating distance of the cabin at high tide. There are icebergs in LeConte Bay and in Fredrick Sound, along the Horn Cliffs. Brown and black bears, bald eagles, owls, hawks and moose inhabit the area ( bear safety information ). The Stikine River tidal flats are a major stopover spot for shorebirds and waterfowl during spring and fall migrations. Nearby Cheliped Bay is one of the best areas for watching the spring shorebird migration on the Wrangell Ranger District.

Recreation

The Mallard Slough Trail is a 2.7 mile trail fron the cabin to LeConte Bay. The first 0.4 miles of the trail is maintained to the grassflats of Cheliped Bay. Once on the grassflats, the trail is marshy and marked solely by occasional posts. The area around the cabin is also ideal for exploring by kayak or canoe during high tide. The Forest Service does not provide boats, and guests must also bring their own flotation devices. Tide tables should be consulted before any boating excursion. This cabin is also in a prime location for waterfowl hunting in the fall.

Guidebooks for Alaska

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Reference

Questions people ask

Do I need a reservation at Mallard Slough Cabin?

Sites at Mallard Slough 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 Mallard Slough Cabin?

Reservations can be made the day of arrival or up to 180 days in advance of cabin arrival. Cabin reservations are restricted to a maximum stay of 7 consecutive nights per party for any one reservation between May 1 and September 30, and 10 consecutive days from Oct. 1 through April 30.

Source: Recreation.gov

What time is check-in at Mallard Slough Cabin?

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

Source: Recreation.gov

How many sites does Mallard Slough Cabin have?

1 site, including 1 cabin.

Source: Recreation.gov

What is there to do at Mallard Slough Cabin?

The Mallard Slough Trail is a 2.7 mile trail fron the cabin to LeConte Bay. The Recreation section on this page has the rest.

Source: Recreation

What is the nearest town to Mallard Slough Cabin?

Wrangell, Alaska.

Source: Getting there

What if Mallard Slough Cabin is full?

The nearest public campgrounds are Ohmer Creek Campground (11.9 mi, first-come), Lower Salamander Creek Campground (28.4 mi, first-come), and Yunshookuh Loop Campground (28.8 mi, first-come).

Source: Campgrounds nearby