Shipley Bay Cabin

$25.00/night

SHIPLEY BAY CABIN, PO BOX 19001
THORNE BAY, AK 99919

Overview

Shipley Bay Cabin offers visitors recreation, relaxation and a unique lodging experience on Kosciusko Island in southeastern Alaska. The remote site offers a scenic setting for fishing, hiking and wildlife viewing, all within the vicinity of the cabin.

The site can either be accessed by float plane or boat at high tide. Visitors are responsible for their own travel arrangements and safety, and must bring several of their own amenities.

Recreation

The cabin is an excellent location for anglers, as the stream and lake support cutthroat trout, rainbow trout, dolly varden, steelhead and three species of salmon.

Hikers may want to head out from the cabin on a rugged 0.8 mile natural-tread trail connecting Shipley Creek to Shipley Lake. Continuing to Devilfish Bay is an option as well, however good maps and orienteering skills are essential as there is no designated trail.

The snow-capped Mount Francis rises 2,592 feet in elevation and can be seen in the distance from the cabin on a clear day.

Facilities

The cabin is a 12 x 14 foot primitive, pre-cut cedar log cabin (pan-abode style) furnished with wooden bunkbeds (without mattresses) that sleep 4-6 guests.

The cabin is equipped with a table, benches, a tiny stove for heat and an outdoor toilet. Other amenities include a cooking counter, fire extinguisher and a broom.

The cabin does not have running water or electricity. Guests must bring their own food, water, sleeping bags, sleeping pads, cook stove/fuel, biobricks for stove, fire starter, cooking gear/utensils, light source (lantern), toilet paper, first aid kit and garbage bags. Water is available from the nearby stream, but must be filtered, boiled or chemically treated before drinking.
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Natural Features

The cabin sits on a low bluff between Shipley Creek and Shipley Bay on Koscicusko Island. The front of the cabin faces out to a large rocky beach, and a grassy tidal flat extends from its back where Shipley Creek meets the ocean.

Wildlife in the area abounds, including a variety of waterfowl, shore birds, bald eagles, Sitka black-tailed deer and black bears. Learn more about bear safety in the Tongass National Forest.

Camp site features

Across 1 camp site:

Largest party: 6 people

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.

Directions

Shipley Bay Cabin is accessible by float plane or one hour boat ride from El Capitan dock. Fog, high winds, and low tides can make landing at the cabin difficult. Click here for Sitka tide table information. A mooring buoy in the bay is available on first-come, first-served basis. Mooring of more than one vessel is allowed if the first party there agrees. Refer to USGS map Petersburg A-5. Click here for information about reaching Forest Service Cabins. Inclement weather conditions may cause an extension of your trip during any time of the year and winter access can be difficult due to snow and ice conditions. Guests should bring extra supplies to last 2-5 days Please contact the Thorne Bay Ranger District at 907-828-3304 prior to arrival for more detailed information about safety precautions.

Stay Limit

Check in from 12 PM, check out by 12 PM.

Reviews

3 reviews

5 stars

4 stars

2 stars

James C

Loop:Area Shipley Bay Cabin

Site:

Reviewed 5 years ago

The cabin is in a beautiful area, lots of wildlife and has been fixed up since last year. The wood stove is somewhat problematic for us as Kayakers since you need to provide bio-blocks for fuel and we don't have much room to haul it in. Basically though it was a great trip. On the down side, the "trail" to Shipley Lake from the cabin has not been brushed out in years. We spent 3 days brushing it but never did get time to fish the lake. No boat was in site either. We think that if you are going to advertise the trail to the lake, it should be brushed yearly to maintain it. The upper end of the trail also has a couple of large trees that need to be cut out. With no brushing you are setting up false advertising as people will only get to the lake with a huge effort. Taking fishing poles to the lake will result in broken rods.

Sean M

Loop:Area Shipley Bay Cabin

Site:

Reviewed 5 years ago

The area is beautiful. We saw many bears, several wolves and the sea life was abundant. Depending on the time of year, there is good fishing in the creek directly behind the cabin.

James C

Loop:Area Shipley Bay Cabin

Site:

Reviewed 6 years ago

First, the oil stove at Shipley was not working right. It took us two days to finally get fuel flow to the combustion chamber and then it only worked at a very low level. Could not be adjusted up or down. The log suggested that it has been a problem for the last two years. Also fiberglass panels on the porch roof have rotted out so water is coming down in the porch which will eventually rot the boards - also restricts the dry areas of the porch. We had no problem with the interior roof, but there is tape on some of the interior roof seams which suggest some sort of a problem. Last time Forest Serve was logged at the cabin was 2011. Maybe time to do upkeep on this cabin!!!!!!

Availability

See the Camp Sites section below to find detailed booking availability.

Reserve

Popularity: Moderate