Control Lake Cabin

Control Lake Cabin

About this campsite

Overview

Control Lake Cabin, built in 1969, offers guests recreation, relaxation and a unique lodging experience in the central portion of Prince of Wales Island in southeastern Alaska. The remote site offers a scenic setting for fishing, boating, hiking and wildlife viewing, all within the vicinity of the cabin.

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

Recreation

Anglers will find Control Lake to be a scenic setting for fishing. The lake supports healthy populations of cutthroat trout, dolly varden and sockeye salmon.

Hunters can take advantage of the long hunting season in the surrounding national forest. Bear season occurs during spring and fall, while deer season begins in late summer and lasts through the late fall.

Guests are welcome to use the aluminum skiff with oars available at the cabin, but are responsible for bringing and using their own personal floatation devices.

Facilities

The cabin is large multi-room structure that once served as the Ranger District office. It is furnished with wooden bunkbeds (without mattresses) and some rustic log furniture. It can accommodate up to six guests.

The cabin is equipped with a table, benches, a wood stove for heat and an outside toilet. Other amenities include cooking counters, an axe, splitting maul and a broom. Firewood may be available, but the supply cannot be guaranteed.

The cabin does not have running water or electricity. Guests must bring their own food, water, sleeping bags, sleeping pads, cook stove, stove fuel, matches, cooking gear/utensils, light source (lantern), toilet paper, first aid kit and garbage bags.

Water is available from the lake, but must be filtered, boiled or chemically treated before drinking. Click here for more cabin details.

Natural Features

The cabin sits in a grassy area just off the shore of Control Lake. The shoreline is surrounded by a scattering of sparse lodgepole pines with muskeg openings extended for several miles west of the lake.

Wildlife in the area abounds, including a variety of waterfowl and insects in neighboring ponds, eagles, marten, mink, otter, Sitka black-tailed deer and black bears. Learn more about bear safety in the Tongass National Forest.

Nearby Attractions

It is an easy 18 mile drive to lower Thorne River, which has excellent fishing, boating, hiking trails, wildlife viewing areas and day-use areas.

Location

CONTROL LAKE CABIN•AK

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Weather Forecast

via Open-Meteo

FRI🌦️

13° / 3°

💧 76%

SAT🌧️

12° / 8°

💧 100%

SUN🌦️

15° / 9°

💧 100%

TODAY🌦️

14° / 9°

💧 100%

TUE🌦️

11° / 8°

💧 98%

Nearby Campsites

within 50km

1.5 km away

EAGLES NEST CAMPGROUND

Overview Eagles Nest Campground is located on Prince of Wales Island in a temperate rainforest surrounded by muskeg and Balls Lake. Visitors enjoy viewing wildlife, hiking, fishing, canoeing and kayaking. This campground is situated on Prince of Wales Island, the third largest island in the U.S., on the shores of Balls Lake, eighteen miles west of Thorne Bay. Recreation An interpretive trail parallels the lake for approximately 1,800 feet, offering scenic views of the Thorne Mountains and surrounding foothills. Canoeing, kayaking and fishing are popular activities at Balls Lake. A canoe ramp is located on the lakeshore. Sockeye salmon, wildflowers and industrious beavers are common sights in and around the lake. The 2.5-mile Balls Lake Trail lets visitors hike around the lake, where swans, kingfisher and ducks are often seen, along with an array of riparian areas. Facilities The campground offers single and double-family sites. Picnic tables and campfire rings are provided, as are vault toilets. Natural Features The campground is situated near Control Creek and Balls Lake, within the Tongass National Forest, which covers nearly 17 million acres in southeast Alaska and is the largest forest in the national forest system. The Tongass surrounds the Inside Passage, the network of waterways that buffers the jagged Alaskan Coast and a cluster of coastal islands. The Tongass offers visitors a chance to view wildlife, including eagles, bears and spawning salmon. Expansive vistas of fjords, glaciers and mountain peaks abound. Much of the forest is a temperate rainforest. Nearby Attractions A number of hiking trails and recreation sites are in the area.

15.4 km away

HONKER LAKE CABIN

Overview Honker Lake Cabin offers visitors recreation, relaxation and a unique lodging experience on Prince of Wales Island in southeastern Alaska. The remote site offers a scenic setting for fishing, canoeing and wildlife viewing, all within the vicinity of the cabin. The site can either be accessed by float plane or canoe. Canoeing is a common way to access the cabin as it is located on the Honker Divide Canoe Route. Visitors are responsible for their own travel arrangements and safety, and must bring several of their own amenities. Recreation The Honker Divide Canoe Route is Prince of Wales Island's longest trail. It extends 30 miles on the Hatchery Creek/Thorne River system through the heart of the island, affording glimpses of mountain views, expansive muskegs and open river. The Honker Divide Canoe Route is a challenging combination of river and lake paddles. The first 7 miles are against the current and the portages are on natural tread and may be muddy, but the trip is well worth the effort. Boaters should plan ahead and prepare for changing weather conditions and always wear personal floatation devices when boating. Anglers will find that the area is quite scenic while fishing for rainbow and cutthroat trout, Dolly Varden, coho and sockeye salmon. Hikers can hike extensively on primitive trails along the lake's edge. Facilities The cabin is a 12 x 12 foot primitive, pre-cut cedar log cabin ( pan-abode style ) furnished with wooden bunkbeds (without mattresses) that sleep up to six guests. The cabin is equipped with a table, benches, a wood stove for heat and an outside toilet. Other amenities include a cooking counter, shelves, cupboard space, an axe, splitting maul, and a broom. Firewood may be available, but the supply cannot be guaranteed. The cabin does not have running water or electricity. Guests must bring their own food, water, sleeping bags, sleeping pads, cook stove, stove fuel, fire starter, cooking gear/utensils, light source (lantern), toilet paper, first aid kit and garbage bags. Water is available from the lake, but must be filtered, boiled or chemically treated before drinking. There is an aluminum skiff with oars available at the cabin, and guests may choose to bring a long shaft motor for boat use. Guests are responsible for bringing and using their own personal floatation devices. Click here for more cabin details. Natural Features The cabin sits on the gently rolling shoreline of Honker Lake. It is surrounded by a temperate rainforest of old-growth spruce, hemlock and cedar, and an understory of dense huckleberry and salmonberry bushes. Wildlife in the area abounds, including a variety of waterfowl. The site is named after the migrating Canada geese ("honkers") that frequent the area. Bald eagles, wolves, Sitka black-tailed deer and black bears are also in the area. Learn more about bear safety in the Tongass National Forest.

17.2 km away

Black Bear Lake Cabin (Tongass National Forest, AK)

Overview Black Bear Lake Cabin offers recreation, relaxation and a unique lodging experience on Prince of Wales Island in southeastern Alaska. The remote site offers a scenic, mountainous setting for fishing, hiking and wildlife viewing. Access to the cabin is by floatplane only. Visitors are responsible for their own travel arrangements and safety, and must bring several of their own amenities. Recreation Anglers will find fair fishing on a resident population of rainbow trout. Boating or kayaking on the lake offers a peaceful setting for viewing wildlife in the area. Hunters can take advantage of the long hunting season in the surrounding national forest. Bear season occurs during spring and fall, while deer season begins in late summer and lasts through the late fall. Facilities The 12x12-ft primitive, pre-cut cedar, pan-abode style log cabin sleeps up to six people on wooden bunkbeds without mattresses. The cabin is equipped with a table, benches, a wood stove for heat and an outside toilet. Other amenities include a cooking counter, shelves, cupboard space and a broom. The cabin does not have running water or electricity. Visitors must bring their own food, water, Bio brick compressed logs for the woodstove, sleeping bags, sleeping pads, cook stove and fuel, fire starter, cooking gear/utensils, lantern or flashlights, toilet paper, first aid kit and garbage bags. Water is available from the lake, but must be treated before being used. An aluminum skiff with oars available for use, however visitors are responsible for bringing and using their own personal floatation devices. Click here for more cabin details. Natural Features The cabin is situated at an elevation of 1,700 feet, 20 yards from the shoreline of Black Bear Lake, a cold, clear lake surrounded by snow-capped peaks reaching elevations of 4,000 feet. The terrain is rugged with a mixture of old-growth forest and alpine vegetation. The high mountains and alpine terrain is quite stunning, showcasing a display of wildflowers in mid-summer. Wildlife in the area is abundant, including Sitka black-tailed deer and black bears. A hydroelectric project was constructed at the north end of the lake in 1995. The project now provides power to several communities on the island. The lake level varies, but is still a popular destination.

17.5 km away

SALMON LAKE CABIN THORNE BAY

Overview Salmon Lake Cabin offers guests recreation, relaxation and a unique lodging experience on Prince of Wales Island in southeastern Alaska. The remote site offers a scenic wilderness setting for fishing, hiking and wildlife viewing, all within the vicinity of the cabin. The site can either be accessed by float plane or a combination of boating and hiking in. Visitors are responsible for their own travel arrangements and safety, and must bring several of their own amenities. Recreation Anglers will find the forested shoreline and sandy beach extending from the front of the cabin to be quite scenic while fishing for rainbow and cutthroat trout, Dolly Varden, pink, silver and sockeye salmon. Guests should contact the Alaska Department of Fish and Game for fishing regulations as catch and release orders may be in effect. Swimming and beachcombing at the large sandy beach outside the cabin during the warmer summer months is popular among visitors. An aluminum skiff with oars available for use, however, guests are responsible for bringing and using their own personal floatation devices. Hikers may enjoy the 5-mile Karta River Trail, which follows the Karta River up from Karta Bay to Salmon Lake, allowing excellent access to the river for steelhead, sockeye and coho salmon runs. Hiking to McGilvery Creek and Anderson Creek is possible as well, but there are no developed trails. Hikers should be well prepared with maps and developed orienteering skills. Facilities The cabin is a 15 x 20 foot single story, one-room structure with a gabled roof, built entirely of cedar. Hand hewn beams, wooden door hinges, and a shake floor combine to make a uniquely attractive wilderness cabin. The structure is furnished with wooden bunkbeds (without mattresses) that can sleep up to four people. The cabin is equipped with a table, benches, a wood stove for heat and an outside toilet. Other amenities include a cooking counter, shelves, cupboard space, axe, splitting maul, 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, stove fuel, fire starter, cooking gear/utensils, light source (lantern), toilet paper, first aid kit and garbage bags. Firewood may be available, but the supply cannot be guaranteed. Guests are asked to be conservative with wood. Water is available from the lake, but must be filtered, boiled or chemically treated before drinking. Click here for more cabin details. Natural Features The cabin sits on the northern shore of Salmon Lake in the Karta River Wilderness area on east-central Prince of Wales Island. The Karta River Wilderness is best known for large salmon runs and the scenic quality of the large river drainage system. Wildlife fills the area, including wolves, black bears, Sitka black-tailed deer, beavers, otters, minks, martens, and weasels. Trumpeter swans and various other waterfowl are commonly seen on the lakes and rivers in the area. Learn more about bear safety in the Tongass National Forest. Native Alaskans, particularly the Haida, historically lived around the bay and utilized the rich food sources of this area.

21.7 km away

KARTA LAKE CABIN

Overview Karta Lake Cabin offers visitors recreation, relaxation and a unique lodging experience on Prince of Wales Island in southeastern Alaska. The remote site offers a scenic setting for fishing, hiking and wildlife viewing, within the vicinity of the cabin. The site can either be accessed by float plane or boat and trail. Visitors are responsible for their own travel arrangements and safety, and must bring several of their own amenities. The cabin can be heated using the small wood stove inside. Recreation Anglers will find the surrounding snow-capped peaks and forested shoreline to be quite a scenic setting while fishing for rainbow and cutthroat trout, Dolly Varden and a variety of salmon species. Visitors should contact the Alaska Department of Fish and Game for fishing regulations as catch and release orders may be in effect. The 5-mile Karta River Trail follows the Karta River up from Karta Bay to Salmon Lake, allowing excellent access to the river for steelhead, sockeye and coho salmon runs. The trail provides access to Karta River, Karta Lake, and Salmon Lake cabins. For visitors interested in exploring the area by water, there is an aluminum skiff with oars available for use. Visitors are responsible for bringing and using their own personal floatation devices. Facilities The cabin is a 12 x 12 foot primitive, pre-cut cedar log cabin ( pan-abode style ) furnished with wooden bunkbeds (without mattresses) that sleep up to six people. The cabin is equipped with a table, benches, a small wood/ biobrick stove for heat and an outside toilet. Other amenities include a cooking counter, shelves, cupboard space, and a broom. The cabin does not have running water or electricity. Visitors must bring their own food, water, sleeping bags, sleeping pads, cook stove, stove fuel, fire starter, cooking gear/utensils, light source (lantern), toilet paper, first aid kit and garbage bags. Wood or biobricks are not provided. Bio bricks can be purchased in Ketchikan and on Prince of Wales. Please contact the district if you need more info. Water is available from the lake, but must be filtered, boiled or chemically treated before drinking. Click here for more cabin details. Natural Features The cabin sits on the eastern shore of Karta Lake in the Karta River Wilderness area on east-central Prince of Wales Island. The Karta River Wilderness is best known for large salmon runs and the scenic quality of the large river drainage system. Wildlife fills the area, including wolves, black bears, Sitka black-tailed deer, beavers, otters, minks, martens and weasels. Trumpeter swans and various other waterfowl are commonly seen on the lakes and rivers in the area as well. The area burned in 1910 and is forested with second growth spruce, hemlock and cedar. Native Alaskans, particularly the Haida, historically lived around the bay and utilized the rich food sources of the area. Learn more about bear safety in the Tongass National Forest.