Hook Point Cabin

Hook Point Cabin sits 1.5 miles west of Hook Point on Hinchinbrook Island in the Chugach National Forest, in a mature spruce stand at the edge of a long, sandy intertidal beach on the Gulf of Alaska side of the island. Steep mountains rise from behind the cabin. Access is by wheeled plane on the beach at low tide only, 15 minutes from Cordova, with the landing area a half-mile from the cabin. Visitors are responsible for their own travel arrangements and safety. Two small creeks are in the area, but only one of them is fishable — pink salmon, coho salmon and cutthroat trout are found in a creek about a mile east of the cabin. Razor clams can provide a tasty alternative to fish; the best clamming spots may take awhile to find, but in a minus tide (0.0 feet or lower) visitors can search the shore for them. There are miles of sandy beach for beachcombing, and this is one of the better beaches in the spring, as winter storms wash up Japanese fishing floats, shells, bottles and other wave-swept treasures from the open ocean. Several primitive trails extend from the cabin into the forest, and a nearby waterfall makes a good day hike destination. Hunters can take advantage of a long season on the island and in the surrounding national forest: bear season occurs during spring and fall, while deer season begins in late summer and lasts through late fall. The cabin is a 16-by-16 foot rustic A-frame with wooden bunks that sleep up to six, furnished with a table, benches, wood and oil stoves for heat, a rainwater catchment barrel and an outdoor pit toilet. There is no running water, electricity, cut firewood or heating oil — bring your own water, firewood and #1 oil for the oil stove, along with food, sleeping bags and pads, a cook stove, matches, cooking gear, lanterns or flashlights, toilet paper, a first aid kit and garbage bags. All trash and food must be packed out, and visitors are expected to clean the cabin before leaving. Hinchinbrook Island is in the Gulf of Alaska at the entrance to Prince William Sound. Wildlife in the area abounds, including Sitka black-tail deer and brown bear. The beaches on the Prince William Sound shoreline offer views of the Sound and the surrounding mountains, and occasionally humpback and killer whales can be seen spouting offshore. On the southwest end of the island, Cape Hinchinbrook Lighthouse is a fantastic historical site that has proved invaluable at directing vessels to and from Prince William Sound; though no longer used as a primary navigational aid, the beacon still serves as a reassuring presence along the rugged Alaskan coast.