North Beach Cabin

North Beach Cabin is nestled just inside the forest fringe on the north beach of Shelikof Bay on Kruzof Island, 20 miles northwest of Sitka, Alaska. The A-frame cabin is available year-round, weather permitting, and was built in 1993 by volunteers from the U.S. Coast Guard Air Station in Sitka and by local volunteers. Shelikof Cabin lies on the east shore of Shelikof Bay just south of the Shelikof River, about a mile away. This is a remote site, reached by boat — a 45-minute ride from Sitka to Mud Bay followed by a 7.5-mile hike or off-highway vehicle ride on old logging roads — or by helicopter at lower tides. Beachcombing, photography, hiking, hunting, fishing, wildlife viewing and riding off-highway vehicles are popular here. Nearly 40 miles of old logging roads are open to hiking, mountain biking and off-highway vehicle riding. Fishing is fair for Dolly Varden trout, coho and pink salmon found in local streams. The 16-by-16-foot wood A-frame cabin can accommodate up to eight people with a double plywood bunk bed and a sleeping loft reached by climbing a vertical ladder. An oil stove for heat, a table with benches, a cooking counter, broom and dustpan are provided, with an outhouse toilet close by. Mattresses, cooking utensils and heating oil are not provided: bring No. 1 diesel fuel (generally 10 gallons for a three-day stay, more or less depending on the time of year), bedding, a cook stove and cookware, a lantern, food, a fire extinguisher and fire starter. Rain gear and boots are recommended. Water is available from a creek at a crossing about a third of a mile from the cabin but must be treated; bringing your own is recommended. The cabin has spectacular views of the cresting waves on the outside coast of the Gulf of Alaska. It is surrounded by a hemlock and spruce forest and sits just above a sandy beach. The terrain is relatively flat and easy to explore. Brown bear frequent the area.