Swan Lake Cabin Petersburg

Swan Lake Cabin is located on mainland Alaska along the southeast shore of Swan Lake. It is available year-round and provides access to a variety of recreational activities, including hiking, fishing, hunting and viewing wildlife, as well as spectacular scenic views of the surrounding area. The cabin can be accessed only by float plane or helicopter, and the adjacent lake is normally frozen from November through early June, further limiting access. Guests are responsible for their own travel arrangements and safety. Favorable rock, ice and glacier climbing conditions are found throughout the area. The Cascade Creek Trail can be reached by boat from the cabin; beginning at the west end of the lake, it leads to Falls Lake and a three-sided shelter about a mile away, and terminates at the Cascade Creek Cabin, 5 miles out, in Thomas Bay. Fishing and boating are also popular activities. Two rowboats with oars are available at the cabin, however, life jackets are not provided and guests must supply their own; guests may also wish to bring a small outboard motor. Anglers may find rainbow trout in the lake, and a sand bar for tent camping or picnicking is also available. Wildlife viewing and hunting are popular pastimes, with hunting available as per state or federal hunting regulations. The A-frame cabin was rebuilt in 2005-06 and has two wooden bunks and a sleeping loft to accommodate up to seven people. It is equipped with a table and benches and a clean-burning oil heater, and an outhouse with pit toilets is provided. Water for drinking, cooking and cleaning purposes is not provided at the cabin. Water taken from the lake and the nearby stream should be treated or boiled before consumption, and guests are encouraged to bring their own drinking water if possible. Guests will need to bring their own bedding, cooking gear, towels, food and clothing, and all other supplies, along with enough kerosene or No. 1 heating oil for the oil heater — it burns at a rate of approximately one gallon per day, and oil is not supplied at the cabin. The cabin is situated on the alpine Swan Lake, east of Thomas Bay, at an elevation of 1,524 feet. It is surrounded by the steep peaks of the Cosmos Range, and offers some of the most spectacular scenery and photographic opportunities in the region. The steep talus slopes are home to mountain goats, rainbow trout are plentiful in the lake, and alpine wildflowers are abundant in the area.