Helm Creek Cabin
October 2026
About
Overview
Helm Creek Cabin is located on the east shore of Helm Bay near the mouth of Helm Creek. This rustic retreat is open year-round, offering opportunities for relaxation, sightseeing and recreation.
The site can be accessed by float plane, boat or kayak, depending on conditions. Guests are responsible for their own travel arrangements and safety, and must bring several of their own amenities.
Recreation
Helm Bay is especially known for excellent crabbing, as well as saltwater fishing for salmon, halibut and red snapper. Trout and Dolly Varden fishing is possible in nearby Helm Lake, but there is no trail to the lake.
Local tide tables should be consulted before taking a boat out on the bay. Sea kayaking is also possible.
Facilities
This 12-by-14 ft. (pan-abode style) cabin has two single and two double bunks, to sleep up to six people. It is also equipped with a table and benches, wood stove, splitting maul, broom and an outhouse. Bring your own firewood as it cannot be guaranteed.
A mooring float is available on a first-come, first-served basis.
Water and electricity are not provided. Water is available from a nearby creek, but guests should be sure to treat water before drinking or cooking with it (water safety tips). It is recommended that guests bring their own water supply.
Other items to pack include sleeping bags, sleeping pads, lanterns or flashlights, cookware, plates, utensils, food, toilet paper, garbage bags, a fire extinguisher and matches, among other necessities. Guests are expected to pack out trash and clean the cabin before leaving (click here for more cabin details).
Natural Features
The cabin faces northwest, with a good view toward the head of Helm Bay and the surrounding mountains. It is adjacent to a large saltwater tidal flat at the outlet of Helm Creek. A moderately steep sloping beach is located in front of cabin.
This area is home to black and brown bears, Sitka black-tailed deer and mountain goats (bear safety information). Seals, whales and other marine mammals may be seen in Helm Bay.
Amenities
Phone: 907-225-2148
Is HELM CREEK CABIN fully booked?
A campground showing no availability is almost never full for good. People cancel — plans change, weather turns, someone books three weekends and keeps one — and the site goes straight back into the booking system, usually without warning and often at odd hours. The reason sold-out campgrounds feel impossible is not that sites never free up; it is that nobody is watching at the moment they do.
CampHawk watches HELM CREEK CABIN in Ketchikan, AK for you. We recheck it every 15 seconds, around the clock, and the moment a site opens we send a text, an email and a push notification — and on Recreation.gov we can put the site straight into your cart, so it is held while you get to your phone.
Searching is free and needs no account — the calendar above is live right now. Watching HELM CREEK CABIN for cancellations is the paid part.