Winstanley Lake Cabin
October 2026
About
Overview
Winstanley Lake Cabin is located on the mainland on the shore of its namesake lake approximately 33 air miles northeast of Ketchikan. The cabin offers recreational and wildlife viewing opportunities and makes an excellent base for experiencing this corner of Alaska.
The cabin is remote and accessible only by float plane or boat, depending on conditions. Access by boat involves a 2.5 mile hike from saltwater plus a 2.25 mile row to the cabin. Visitors are responsible for their own travel arrangements and safety, and must bring several of their own amenities.
Recreation
A 14-foot aluminum skiff with oars is provided for rowing around the lake, but visitors must provide their own life jackets. Visitors can row to the historic Winstanley Lake Shelter at the end of the lake, which was built by the Civilian Conservation Corps in the early 1930s.
Anglers can fish for cutthroat trout and kokanee salmon in the lake. Hunting is possible for Sitka black-tailed deer, mountain goat, black bear and brown bear with the proper permits.
Facilities
The 12x14-ft. ( pan-abode style ) log cabin accommodates 6 people with 2 single and 2 double bunks. Other amenities include a table and benches, a cooking counter, food storage, broom, and wood stove. An outhouse is located nearby. Bring your own firewood as it cannot be guaranteed.
Drinking water and electricity are not available. Visitors must bring their own water supply, but water is also available from the lake and should be treated before drinking or cooking with it (water safety ).
Visitors should also bring sleeping bags, sleeping pads, cooking gear, lanterns or flashlights, food, toilet paper, garbage bags, a fire extinguisher and fire starter.
Rain gear and boots are recommended. Visitors are expected to pack out their trash, gear and food and clean the cabin before leaving.
Click here for more cabin details and maps.
Natural Features
The cabin is located within the Misty Fiords National Monument Wilderness. It is backed by a forest of large old-growth spruce, hemlock and cedar and offers views of the placid lake with its forested shoreline and surrounding mountains.
The Misty Fiords Monument Wilderness supports a diverse variety of wildlife. Mountain goats, bears, deer, moose and bald eagles make their home here (bear safety). Many species of birds may be seen in or around the lake.
Amenities
Phone: 907-225-2148
Is WINSTANLEY LAKE 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 WINSTANLEY LAKE CABIN in Ketchikan/Misty, 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 WINSTANLEY LAKE CABIN for cancellations is the paid part.