Camping at the remote Swan Lake Cabin in Alaska
A remote A-frame cabin located on a beautiful alpine lake nestled in the mountains on mainland Alaska just outside the city of Petersburg. Fly or hike to the cabin for the ultimate remote Alaska getaway.
The Swan Lake Cabin is located on mainland Alaska just outside the town of Petersburg, Alaska. The cabin is a small A-frame style cabin, with two bunks on the main level, an oil stove, a table and counter space, and an additional sleeping loft. It can pretty comfortably sleep 8 people. There is an outhouse a short walk from the cabin. There is also a boat with oars supplied by the Forest Service at the cabin for use during your stay.
It is a very large lake and the cabin is most commonly accessed by float plane from Petersburg or other nearby communities. However the cabin can also be accessed by hiking from the Cascade Falls Trailhead located in Thomas Bay. The trail is not super well maintained, but is fairly clear to follow with the exception of one area recently covered in avalanche debris. This takes some extra navigation to move through. The trail is marked on most GPS trail applications like Gaia, Earthmate and Alltrails. There is not cellphone reception on the trail or at the cabin, so it is important to have maps, GPS and a satellite communication device.
To get to the trailhead you must take a boat from Petersburg to Thomas Bay, where you access the trailhead at Cascade Creek. There is another Forest Service cabin located at Cascade Creek. It is a great spot to rent for the night before your hike so you can get an early start or even for a night after the hike out, so you have flexibility in case the tide or weather is not great for your boat pick up.
The first small portion of the trail is nice gravel and boardwalk a little past the first big waterfall and bridge. But after that it is about four miles of pretty steep hiking on slick old boardwalk and rough terrain to reach Swan Lake. Along the trail you will pass by Falls Lake, which you can walk around on a trail or row across, if the Forest Service boats are in the right position when you get there. On the far end there is a massive waterfall off a large rock face and a three sided shelter. It is a great spot to stop for lunch, or even spend the night if you want/need to break the hike into multiple days. The shelter is open on one side and does not have any stove, but it is a dry place to spend time.
After Falls Lake the trail mostly levels out as you traverse through a muskeg (then have to navigate the avalanche debris, at least until trail crews can clear this section) and then follow the rocks along the creek to the lake. Once you reach Swan Lake there are a couple row boats staged at the end of the trail. To reach the cabin you have to row across the lake. The lake is so large you can’t even see the cabin from where you launch the boats, so a GPS and map will come in handy to help you navigate to the cabin. Rowing across Swan Lake typically takes a little over an hour if you are rowing at a pretty leisurely pace. It is an adventure to get to the cabin by hiking, but it makes it fun if you are up for the challenge. The whole hike and rowing sections are so beautiful. If you don’t want to hike all the way in, but still want to enjoy part of the trail many people will row across the lake and hike down to Falls Lake and back as a day trip from the cabin.
If you want to hike in and out, but part of your group wants to fly in and additional carry supplies that is always the best case scenario. Then you can limit the amount of weight you have to carry on your back for the hike in. You can also check with local pilots to see if they have a pick up there around the time of your trip and would be willing to leave a box for you in the cabin. Given the difficult and long hike in, if you can reduce your pack weight by flying in food, drinks, oil for the stove, and any heavier items that makes the hike more enjoyable. I recommend carrying your sleeping bag, change of clothes, and any other emergency supplies, just in case you get stuck along the way and have to spend the night.
If you fly to the cabin there is also a row boat staged there so you can explore the lake and its surroudings. Some people will bring a small motor to attach to the skiff so they can navigate the lake more quickly, but there are oars so if you can’t do that you can do some human powered exploring. The lake is a great spot for fishing and adventuring. It is also commonly used as a base camp for people hunting mountain goats because the alpine ridges are not too far of a hike from the lake shore. There is a ton to explore around the lake and cabin, I would definitely recommend spending more than one night there. You can bush whack up to the basin behind the cabin, row over to the large creek that helps feed the lake and wander up that, or head up to the ridges across from the cabin, or just relax at the cabin.
To reserve your time at the Swan Lake Cabin visit the recreation.gov page here. It is $50 per night to rent during “peak season” from the end of April to the end of September and $35 in the off season. The cabin is technically available to rent for the entire year, but in the winter it is largely inaccessible. Float planes can’t land when the lake is frozen and hiking and skiing in to it would take some skill and dedication, but if the lake is frozen enough helicopters can land and drop you off. If you plan on flying in for your stay, it is best to check with the local pilots to make sure they will be able to fly you there. Nordic Air and Petersburg Flying Service both out of Petersburg Alaska are local pilots who you can set up flights with and are also knowledgeable about if the cabin is accessible by plane during the time you want to go.
