Hiking and camping at Ravens Roost Cabin Petersburg
How to rent, hike to, and prepare for a stay at the Forest Service Raven’s Roost Cabin located on Mitkof Island and just a couple hours hike from the city of Petersburg, Alaska.
The basics:
How to get there: Accessible by 6 mile round trip hike, with considerable elevation gain.
Cost: $43.00 per night, rented on recreation.gov
Amenities: Separate outhouse, propane heated (propane included in rental cost), some cellphone service, access to water in a small pond in front of the cabin (treatment required)
The Raven’s Roost Cabin and trail are located in Petersburg, Alaska. The cabin is accessible by hiking or helicopter. The trail starts at Sandy Beach Park, which is a recreational area just a little outside downtown Petersburg. The trail is about three miles to the cabin and was recently redone, so it is very well maintained and easy to follow. The trail is made up of gravel and a mix of metal and concrete steps. There is a fair bit of elevation gain, you start at sea level and end up about 1,500 ft, so expect a pretty steady climb throughout. At a moderate pace with a backpack I would plan on it taking a couple hours to reach the cabin and if you go faster good for you. It is easily doable as an out and back day hike as well, if you do not want to stay at the cabin or have the time.
The first mile of the trail is all gravel with some uphill, which takes you to the Fredrick Sound Overlook. Where a nice bench gives you a place to rest and take in the sweeping views of Fredrick Sound, Horn Cliffs and the Coast Range. There is a beautiful welded bench you can sit on and take a break and enjoy the views. Many people on just a short day walk stop here. If continuing on from there the trail cuts into the trees and quickly changes to mostly stairs. Just another 1/4 mile from the first overlook is another bench and overlook at what is called the “Big Spruce”. The bench is tucked in the trees facing a massive old growth spuce tree.
From there it is a pretty steady climb up with lots of stairs as you weave through the forest for another half mile (about 1 3/4 miles from the start of the trail) until you reach the Petersburg Overlook. The view from here is somewhat obstructed by the trees, but you can see a glimpse of the town below and a great place to sit and rest after some steady climbing. After that it is about another 3/4 of a mile of pretty steady uphill to the Sukoi Islands Overlook, where you pop out of the treeline into a muskeg and are rewarded with impressive views. From here you can see the town of Petersburg, the Sukoi Islands, Fredrick Sound, the coast range including Devils Thumb and Petersburg Mountain/Creek across the narrows on Kupernof Island. Many day hikers turn around here after spending a few minutes taking in the scenery, but if you want to continue to the cabin it is not much futher.
The cabin is about another 1/2 mile away from the main overlook and isn’t too steep, so it only takes about another 20 minutes. Then you will come out to a big muskeg pond and the cabin on opposite side of the pond. There is a little trail that loops around the pond and another of the gorgeous welded benches for you to sit on, which makes a great lunch spot if you aren’t staying at the cabin.
You can spend a night or two up at the cabin enjoying the peaceful surroudings. You get great sunrise and sunet colors up here if the skys are at least partly clear. It is also a great place if you feel like you can’t totally unplug from life because there is some cell phone reception. The cabin was recently built and is one of the more modern and spacious Forest Service cabins in the area. The cabin can be booked on recreation.gov for $43 per night here. The cabin is equipped with two bunks on the lower level that could sleep 6 people with people doubling up on the bottom bunks and then a large sleeping loft, guests will need to bring their own sleeping pad and sleeping bag or blankets. There is a table and counters for cooking, but no stove. The cabin is heated with propane heater and the propane is provided as part of the booking fee. On cold days it can take a long time for the heater to really warm up the cabin, but it will eventually get quite hot even in single digit outdoor temps. There is a large muskeg pond outside the cabin that you can get water if you do not want to pack in enough for your time there, but it absolutely needs to be boiled or treated in some way. There is also a large outhouse near the cabin, but I would recommend bringing your own toilet paper. It is not always stocked.
The main trail does not continue past the cabin, but there is an old faint trail marked on GPS and with blue triangles that goes to the site of the old cabin and continues on up to the Twin Peaks ridge and down to the Twins logging road. It is possible to hike this whole route in one long day, but could also be combined with a night at the cabin. Or for a day hike from the cabin hike up to the ridge for great views and then head back to the cabin for another night. There is plenty of exploring to do from the cabin, but it will be mostly off trail and I really recommend having maps and a GPS if doing so.
The cabin is accessible all times of year. In the winter snowshoes or skis are usually necessary depending on how much snow the area received that winter. Even as snow melts it is possible the trail is still very icy and you may want microspikes or other traction devices.
