Sportsmen Cabin

About Campground

Overview

Sportsmen Cabin offers guests recreation, relaxation and a rustic wilderness lodging experience in the central part of Admiralty Island in the Tongass National Forest. The remote site offers a scenic setting for hiking, fishing, canoeing and wildlife viewing, all within the vicinity of the cabin.

This is one of two cabins on Distin Lake. It is located on the north side of the lake and within the Admiralty Island Canoe Route.

Access to the cabin is float plane or canoe with portage. Visitors are responsible for their own travel arrangements and safety and must bring several of their own amenities.

Natural Features:

The cabin is situated under a dense towering canopy of old-growth trees at an elevation of 312 feet, just steps away from scenic Distin Lake.

The Kootznoowoo Wilderness encompasses nearly a million acres of Admiralty Island. Dense spruce and hemlock forests, lakes and muskeg openings define the landscape, while distant rocky peaks tower along the islands high crest, reaching elevations of more than 3,000 feet.

Wildlife in the area abounds, including Sitka black-tailed deer, bald eagles, waterfowl and brown bear.

Recreation:

Anglers enjoy Distin Lake for catching cutthroat trout, Dolly Varden and kokanee salmon.

Visitors are welcome to use the skiff with oars available at the cabin and may choose to bring a small outboard motor. The motor must be less than 10 horsepower due to wilderness regulations, and visitors are responsible for bringing and using their own personal floatation devices. The lake is normally ice free from mid-May through November.

Originally built by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) in the 1930s, the [Admiralty Island Canoe Route] features portages of varying difficulty linking seven mountain lakes in the heart of Admiralty Islands Kootznoowoo Wilderness between Angoon and Seymour Canal. Several trails are accessible by boat along the route, offering guests access to pristine wilderness settings.

Trails accessible from Distin Lake go to Thayer Lake (3 miles from Distin Lake cabin), Lake Guerin (.4 mile from the trailhead), and Davidson Lake (.2 mile from the trailhead). Some of the original Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) trail construction is visible along the trail. A small boat at the nearby Guerin Lake shelter provides an opportunity to explore another lake.

Facilities:

Sportsmen Cabin is a small, log cabin in hunter-style, furnished with four bunkbed(s) without mattresses, and can sleep up to six guests. The cabin is equipped with a table, benches, a small cook area, a wood stove for heat and an outside toilet. Firewood is stacked in a woodshed near the cabin. Additional amenities include an axe, splitting maul and broom.

The cabin does not have running water or electricity. Visitors must bring their own food, water, sleeping bags, sleeping pads, cook stoves, matches, cooking gear/utensils, light source, toilet paper, first aid kit and garbage bags. Water from any natural site must be filtered, boiled or chemically treated before drinking.

Nearby Attractions:

Admiralty Island has a rich cultural heritage, which is evident in the traditional native village of [Angoon]

Directions

Access to the cabin is by float plane or canoe with portage. It is about a 45-minute flight from Juneau. It is a 4 mile paddle/portage from Guerin Lake, 1.5 miles from Davidson Lake and 8 miles from Mitchell Bay. Click here for maps and information about Admiralty Island Canoe Route and portage.

This cabin is in a designated Wilderness area, and access by helicopter is illegal. In fall, winter, and early spring, the cabin may be inaccessible due to frozen lake surface (float planes cannot land). The lake is normally ice-free from mid-May through November. Refer to USGS topographic map Sitka C-1, C-2. Click here for information about reaching Forest Service Cabins.

Inclement weather conditions may cause an extension of your trip during any time of the year and winter access can be difficult due to snow and ice conditions. Visitors should bring extra supplies to last 2-5 days. Please contact the Admiralty Island National Monument at 907-586-8800 prior to arrival for more detailed information about safety precautions.