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Logo bar of the Alaska Public Lands Information Center which are located in Anchorage, Fairbanks, Tok and Ketchikan
A public use cabin in rural alaska
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Public Use Cabins
 
shoreline cabin on Nancy Lake tucked behind thick forest and vegetation
Nancy Lake Cabin

If you want to get away to a wilderness cabin, state and federal agencies in Alaska give you more than 200 opportunities. Cabins are located throughout Alaska on trails, lakes, streams, ocean shorelines, and in alpine areas. They are managed by different public agencies, each with its own guidelines for rental. Cabins have "rugged" accommodations: usually a heating stove, bunks/sleeping platforms, table and chairs, and an outhouse. You are responsible for providing your own food, cook stove and cooking utensils, water, and bedding. 

Access to cabins is by plane, boat, trail, or a combination of these. You are on your own for arranging transportation to and from the cabins. Usually a list of operators permitted to provide services within the public land unit can be obtained from the managing agency. Most cabins are used year round although usage may be strongly discouraged during certain times of the year. Alaska's weather can delay your trip at any time of year, so plan accordingly in regards to extra food, provisions, and pick-up plans. For any travel in Alaska's backcountry, you are responsible for your own safety; be prepared with survival skills and proper equipment.

Generally, cabin permits are issued on a first-come, first-served basis for noncommercial purposes to anyone over 18 years old. However, because of high demand, agencies may incorporate a lottery system.

Cabins by Agency/Location:

Kodiak National Wildlife Refuge Visiting Information (Kodiak Island)

Chugach National Forest Cabins (Kenai Peninsula & PWS)

Alaska State Park Cabins (Anchorage, Matsu, & Resurrection Bay)

Kenai National Wildlife Refuge Cabins (Kenai Peninsula)

Kenai Fjords National Park Cabin Reservations/Information (Resurrection Bay)

Yukon Charley Rivers National Preserve Public Use Cabins (Interior)

Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve Backcountry Cabins

White Mountains National Recreation Area Cabins (Interior)

Tongass National Forest Cabin Information (Southeast)

Bureau of Land Management Public Use Cabins (Interior)

 






Kenai Fjords Public Cabins
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Kodiak Public Cabins
Find out about cabins in the Kodiak National Wildlife Refuge.
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Kenai National Wildlife Refuge Cabins
Find out about public cabins in the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge.
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wood frogDid You Know?
Alaska's wood frog can freeze solid in the winter, so even its heart stops beating. Then it thaws to life in the spring, mates, and lays eggs in the snow-melt pools.