Cabins in Misty Fjords

Alava Bay Cabin (M1) - Located 20 air miles southeast of Ketchikan on Revillagigedo Island. 12'x14' cedar log cabin with wood burning stove - sleeps 4-6 people. Located on salt water, accessible by floatplane or boat. Saltwater fishing, Wilderness exploration, hiking, hunting, beach combing, and freshwater fishing are popular at this site. A mooring buoy is provided on site. (Photo, 13KB; map, 43KB)

Bakewell Cabin (M2) - Located 40 air miles east of Ketchikan on the mainland south of Bakewell Arm of Smeaton Bay, elev. 168'. 12'x14' cedar log cabin with wood burning stove - sleeps 4-6 people. Located on Bakewell Lake, accessible by floatplane or a 1.0 mile easy hike from saltwater using the Bakewell Lake Trail (#702). Fishing includes dolly varden, and cutthroat trout. Also, from July through September sockeye, pink, chum, and coho salmon runs are heavy. Some steelhead fishing near outlet. Fish ladder and 40' falls are local attractions. No mooring buoy at trailhead. Skiff and oars provided. (Photo, 11KB; map, 61KB)

Beaver Camp Cabin (M3) - Located 28 air miles northeast of Ketchikan on Revillagigedo Island at the south end of Manzanita Lake, elev. 239'. 12'x14' cedar log cabin with wood burning stove - sleeps 4-6 people. Accessible by floatplane. Excellent fishing for cutthroat, dolly varden, and kokanee. Skiff and oars provided. (Photo, 18KB; map, 50KB)

Big Goat Lake Cabin (M4) - Located 45 air miles northeast of Ketchikan on the mainland east of Rudyerd Bay, elev. 1775'. 12'x12' cedar log cabin with oil stove - sleeps 4-6 people. Accessible by floatplane. Mountain goat are plentiful in area surrounding cabin. Other attractions include hiking,boating, scenic photography, and fishing (grayling were planted in 1965-fishing is good). Skiff and oars provided. Cabin is located in flightseeing flight path with heavy plane traffic June - August. (Photo, 7KB; map, 64KB)

Checats Cabin (M5) - Located 35 air miles northeast of Ketchikan on the mainland south of Rudyerd Bay, elev. 710'. 12'x12' cedar log cabin with wood burning stove - sleeps 4-6 people. Accessible by floatplane. Fishing is very good for ainbow trout up to 24". Skiff and oars provided. (Photo, 12KB; map, 39KB)

Ella Narrows Cabin (M6) - Located 24 air miles northeast of Ketchikan on Revillagigedo Island on the northeast arm of Ella Lake, elev. 255'. 12'x14' cedar log cabin with wood burning stove - sleeps 4-6 people. Accessible by floatplane. The 2.5 mile Ella Lake Trail does not extend to this cabin. A skiff (and oars) is provided where trail intersects lake to allow cabin access by rowing, but skiff is small and row is over 1 mile. Fishing is excellent for cutthroat, dolly varden, and Kokanee. Many Sitka blacktail deer are in the area. Skiff and oars provided at cabin. Cabin is located in flightseeing flight path with heavy plane traffic June - August. (Photo, 22KB; map, 45KB)

Hugh Smith Lake Cabin (M7) - Located 55 air miles southeast of Ketchikan on the mainland south of Martin Arm, elev. 800'. 12'x14' cedar log cabin with wood burning stove - sleeps 4-6 people. Accessible by floatplane. Lake has good cutthroat and dolly varden trout fishing as well as some salmon fishing . Skiff and oars provided. (Photo, 10KB; map, 46KB)

Humpback Lake Cabin (M8) - Located 48 air miles southeast of Ketchikan, east of Mink Bay on the mainland. Cedar log cabin with wood burning stove - sleeps 4-6 people. Accessible by floatplane. The Humpback Creek Trail (#715) does not extend to the cabin. Excellent fishing for dolly varden and cutthroat trout up to 28". Skiff and oars provided. (Photo, 13KB; map, 40KB)

Manzanita Lake Cabin (M9) - Located 28 air miles northeast of Ketchikan on Revillagigedo Island, northwest arm of Manzanita Lake, 239' elevation. 12'x14' cedar log cabin with an oil stove - sleeps 4-6 people. Accessible by floatplane. Fishing is rated as excellent for cutthroat, dolly varden, and kokanee salmon. Skiff and oars at cabin and at outlet of lake for Manzanita Lake Trail (#721) access. Cabin is located in flightseeing flight path with heavy plane traffic June - August. (Photo, 9KB; map, 50KB)

Red Alders Cabin (M10) - Located 24 air miles northeast of Ketchikan on Revillagigedo Island, northwest arm of Ella Lake, elev. 225'. 12'x12' cedar log cabin with wood burning stove - sleeps 4-6 people. Accessible by floatplane. The Ella Lake Trail does not extend to this cabin. Fishing is excellent for cutthroat, dolly varden, and kokanee. Sitka blacktail deer are abundant in the area. Skiff and oars provided. (Photo, 11KB; map, 45KB)

Wilson Narrows Cabin (M11) - Located 44 air miles east of Ketchikan on the mainland, north of Wilson Arm at the south end of Wilson Lake, elev. 256'. 12'x14' cedar log cabin with wood burning stove - sleeps 4-6 people. Accessible by floatplane. Fishing considered excellent for cutthroat, dolly varden, and kokanee. Skiff and oars provided. (Photo, 10KB; map, 64KB)

Wilson View Cabin (M12) - Located 44 air miles northeast of Ketchikan on the mainland, north of Wilson Arm at the north end of Wilson Lake, elev. 256'.12'x14' cedar log cabin with wood burning stove - sleeps 4-6 people. Accessible by floatplane. Fishing considered excellent for cutthroat, dolly varden, and kokanee. Skiff and oars provided. (Photo, 17KB; map, 64KB)

Winstanley Island Cabin (M13) - Located on saltwater 30 air miles east of Ketchikan on the mainland east of Behm Canal between Rudyerd and Smeaton Bays. 12'x14' cedar log cabin with wood burning stove - sleeps 4-6 people. Accessible by boat or floatplane - mooring buoy is provided. Many scenic attractions are within easy boating distance of this cabin including Rudyerd Bay, Walker Cove, Chickamin River, and Smeaton Bay. Several trailheads can be accessed by water using this cabin as a base including Winstanley Lake (#743), Checats Cove (#704), Ella Lake (#707), Manzanita Lake (#721), and Bakewell Lake (#702). (Photo, 11KB; map, 39KB)

Winstanley Lake Cabin (M14) - Located 33 air miles east of Ketchikan on mainland east of Winstanley Island, elev. 400'. 12'x14' cedar log cabin with wood burning stove - sleeps 4-6 people. Accessible by floatplane. Winstanley Lake Trail (#743) accesses a shelter on the lake. It does not access this cabin. Fishing includes cutthroat trout to 27" and kokanee to 10". Some dolly varden are also present. Skiff and oars provided at cabin and also near 3-sided shelter. (Photo, 11KB; map, 34KB)

Adirondack Shelters in Misty Fjords

Manzanita Bay Shelter (M20) - Located 32 air miles northeast of Ketchikan on saltwater near Manzanita Lake Trailhead (#721). (Map, 50KB)

Nooya Lake Shelter (M21) - Located 42 air miles northeast of Ketchikan on the mainland at Nooya Lake. Access by floatplane or the 1.0 mile Nooya Lake Trail from saltwater at Rudyerd Bay. Skiff and oars are provided.

Punchbowl Lake Shelter (M23) - Located 38 air miles east of Ketchikan on mainland south of Rudyerd Bay. Accessed by floatplane or 0.9 mile trail from Punchbowl Cove (#729). Mooring buoy provided. This shelter is newly constructed and is not a CCC shelter. Skiff and oars and a canoe are provided.

Winstanley Lake Shelter (M22) - Located 32 air miles east of Ketchikan on mainland east of Winstanley Island. Accessed by floatplane or the 2.3 mile Winstanley Lake Trail (#743). Skiff and oars are provided. (Map, 34KB)

Trails in Misty Fjords

Bakewell Lake Trail - 1.0 miles from Bakewell Arm to Bakewell Lake. The trail is an easy hike. The first 0.5 miles of the trail follows an overgrown abandoned road. Road was used in mid-1950's for construction of a fish ladder located at the mid-point of the trail. The fish ladder allows salmon to get over a spectacular 40 foot waterfall. Fishing is excellent year round. A skiff where the trail intersects the lake allows exploration of the lake. There is no mooring buoy in Bakewell Arm.

Checats Cove Trail - 1.1 miles from Behm Canal to Lower Checats Lake. The trail is an easy hike. Checats Cove offers numerous discoveries for the amateur explorer. The trail runs the entire length of Checats Creek. The stream has a strong salmon run in August thus providing an excellent opportunity to watch salmon spawning. This is a true wilderness trail. Low visitor use results in a very serene setting. (Map, 39KB)

Ella Lake Trail (707) - 2.5 miles from Ella Bay to Lower Ella Lake. The trail is an easy hike. It travels through old growth spruce, hemlock, and cedar forest, muskegs and grass meadows. The upper stretches follow Ella Creek closely. Most of the trail is improved with puncheon boardwalks or woodchip tread making walking relatively easy. There is a mooring buoy in Ella Bay. (Map, 45KB)

Hugh Smith Trail (709) - 0.5 miles from Mink Bay to Hugh Smith Lake. The trail is an easy hike with one steep hill traversed by a series of switchbacks located at about the midpoint of the trail. At the lake a hiker can observe Alaska Department of Fish & Game biologists working at a fish weir conducting a sockeye salmon population study. Trout and salmon fishing in this system is considered to be excellent. No skiff is provided on this lake.

Lake Grace Trail (712) - 2.3 miles from Grace Cove to Lake Grace. This trail is rated most difficult. Be prepared for some hard hiking, but the beauty and excellent trout fishing make it all worth while. Except for the trail, there are no recreation facilities present on site.

Humpback Creek Trail (715) - 3.0 miles from Mink Bay to Humpback Lake. This trail is rated most difficult and includes a steep climb to the top of Humpback Hill. The route takes a hiker through scenic old growth forests, beautiful muskegs, several small ponds, and sounds of waterfalls seem to come from every direction. The trail ends at Humpback Lake near a small logjam that provides excellent cover for trout. (Map, 40KB)

Manzanita Lake Trail - 3.5 miles from Manzanita Bay to Manzanita Lake. This trail is rated moderately difficult. This trail passes through large expanses of muskegs with many beaver ponds. A ridge also allows a panoramic view of the area. The trail includes a unique opportunity to hike on boardwalk across the top of a log jam. This is an excellent place for birding as there is open muskeg as well as dense timber. Wolves are seen frequently in this area. Manzanita Bay Shelter (M20) is located near the trailhead. (Map, 50KB)

Nooya Lake Trail - 1 mile from Rudyerd Bay to Nooya Lake-one of Misty Fjord's glacially formed lakes with high granite walls. This trail is rated moderately difficult. Recreational facilities at Nooya Lake include a shelter that can be accessed by the skiff found at the end of the trail. (Map, 49KB)

Punchbowl Lake Trail - 0.9 miles from Punchbowl Cove to shelter at Punchbowl Lake (M23). This is considered Misty Fjord's most popular trail. It begins as a combination of boardwalk and natural tread. As the route starts to gain elevation, stairs are notched out of old fallen trees and switchbacks lead up the slope. While the climb is quite steep, there are many vantage points where you can stop to catch your breath, only to have it taken away again by the beauty of the landscape. At the 0.5 mile point, the trail appears to dead end at a spectacular waterfall. The last section of trail follows the stream to the corner of Punchbowl Lake where soaring granite cliffs fringe the lake. Punchbowl Lake has an island in the center of it, on which there is a small lake. From above, it was thought to resemble a ring of ice floating in a punchbowl - hence the name. (Map, 43KB)

Winstanley Lake Trail - 2.3 miles from the mooring buoy in Shoalwater Cove past Lower Winstanley Lake to the shelter (M22) at Winstanley Lake. This trail is rated moderately difficult. After the first mile, the trail crosses Winstanley Creek on a bridge built using traditional hand tools. Take a few minutes to observe the details in construction of this 65 foot bridge. The trail continues on past muskegs, beaver ponds, and old growth timber. The second crossing of Winstanley Creek must be accomplished by wading as the bridge has recently washed out. Panoramic views and excellent birding opportunities abound. A skiff is provided at the Winstanley Lake Shelter. (Map, 34KB)

Titan Trail (755) - 4.8 miles from trailhead parking up the Fish Creek drainage to an old mine site and cabin remains located below the summit of Mt. Welker. The trailhead is located 6 miles north of Hyder on the Fish Creek Road. Hyder is the only community in Southern Southeast Alaska accessible by road. Titan Trail provides beautiful panoramas of the Fish Creek and Salmon River valley. At the top of the trail there is a spectacular view of the surrounding glacial ice fields. 1/4 mile south of the trailhead is the Hyder Bear Observatory (See Recreation Site 22, below). (Map, 21KB)

Recreation Areas Near Misty Fjords

Fish Creek Wildlife Observation Site (22) - The Fish Creek Wildlife Observation Site is a day-use recreation area in the Salmon River valley near Hyder, Alaska. It is operated by the U.S. Forest Service. Both brown (grizzly) and black bears are easily observed or photographed at the site as they fish for chum and pink salmon in the clear shallow waters of Fish Creek and Marx Creek. Enjoy the thrill of seeing wild bears in their natural habitat in this beautiful glacial river valley. Other wildlife frequently seen include nesting Canada geese, harlequin ducks, common mergansers, mink, beaver, bald eagles, and a wide variety of songbirds. (Map, 21 KB; Photo, 78 KB)

Bears use the site from mid-July through early September, following the arrival of salmon which return to the fresh waters of the creeks to spawn. (Photo 64 KB) The site is open from 6:00 am to 10:00 pm daily. Forest Service employees are at the site during these hours to provide information about the bears and salmon, enforce site rules, and answer questions from visitors. Facilities include a small parking area and an elevated viewing platform set in a grove of trees along the bank of Fish Creek. Bears and salmon can also be seen from the shoulders of the Salmon River Road and from a dike that separates Fish Creek and Marx Creek.

Visitors to the site should be aware that bears frequently walk on the road, through the parking lot, and along the dike. They are often very close to people. Remember that these are wild bears! Please respect their need for space in which to move between feeding areas and to avoid confrontations with more dominant bears. Move back and give them room to pass by if they approach, and follow the directions of on-site staff who help direct visitors to appropriate viewing areas.

Site Rules: The following rules are required to provide for visitor safety and protection from bears. They will allow the bears to feed in a more natural and undisturbed setting. Please follow all directions from Forest Service personnel on the site, who are very knowledgable about the bears' behavior. No food is permitted outside any vehicle. Please refrain from bringing any food to the site. Walk slowly and quietly in the site. Sudden movement and running will disturb the bears. Also refrain from shouting and talking loudly. Do not climb down the creek banks or go into the creek. Leave these areas to the bears so that they may be undisturbed by humans as they feed. Please try to limit the time spent on the dike and the main road. These are primary access routes to food sources for the bears. Although the bears are accustomed to people on the platform and in the parking lot, they need to be able to be unimpeded and roam freely throughout the site. No fishing is permitted from the streambanks in the site. Please do not use cameras with a flash as it startles the bears. Be alert - look around - the bears move freely along the road, dike, and between the creeks. Be patient - the bears will come but they are not in a zoo. They will come when people are quiet and behaving in an acceptable manner (i.e. staying in the areas bears expect to see people, such as on the viewing platform.) Please remember to carry out with you everything you bring in.

Bear Postures: What Are They Trying To Tell You?

Bears sometimes communicate to other animals and to humans through body postures:

Standing in profile to you, head lowered, and passively looking toward the distance may be a bear's way of showing you his size, a polite way of telling you to move out of his space. Aggression is signaled by salivation, teeth chatter, hair raised on the hump back, and ears laid back along the sides of the head.

Standing erect on hind legs is usually not an aggressive posture. When the bear's head and nose are raised with ears forward, the animal may only be trying to identify noises and smells.

Getting To The Fish Creek Wildlife Observation Site:

This is the only bear-viewing site in Alaska that is accessible by highway. A 41-mile detour off the Cassiar Highway at Meziadin Lake Junction (on Highway 37A) brings you to the neighboring towns of Stewart, British Columbia, and Hyder, Alaska at the head of Portland Canal. Follow the gravel-surfaced Salmon River Road through Hyder and continue three miles north. A sign marks the Observation Site, and the parking area is on the left just past the Fish Creek bridge.

Shuttle vans from Hyder and Stewart provide another way to get to the Observation Site for those who do not want to drive or park large RVs or trailers. These shuttle services are currently provided by Seaport Limosine in Stewart (ph: 250-636-2622) and by the Grandview Inn in Hyder (ph: 250-636-9174). Visitors are encouraged to use the shuttles to help minimize traffic congestion at the Observation Site
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Other Recreation Opportunities In The Area:

Fishing: There are several access points for fishing the waters of lower Fish Creek, Moose Pond Creek, and the Salmon River. All of these are south of the Observation Site. Pink and chum salmon and Dolly Varden char are frequently caught. Contact the Forest Service Office in Hyder for information on fishing areas.

Titan Trail: This 5-mile trail begins 1/4 mile north of the Fish Creek Wildlife Observation Site on the Salmon River Road. It crosses Fish Creek (no bridge - hikers must ford the creek) and climbs through old-growth forest and open avalanche slopes to the alpine ridges that form the US/Canada border. Excellent views of the Salmon River valley and the ice cap and glaciers are visible from several points along the trail.

Salmon Glacier: The Salmon River Road climbs steeply out of the valley to end at the abandoned Grand Duc Mine past the Salmon Glacier. (Photo 56 KB) The road winds high above the glacier and provides spectacular views of mountains, alpine meadows, wildflowers, and the large T-shaped glacier which forms the headwaters of the Salmon River.

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