Big Shaheen Cabin

USDA Forest Service campground, 1 site

Overview

Big Shaheen Cabin offers guests an opportunity for recreation, relaxation and a unique 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. The cabin is one of three on Hasselborg Lake, which is seven miles long and part of 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.

Recreation

Hasselborg Lake offers fishing for cutthroat trout, Dolly Varden and kokanee salmon. A small fishing boat with oars is provided at the cabin. Guests will need to bring their own life jackets and may choose to bring a small (10-horsepower), outboard motor. Little Shaheen cabin is close by, connected by a 100-yard trail. Other trails can be accessed by boat. From Hasselborg Lake, trails lead to Lake Guerin, Beaver Lake, Lake McKinney, and Hasselborg River. Lake Guerin and Beaver Lake are on the Admiralty Island Canoe Route, offering guests access to pristine wilderness settings.

Facilities

The log cabin has two bedrooms and a living room/kitchen area. It is furnished with wooden bunks (no mattresses) and can accommodate up to eight people. The cabin is equipped with a table, benches, a cooking counter, an oil stove for heat, a broom and an outside toilet. The cabin does not have running water or electricity. Guests must bring their own food, water, sleeping bags, sleeping pads, cook stove, matches, cooking gear/utensils, light source, No.1 stove oil (estimate about 10 to 20 gallons per week), toilet paper, first aid kit and garbage bags. Water from any natural site must be filtered, boiled or chemically treated before drinking.

Natural Features

At an elevation of 300 feet, the cabin is situated under a canopy of old growth forest, at the edge of scenic Hasselborg Lake. It is located in the Kootznoowoo Wilderness which encompasses 956,255 acres of the island. Dense spruce and hemlock forests, glacier-fed streams, lakes and muskeg openings define the landscape, while rocky peaks tower along the island's high crest, reaching elevations of over 3,000 feet.

Sitka black-tailed deer make a home in the dense forest and bald eagles perch in treetops along most beaches. Brown bears frequent the area as well (learn more about bear safety).

Nearby Attractions

Admiralty Island also has a rich cultural heritage, which is evident in the traditional native village of Angoon, the island's only permanent settlement.