Pick a site on the map to see its availability calendar.
Only 6 openings in the last 90 days: not enough recent activity for a reliable pattern. A free Campsite Sniper alert watches around the clock instead, and pings you the moment one opens.
Of the 183 tracked site-nights (Nov 2, 2026 – May 3, 2027): 136 open for online reservation · 47 reserved.
Of the open cabin-nights on mapped sites, 80 fall on weekdays and 56 on weekends (Fri–Sun).
May is fully reserved. 0 of 3 tracked site-nights are open there — 3 reserved.
| Window | Night | Sites open | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Thanksgiving | THU Nov 26 | 1 | Open |
| FRI Nov 27 | 1 | Open | |
| SAT Nov 28 | 1 | Open | |
| Christmas | THU Dec 24 | 1 | Open |
| FRI Dec 25 | 1 | Open | |
| New Year | THU Dec 31 | 1 | Open |
| FRI Jan 1 | 1 | Open | |
| Memorial Day | FRI May 28 | 0 | None open |
| SAT May 29 | 0 | None open | |
| SUN May 30 | 0 | None open | |
| MON May 31 | 0 | None open |
Thanksgiving: 1 cabin is available for the complete three-night stay. Christmas: 1 cabin is available for the complete two-night stay. New Year: 1 cabin is available for the complete two-night stay. Memorial Day: no online availability on any tracked night.
| Cabin | Open cabin-nights |
|---|---|
| T05 | 136 |
This cabin currently has 136 cabin-nights available.
The next bookable night is Nov 4; the first open weekend starts Nov 6. Campsite Sniper can watch later dates for you.
Multi-night stays. 3 2-night, 2 3-night, 1 7-night openings where a single site is free for every night, per Campsite Sniper's current snapshot — soonest Nov 4 at site T05.
| Cabin | Max RV | Hookups | Open cabin-nights | Longest run | Dates |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| T05 | Not recorded | None | 136 | 130 nights | Nov 4, Nov 5, Nov 6, Nov 9, Nov 10, Nov 15, Nov 16, Nov 17, Nov 18, Nov 19, Nov 20, Nov 21 +124 more |
Karta Lake Cabin offers visitors recreation, relaxation and a unique lodging experience on Prince of Wales Island in southeastern Alaska. The remote site offers a scenic setting for fishing, hiking and wildlife viewing, within the vicinity of the cabin.
The site can either be accessed by float plane or boat and trail. Visitors are responsible for their own travel arrangements and safety, and must bring several of their own amenities. The cabin can be heated using the small wood stove inside.
Anglers will find the surrounding snow-capped peaks and forested shoreline to be quite a scenic setting while fishing for rainbow and cutthroat trout, Dolly Varden and a variety of salmon species. Visitors should contact the Alaska Department of Fish and Game for fishing regulations as catch and release orders may be in effect.
The 5-mile Karta River Trail follows the Karta River up from Karta Bay to Salmon Lake, allowing excellent access to the river for steelhead, sockeye and coho salmon runs. The trail provides access to Karta River, Karta Lake, and Salmon Lake cabins.
For visitors interested in exploring the area by water, there is an aluminum skiff with oars available for use. Visitors are responsible for bringing and using their own personal floatation devices.
The cabin is a 12 x 12 foot primitive, pre-cut cedar log cabin ( pan-abode style ) furnished with wooden bunkbeds (without mattresses) that sleep up to six people. The cabin is equipped with a table, benches, a small wood/ biobrick stove for heat and an outside toilet. Other amenities include a cooking counter, shelves, cupboard space, and a broom.
The cabin does not have running water or electricity. Visitors must bring their own food, water, sleeping bags, sleeping pads, cook stove, stove fuel, fire starter, cooking gear/utensils, light source (lantern), toilet paper, first aid kit and garbage bags. Wood or biobricks are not provided. Bio bricks can be purchased in Ketchikan and on Prince of Wales. Please contact the district if you need more info.
Water is available from the lake, but must be filtered, boiled or chemically treated before drinking. Click here for more cabin details.
The cabin sits on the eastern shore of Karta Lake in the Karta River Wilderness area on east-central Prince of Wales Island. The Karta River Wilderness is best known for large salmon runs and the scenic quality of the large river drainage system.
Wildlife fills the area, including wolves, black bears, Sitka black-tailed deer, beavers, otters, minks, martens and weasels. Trumpeter swans and various other waterfowl are commonly seen on the lakes and rivers in the area as well.
The area burned in 1910 and is forested with second growth spruce, hemlock and cedar. Native Alaskans, particularly the Haida, historically lived around the bay and utilized the rich food sources of the area.
Learn more about bear safety in the Tongass National Forest.
Karta Lake Cabin is accessible by float plane or boat and trail from Karta Bay. By boat, the cabin is approximately 10 miles from Hollis, and an additional 1.5 miles by trail from Karta Bay. The cabin is located approximately 34 air miles from Ketchikan. However, visitors should be aware that in fall, winter, and early spring, the cabin may be inaccessible to float planes due to a frozen lake surface. This cabin is in a designated Wilderness area, and access by helicopter is illegal. Refer to USGS map Craig 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. Guests should bring extra supplies to last 2-5 days Please contact the Thorne Bay Ranger District at 907-828-3304 prior to arrival for more detailed information about safety precautions.
View on Recreation.gov ↗ Get directions ↗






Reservations for Karta Lake Cabin are made through Recreation.gov. The current snapshot shows substantial availability: 136 of 183 tracked site-nights are open (74.3%), though availability can change. Campsite Sniper has also detected 6 site openings here in the last 90 days, so further dates may appear. Pick a site on the map to see its calendar, or set a free Campsite Sniper alert. You complete the reservation yourself on Recreation.gov.
No. Campsite Sniper sends alerts and direct Recreation.gov links. It never books, pays for, holds, hoards, or resells reservations.
Campsite Sniper re-checks public Recreation.gov availability for this facility every hour and republishes whenever anything changes. This facility's data last changed at Nov 2, 2026 16:20 UTC; an older timestamp means nothing has changed since that time, not that checking stopped. Always confirm final availability on Recreation.gov when you book.
Campsite Sniper detected 5 site-date openings at Karta Lake Cabin in the last 7 days, 5 over 30 days and 6 over the last 90.
2 three-night openings are showing, counting only runs where the SAME site is free for all three nights. The soonest starts Nov 4 at site T05. Confirm and book on Recreation.gov.
December 2026, with 31 open site-nights in the current snapshot of 31.
As of the Nov 2, 2026 snapshot: the next open date is Wed, Nov 4 and the next open weekend starts Fri, Nov 6. Detected openings can add earlier dates at any time; a free Campsite Sniper alert catches those the moment they appear.
Lakefront, hookups, your RV length, weekends only - set it as picky as you want.
We run paced availability checks for Karta Lake Cabin. One watch covers every matching site.
When a match opens, you get a push with a Recreation.gov link so you can review and book it yourself.