Nellie Martin River Cabin

Nellie Martin River Cabin is a remote backcountry wilderness hut on Montague Island in Chugach National Forest, at the entrance to Prince William Sound. It’s a rustic 12-by-14-foot cabin with wooden bunks (no mattresses) that accommodates up to 6 people, and it sits on the Nellie Martin River less than a mile from the beach landing area.

Access is by wheel plane only, landing on the beach at low tide; the flight is typically about 45 minutes from either Seward or Cordova. Use is reservation-based, and the cabin costs $65 per night. The cabin is equipped with a table, wood stove and oil stove, rainwater catchment barrel, axe, saw, and splitting maul, plus an outdoor pit toilet.

Plan to be self-sufficient: there’s no running water, electricity, cut firewood, or cooking utensils, and you must bring your own drinking water, food, sleeping bags, cook stoves, light source, toilet paper, first-aid supplies, and garbage bags. Wildlife viewing and fishing are major draws, with heavy use in August through September for coho salmon on the Nellie Martin River, plus pink salmon earlier in the season and sea-run Dolly Varden and cutthroat trout.