Overview
About Joe Thompson Public Use Cabin
Why stop
- A historic log cabin with a wood stove and Lake Clark views.
- Portage Creek Trail leaves from the cabin area and reaches alpine country.
Heads up
- Water or air access makes arrival weather dependent.
- No power, running water or cell coverage; guests bring supplies and pack out trash.
Map
Where it is
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Lake Clark Tour Guide
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Guide
More about Joe Thompson Public Use Cabin
A two-room cabin on the lakeJoe Thompson Public Use Cabin is a small, two-room log cabin on Lake Clark's north shore, set…
Joe Thompson Public Use Cabin is a small, two-room log cabin on Lake Clark's north shore, set among white spruce and birch with views toward the lake. It is a reserved overnight stay and a useful base for Portage Creek, not a drop-in visitor stop. Come for the history and lakeside setting if you are prepared to travel and bring what you need for a self-supported stay.
Plan the crossingThe cabin is roughly 13 to 14 miles from Port Alsworth.
The cabin is roughly 13 to 14 miles from Port Alsworth. You can arrive by floatplane, water taxi or private boat; advanced kayakers can also make the crossing from Port Alsworth. Boats land on the beach, with no dock or mooring buoys. Reserve the cabin and arrange your own transportation. Weather can disrupt travel across Lake Clark, so build flexibility into the trip.
Bring your own suppliesThere is a wood stove, table and chairs, two twin bunks and a nearby outhouse, but no…
There is a wood stove, table and chairs, two twin bunks and a nearby outhouse, but no electricity, running water or cell coverage. The cabin is not serviced between guest groups. Bring bedding, cooking equipment and food, treat lake water or bring drinking water, and pack out your trash. Bears frequent the area, so secure food and scented items in the bear-resistant storage.
Follow Portage Creek toward the old prospecting groundPortage Creek Trail starts by the cabin, crosses the creek and climbs toward Lach Mountain and…
Portage Creek Trail starts by the cabin, crosses the creek and climbs toward Lach Mountain and alpine country. It follows part of the historic route to a placer mining site where Thompson prospected; his last prospecting site was about a mile and a half east. You can hike the trail without reserving the cabin, but an overnight stay does require a reservation.
Who Joe Thompson wasThompson came to Lake Clark from Bristol Bay's commercial fisheries in the late 1930s and lived…
Thompson came to Lake Clark from Bristol Bay's commercial fisheries in the late 1930s and lived in the area until about 1971, working as a woodsman, trapper, prospector and woodworker. He built several cabins around the lake and used this one for trapping and hunting in the 1960s. The exact construction year for this cabin is unsettled, so the 1960s use is the clearer detail.
Wildlife
Wildlife in Lake Clark
142 sightingsBrown BearMost seen around 8 AMSighting map
11 sightingsBald EagleMost seen around 6 PMSighting map
13 sightingsCommon MerganserMost seen around 8 AMSighting mapSighting maps show where each species has been reported across Lake Clark. Wildlife moves, so no sighting is guaranteed.
