Overview
Eagles Nest Campground is located on Prince of Wales Island in a temperate rainforest surrounded by muskeg and Balls Lake. Visitors enjoy viewing wildlife, hiking, fishing, canoeing and kayaking.
This campground is situated on Prince of Wales Island, the third largest island in the U.S., on the shores of Balls Lake, eighteen miles west of Thorne Bay.
Recreation
An interpretive trail parallels the lake for approximately 1,800 feet, offering scenic views of the Thorne Mountains and surrounding foothills. Canoeing, kayaking and fishing are popular activities at Balls Lake. A canoe ramp is located on the lakeshore. Sockeye salmon, wildflowers and industrious beavers are common sights in and around the lake.
The 2.5-mile Balls Lake Trail lets visitors hike around the lake, where swans, kingfisher and ducks are often seen, along with an array of riparian areas.
Facilities
The campground offers single and double-family sites. Picnic tables and campfire rings are provided, as are vault toilets.
Natural Features
The campground is situated near Control Creek and Balls Lake, within the Tongass National Forest, which covers nearly 17 million acres in southeast Alaska and is the largest forest in the national forest system.
The Tongass surrounds the Inside Passage, the network of waterways that buffers the jagged Alaskan Coast and a cluster of coastal islands. The Tongass offers visitors a chance to view wildlife, including eagles, bears and spawning salmon. Expansive vistas of fjords, glaciers and mountain peaks abound. Much of the forest is a temperate rainforest.
Nearby Attractions
A number of hiking trails and recreation sites are in the area.
The description, directions and fees are the Forest Service’s own words, from its record on Recreation.gov.
Bureau of Land Management (BLM)
US Forest Service (USFS)
National Park Service (NPS)
US Fish and Wildlife (USFW)
Bureau of Reclamation (USBR)
Department Of Defense (DOD)
Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA)
Other Federal
State
Local
Alaska Native Lands (Patented or Interim Conveyed)
Alaska Native Allotment
Road
Primitive Road
Road
Primitive Road
Trail
Roads open to all Vehicles, Yearlong
Roads open to all Vehicles, Seasonal
Roads open to highway legal vehicles only, Yearlong
Roads open to highway legal vehicles only, Seasonal
Special Designation, Yearlong
Special Designation, Seasonal
Trails open to all vehicles, Yearlong
Trails open to all vehicles, Seasonal
Trails open to vehicles 50" or less in width, Yearlong
Trails open to vehicles 50" or less in width, Seasonal
Trails open to motorcycles, Yearlong
Trails open to motorcycles, Seasonal
Special Designation, Seasonal
Trails Open to Wheeled Vehicles Only < 50" in Width, Yearlong
Trails Open to Wheeled Vehicles Only < 50" or Less in Width, Seasonal
Wilderness Area
Wilderness Study Area