A white Tacoma with a camper shell parked on a rise above a broad, empty basin under building cloud.

Forest Service cabin or lookout

Pigot Bay Cabin

Forest Service cabin or lookout in Chugach National Forest, Valdez-Cordova County, Alaska. 215 feet. 10 miles from Whittier.

Managed by
Forest Service Chugach National Forest
Elevation
215 ft USGS elevation model, at the mapped point
Sites
1 1 cabin non-electric
Hookups
None listed
Reservations
Recreation.gov

Overview

Pigot Bay Cabin is tucked away in a secluded and picturesque area of Prince William Sound. It is open year-round, offering an ideal base for exploration, recreation and relaxation.

The area can be accessed by float plane or boat, depending on conditions. The cabin is reached via a trail from the beach. Visitors are responsible for their own travel arrangements and safety, and must bring several of their own amenities including sleeping pad, sleeping bag, cook stove, toilet paper, cook pots and utensils as well as some form of water treatment.

Recreation

The topography is very rugged, which limits hiking in the area. Visitors can bring kayaks to explore the bay along the coast of Port Wells, but should consult the local tide reports in advance for their safety.

Fishing is fair for pink salmon in late July and early August in freshwater streams and the saltwater of the bay. Saltwater fishing is possible for halibut and red snapper (rockfish) near Pigot Bay and the western shore of Esther Island.

Pigot Bay also offers some good shrimping spots. Digging for butter clams is possible on the few gravel beaches at the head of the bay. Hunting for deer and bear is allowed in designated seasons with the proper permits. Blueberries and raspberries are also available for picking in season.

Facilities

The 16 x 16 foot A-frame cabin has a main floor and a loft. It sleeps six and comes equipped with wooden bunks, a table with benches, an oil drip (Kerosene) stove, fire extinguisher and a broom. Cabin users must supply their own kerosene fuel for the stove. Typically 1 gallon/ day is sufficent.

A new Composting Toilet has recently been built. The toilet has a seperating toilet seat which redirects urine into a leach field. The outhouse has been converted to a composting toilet and requires the user to add a small amount of peat (1/2 cup) after use. Please burn your toilet paper to reduce the amount of trash in the system and promote efficient composting. The gravel area in front of the cabin has a small campfire ring.

Water and electricity are not available. Visitors must bring their own supply of drinking water, especially since natural sources may be difficult to access. Any water from natural sources should be treated before drinking.

Items such as a cook stove, cooking gear, flashlights or lanterns, bedding, sleeping pads, trash bags, toilet paper and Kerosene are not provided.

Guests are expected to pack out trash and clean the cabin before leaving.

Natural Features

Pigot Bay Cabin is located on a tall bluff overlooking Pigot Bay. The bay is mostly steep-sided, but has a wide, shallow outwash valley at its head. The cabin sits at the edge of a dense evergreen forest, offering views over the bay to the mountains and glaciers beyond.

Black bears, bald eagles and waterfowl (mainly geese at the head of the bay) are common visitors to the area ( learn about bear safety ). Mountain goats are sometimes seen on the surrounding cliffs. Prince William Sound supports such species as Dall's and harbor porpoises, harbor seals, sea otters and sea lions. A lucky few may even spot a pod of orcas or a humpback whale.

The description, directions and fees are the Forest Service’s own words, from its record on Recreation.gov.

What people do here

  • camping
  • fishing
  • hunting
  • wildlife viewing

The land around Pigot Bay Cabin

The ringed pin is this cabin or lookout; the others are its nearest neighbours. Switch on forest roads or BLM routes to see the way in.

Interactive map. Drag to pan, scroll or pinch to zoom, and select any point to see which agency manages the land. Arrow keys pan and the plus and minus keys zoom when the map has focus. A list of every state with its share of federal land is on the Explore page.

Map layers

Layers
Base map
Legend

Federal land, by managing agency

  • 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

Federal campgrounds, by agency

  • Forest Service
  • Bureau of Land Management
  • National Park Service
  • Army Corps of Engineers
  • Reclamation, Fish and Wildlife and others

State and local land (USGS PAD-US)

  • State land
  • County and city land
  • Regional agency or district
  • Land trust or conservancy

Gaps with no tint inside public land are private parcels, often old mining claims and homesteads. They are not open to the public.

Dashed clay lines on the base map are unpaved tracks from OpenStreetMap. They show what exists on the ground, not what is legal to drive.

Select any point to see who manages the land.

Boundaries are approximate and land status changes. This map is a planning aid, not a survey or a statement of access. Confirm routes, closures and camping rules with the managing office.

Source: Recreation Information Database (Recreation.gov), record updated February 25, 2026. Elevation from the USGS 3D Elevation Program. Seasons, fees, water and fire rules change; the managing office has the final word.