0
Pull-thru
USFSTongass National Forest · Alaska
Mcdonald Lake Cabin
Overview McDonald Lake Cabin sits on Wolverine Island near the outlet of McDonald Lake 50 miles from Ketchikan, Alaska.
Sites1all reservable
Elev.154ft
Comf.May-Oct6 months
Max rigtents
Electricnonesites
From Juneau13h27real road time
The honest read
Synthesized from
RIDB · Open-Meteo
OSM · OSRM
Updated 2026-05-27
RIDB · Open-Meteo
OSM · OSRM
Updated 2026-05-27
At 154 ft, Mcdonald Lake Cabin has a 6-month comfortable window (May-Oct). Winter nights average around 28°F, so the shoulder seasons turn cold fast. All 1 sites are reservable in advance, so plan ahead. Popular weekends book out. Within about 4 miles: 2 peaks, lake or river access.
The campground at a glance
01 · CHARACTER
Reads strongest on reservability and cool nights. Softest on shade.
Six axes, each scored relative to every other federal campground in the region: quiet (miles to a major road), cool (elevation), roomy (average site spacing), shade, RV-fit (longest rig), and how reservable it is. All six come from data, nothing hand-tuned.
When to go
02 · CLIMATE
avg highavg lowfrost-freedriest · May
May-Oct
Comfortable window: nights stay above 35°F, days below 90°F.
44%
Of summer weekend-days are dry.
Apr 30
Last spring frost; first fall frost Oct 21.
54°F
Average July low.
Getting there
03 · ACCESS
01
Juneau
240 mi
13h27
02
Fairbanks
950 mi
35h22
03
Anchorage
1067 mi
38h00
By drive time
Picking your site
04 · 1 SITES
0
Walk-in
0
50-amp
0
Accessible
0
Prime
1
Sites
What's within four miles
05 · TRAILS · PEAKS · WATER
Trails & Peaks
Trail segments
35
Peaks
2
Water & Access
Lake / river access
yes
Method
We synthesize public data layers: RIDB and Recreation.gov facility and site records, Open-Meteo climate normals, OpenStreetMap roads, trails, and water, OSRM drive times, and USGS elevation. We take no bookings, no ads, and no paid placements. Independence is the entire point.